Hearing Aid Repair and Maintenance
Hearing aids are meant to be worn in your ears for many hours at a time, so they are frequently exposed to the elements. This means that rain, excessive humidity, extreme temperatures, dust, and dirt are often the internal components' subjects. Remember also that they are worn in the ear, and sensitive to moisture and earwax.
To maintain their high performance, hearing aids require frequent maintenance and occasional repairs. Without regular maintenance, your hearing aids the decline slowly over time as microphones, speakers, and other parts of it become increasingly prone to breaking down.
Hearing aid maintenance tips
You can do many things to increase the longevity of your hearing aids and reduce repairs.
- Keep the devices clean
- Minimize moisture
- Avoid dropping them.
- Ensure pets and babies can’t reach them.
- Store them when not used in a small protective case.
Hearing aids don't respond well to extreme cold or heat, so remember to remove them when using a hairdryer. Chemicals can also harm the devices, so when applying sunscreen, hairspray or cologne remove them.
What to do when your hearing aid encounters an issue?
Make sure you've taken the following advice before calling us for a repair.
- Check that the hearing aid is turned on: This appears simple but is easily forgotten, especially if you are new to hearing aids.
- Test the volume level: The volume may often to turned down by mistake.
- Check the battery: Ensure that the batteries are installed correctly and test them or try new ones to ensure that they are not the problem.
Inspect the tubing: If your hearing aid is a BTE (behind the ear) type, a new tube may sometimes be needed. If the tube is worn or damaged, then a replacement is required.
Still not working? Take it to us.
No matter how much attention you spend maintaining after your hearing aid, there will come a time when you need to have it fixed.
You may have tried everything in the manual to make it work, and they still refuse to turn on. That suggests it's time to take it to the store.
A feedback or whistling problem suggests you have a fit issue with your device. Remember that even previously unbeaten fittings can fail over time due to changes in the size and shape of the inner ear.
You might also have a hearing aid malfunction. Even though the hearing aid may still work, sometimes the unit can be vulnerable to dust and sweat, and outside elements will work to damage the sensitive sound processor inside pretty soon.
How much does a hearing aid repair cost?
The cost of a hearing aid repair depends on a few factors:
- Whether a warranty still covers the item
- The amount of damage sustained.
- Whether the unit will need spare parts.
If you purchased your device from us and it still has a warranty, you probably won't pay for anything. But if it's not under warranty or has been bought elsewhere, we are likely to issue a charge.
When is it time to buy a new hearing aid?
Though hearing aids are built to last (with many models surviving with the right maintenance for up to ten years), all will eventually fail, as is the case with all electronic devices.
A frequent issue is that the speaker stops working, but you may have all kinds of problems, from defective processing systems to a microphone, which can no longer capture precise sounds.
It can be difficult to figure where the exact issue is, so it always pays for a complete examination from a hearing professional. We can help determine if the problem lies with the device or your hearing, and provide advice on appropriate next steps.
Typically, your hearing aid is beyond repair if:
- It is five years or older. Hearing aids have 5-7 years of life expectancy. If yours is older, it’s a good time to replace rather than repair.
- The damage is plain to see. It might not be fixable if your hearing aid has been stepped on or cracked.
- You have repaired it many times before. Although a new hearing aid may cost more upfront, regular maintenance of an old model might only offer a temporary respite.
If you are looking for services to repair hearing aids, please contact us today to arrange an appointment.