Maximising your hearing aid battery

We often get asked how long batteries should last in hearing aids. This can depend on a number of factors including how severe your hearing loss is (more severe losses require more power from the hearing aid), what size batteries you have (smaller batteries have less of the active ingredient that powers the battery), and how many hours you use your hearing aids. Hearing aid batteries activate through a mixture of zinc and air.

Here are some ways you can maximise battery life:

• Only pull the sticker off the battery when you are about to use the battery – the battery starts to drain the moment the stick is lifted.
• After pulling the sticker, let the battery sit for 1-2 minutes before putting it in the hearing aid – this will allow air to activate the components in the battery and allow it to reach its full capacity.
• Open the battery drawer when you take your hearing aids off.
• Always use fresh batteries as every battery has a shelf life. Your audiologist is the best place to purchase hearing aid batteries as they go through batteries quickly, ensuring the supply is always fresh.
• If your hearing aid is working harder than normal (like being in a very noisy area where your hearing aid is engaging extra features), the battery drains faster than it would in a quiet environment.
• Setting your hearing aid to a very high volume will prematurely drain the battery.
• If you use a dry kit, remove the batteries from the hearing aid before placing the hearing aids overnight.

Generally, we would expect 3-4 days out of a size 10 battery, around 6-7 days for size 312, and 7-10 days for size 13 batteries.

PS: Did you know we have a full service hearing aid battery recycling program? Learn more about how we keep New Zealand green!