Hearing aid batteries are a popular topic in our offices. Patients routinely ask questions about how long batteries last, are all batteries created equal, how long will they store, and what about rechargeables? Let’s take a look.
There are four common sizes of hearing aid batteries: 10, 312, 13, and 675. Each size has its own unique color on the packaging. The size of your battery will be dependent on the size and power of your hearing aids. Today’s batteries are Zinc Air and have a small tab on them that must be removed before inserting the battery into your hearing aid. This type of battery has a very long shelf life, so you are able to buy a box at a time with no worries. After removing the tab, if you have time to let it sit in the open air for a few minutes before insertion, you will increase the life of the battery. Today’s hearing aids are universal in having the button (-) side of the battery inserted down, leaving the flat (+) facing up. Based on a 16-hour day of usage, most batteries last between 4 and 14 days, depending on the size of the battery, and how much power the hearing aid uses. Not all brands of batteries are created equal and we have routinely seen a brand cause hearing aids to give low battery indication, even when the battery is good. My best advice is, when buying a brand you do not typically use, buy one pack and see how it goes. If you find you are going through batteries twice as fast, it may be the brand of battery you have purchased. We only sell Rayovac batteries in our offices, based on dependable, consistent battery life. As with any batteries, hearing aid batteries are recyclable. Please take them to any recycling location accepting batteries, or drop them off at our office and we will see they are recycled.
We are often asked about rechargeable hearing aids and rechargeable batteries for hearing aids. This has been an area in our industry that has been sorely lacking. More often than not, rechargeable batteries have deteriorated very quickly so that after several months of use, the batteries will not last for a full day. There are some new developments in this area, and we will reevaluate over the course of the next year to see how they are holding up.
