Hearing Aid Maintenance

Maintaining your hearing aids is one area which many people don’t pay much attention to. However, if you do maintain your hearing aids properly, you could end up saving thousands and enjoying a crystal clear hearing experience.

Hearing Aid Accessories offers you everything you need to do your own maintenance – no matter your budget.

Maximise your hearing aids lifespan with the hearing aid maintenance range:

It is important to treat your hearing aids with care. Without keeping them in good condition, your hearing loss may get worse and your costs may keep increasing. You will need to keep them in working order for many years to minimise potential problems during everyday use. This ensures they work as expected when you need them most. Hearing aids may be sturdy, but they cannot withstand improper use.

Protect your hearing aids from dirt

Always make sure that your fingers are clean and dry before touching your hearing aid. Dirt can get into places you wouldn’t expect, cause damage internally and make your hearing aid overheat.

The microphone input is also very small and can become blocked through improper handling, so be sure to keep your hearing aids away from dirt if possible or regularly cleaned to prevent this.

Protect your heading aids from moisture

Remove your hearing aids before showering bathing or swimming, this is due to the high ambient humidity. Please note that moisture and condensation may damage the electronics in your hearing aids.

We also recommend removing the battery from the device at night, leaving the battery compartment open, use a special drying aid available from Hearing Aid Accessories.

Take care of your hearing aid tubing

When hearing aids are fit with either a thin tube or standard-sized earmold tubing, you need the right tool for the job. Often you will receive a tool used to clean the tubing when it is removed from the hearing aid itself. This cleaning should be performed regularly in order to prevent wax buildup within the tubing.

Remove any ear wax

Ear wax is often described as the hearing aid’s worst enemy, this is because it is the most common cause for hearing aid repairs across the industry. While ear wax is a healthy, normal occurrence in the ear canal, it can create several problems for a hearing aid.

The ear canal contains not only the solid or soft components of ear wax but also vapor, this can migrate deep into the hearing aid, where it can become solid and settle on critical mechanical components.

Hearing aid repairs:

Leave all hearing aid repairs to an expert – screwdrivers and oil are the enemy of all hearing aids. If they come in contact with the electronic or micro-mechanical systems, it leads to irreparable damage. The delicate technology is very sensitive and can also be destroyed though improper handling or maintenance.

Avoid hearing aid repairs with a proper maintenance routine:

Your hearing aids are an important investment, and have been designed to be both reliable and durable – take a few minutes each day to maintain them. Your ear canal produces earwax, which serves the important purpose of protecting and lubricating your ear, however, wax buildup is one of the main causes for hearing aid repair.

Wax clogs up the sound outlet and/or the ventilation opening, resulting in weak, distorted sound or absence of sound. Most hearing aids come with a filter or other devices to stop wax from getting into the hearing aid. Check the wax filter and replace it as necessary.

Costs for repairing/replacing a hearing aid:

The costs for repairing or replacing a hearing aid vary greatly. Primarily depending on the audiologist you go to and the aftercare package you have signed up with. But on average the prices are:

Repair: You can expect a charge of at least £200 per repair if you want your official brand parts to be used, but this could be reduced to £90 if you don’t mind using non-official parts. Also you may have to sign up to a price package to even get them repaired.

Replacement: This price range can very easily go into the thousands especially if you have a high-end pair of hearing aids. This will be entirely dependent on your audiologist and whether the issue is warranty related.

You can even get specific insurance for your hearing aids that may help with both repair and replacement costs.

What help can I expect from my audiologist?

Your audiologist will be more than happy to help you, however the amount of help you can expect will depend on your audiologist and what package/deal you have with them. For example some audiologists offer free repairs if you are on a specific package, this is not a given however, others will expect you to cover both hours used and the price of the parts.

Hearing Aid Maintenance Kit BTE

Helpful tips and tricks:

Hearing aids can build up moisture after prolonged use, which can corrode parts inside the hearing aid itself. Store in a dry place to combat this and to extend the lifespan of your hearing aid.

For hearing aids that still require batteries changing -this is a lifesaver! Old hearing aid batteries can be corroded by moisture that starts to damage the inner workings of your device.

Earwax can produce a number of issues for your hearing aid including decreasing its performance. Even a simple brush over with a toothbrush or a cotton swab, can produce drastic improvements to your device.

No matter what maintenance you perform on your hearing aids, you will still need to occasionally take it in for a checkup with your audiologist.

This should be every 4 months or even sooner if you notice problems. This ensures your hearing aid will remain in the best condition for the life of the product.