Sound Advice

HEARING AID BATTERIES

Do you think that if the battery quits on one hearing aid, you should change the other at the same time so that the voltage will be the same on both ears?

No, I don't believe that that is important. You have to remember that the zinc air battery used in hearing aids is different from the more traditional alkaline battery. The zinc air has flat discharge curve, so when the battery is going bad it just quits altogether. It doesn't have a sloping discharge curve like the alkaline, which goes bad slowly. You should expect similar performance out of two zinc air batteries regardless of where they are in a discharge cycle. As an interesting side note, we have found in our surveys that the consumer generally changes the batteries one of 2 different ways. (1)They pick a day, say Sunday, to change the battery on a regular basis, OR (2) they wait until the battery goes dead and then they change it. Both methods would be just as effective and give you the same performance in your hearing aid.

Should I keep hearing aid batteries in the refrigerator?

I have been asked that question for over 15 years. Long ago it helped to refrigerate batteries to get longer life. With today's zinc air battery, it actually harms the battery. The zinc air battery has holes in the top and if you put hearing aid batteries in the refrigerator, the holes will allow moisture into the battery. The moisture fills up the battery and then you'll have premature failure of the battery. If you want to preserve the life of a hearing aid battery, keep them out of the refrigerator.

For more information, or to schedule an appointment, please call my office at 770-425-1095.