Like any electronic device, hearing aids will occasionally malfunction. Not to worry – we’re here to assist you in identifying minor hearing aid problems and how to troubleshoot them. This information may save you time and reduce frustration by helping you remedy some of these problems yourself, so you can continue receiving benefit from your hearing aid.
If you experience one of the following problems:
- Complete loss of sound
- Weak or intermittent amplification
- Internal noises or distorted/garbled sound
Then ask yourself these four questions to troubleshoot:
1) Is my hearing aid on?
If you aren’t getting any sound from your hearing aid, ensure the hearing aid battery door is completely closed and the hearing aid is turned on. If you have a volume control, be sure the volume is not set on mute or on the minimum setting.
2) Is there a problem with the battery?
The battery needs to sit in the hearing aid in a specific way for it to work (refer to your instruction manual for information on proper placement). Like other batteries, hearing aid batteries are polarized and have both “+” and “-” markings. The flat side of the hearing aid battery is the positive pole. Check for proper placement of the battery in your hearing aid. If the battery is upside down, your hearing aid won’t be able to draw power.
Next, make sure you aren’t working with a dead or weak battery. Remove a fresh battery from the package and remove the sticker/tab from the battery. We recommend you wait 3-5 minutes after removing the sticker before using the battery. This time allows the battery to completely charge before being ready for use. Insert the new battery into the hearing aid. If you have a battery tester, you can use it to check the power level of the hearing aid battery as well.
3) Is the hearing aid clogged?
Earwax, moisture, oils and other foreign materials can build up in the microphone(s), sound port, and tubing of the hearing aid negatively affecting its function.
- Wipe hearing aid with a clean, dry cloth or tissue.
- If your hearing professional provided you with a cleaning tool or brush, use it to clean debris from the hearing aid’s components.
- Clean or replace wax guard/protection.
For a step-by-step guide to clean and care for your hearing aids, click here.
4) Am I wearing the most appropriate program?
If your hearing aid has multiple programs, verify that you are using the most appropriate program for your environment. Some programs that are intended for the telephone or specific environments may sound unusual if you are using them in other situations.
See your hearing professional.
It is important to remember that certain types of malfunctions should be referred to your hearing professional to prevent further damage to the hearing aid or to avoid invalidating the hearing aid’s warranty. If the troubleshooting suggestions above do not resolve the problem or if there is physical damage to your hearing aid, please contact them. The hearing professional can often make repairs or modifications in-office, or they may need to send the hearing aid to the manufacturer for repair.
Keeping your hearing aids clean and in excellent condition is easy by taking preventative measures while at home. See the tips below on how to clean your hearing aids.
Ear Wax Prevention: Ear wax is the most common cause for hearing aids repairs. It can travel deep into the hearing aid when not prevented. To clean the ear wax from your hearing aids, follow these steps:
- Clean your hearing aids every morning with a clean cloth – free of lotions, aloe, etc.
- Avoid wiping the microphone ports. These should be cleaned by a hearing health professional.
- Clean your hearing aid tubing regularly. Use the tool given to you when you bought your hearing aids to clean the tubing.
Water: Precipitation, condensation, and humidity can cause serious damage to your hearing aids. Remove your hearing aids before showering, swimming, or entering any body of water.
Avoid Physical Damage: Always store your hearing aids in a safe place away from pets, children or any form of danger. If damage occurs, make an appointment with your hearing health clinic. Taking great care of your hearing instruments will prolong your device and give you the best results when worn. It is recommended to have your hearing aids professional cleaned every 2 months.
Our hearing is more important now than ever. We recommend you replace your Hear Clear Wax Guards roughly every 2 weeks or every month at the least. It comes down to how much ear wax your body produces. Some people need to replace wax guards more than others.
Ear wax and moisture is the leading cause for hearing aid malfunction and underperformance. These Hear Clear Wax Guards are the last line of defense for your hearing aids. Here are a few quick steps to replace them.
- Remove the ear bud or receiver earmold
- Take the new Hear Care Wax Guard stick out of the package
- Using the back side of the stick (the side without the white wax guard) insert into the current wax guard firmly and remove the old wax guard with a simple backward pull.
- Flip over the stick and insert the new wax guard
- Put the ear bud or receiver earmold back on
Watch these quick videos for a visual on how you can replace your Hear Clear Wax Guards.
Canal & Behind-the-Ear models
Custom models
This quick task will keep you hearing at your best. If you are running low on Hear Clear Wax Guards or need assistance, please call our office.
Replacing Battery – Custom Style
Replacing Battery – On the Ear Style
Rechargeable Hearing Aids
Sanitizing your hearing aids frequently can keep them performing at their best, but it’s important to learn how to sanitize them correctly, as well as what products to use, to keep them from being damaged.
Follow these sanitizing tips below:
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water before and after sanitizing your hearing aids.
- Brush off your hearing aids using a toothbrush or other fine brush to remove wax.
- Change out batteries and wax guards if needed.
- After the wax is removed, finish with gently wiping down the exterior of the device. Hearing professionals recommend using alcohol wipes or bleach wipes, as these products will not damage the aid.
- Do not wipe down internal parts or the battery section.
- Let the hearing aids air dry before placing back in your ears.
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water.
Call your hearing health clinic if you have any questions about the sanitizing process or the sanitizing products you plan to use.
If your hearing aids need a deeper sanitizing, your hearing health clinic staff are available to give your hearing aids the concierge treatment.
Importance of Service
Service is a vital part of hearing as best as you can. Getting fitted for hearing aids is not the end of your hearing journey, it is the start. Following your fitting are adjustment appointments as you get used to all the new sounds and working your hearing aids. Regular Clean and Checks are needed every 2-3 months to give a deep cleaning to your devices. Much like your eyes, your ears change over time. An Annual Exam is needed to make any adjustments to your prescription, keeping you hearing at your best. We are on this journey together and we promise to be with you every step of the way ensuring you are hearing your best.
A clean hearing aid makes a noticeable difference in the sounds that you hear. Regular cleanings at home are important but overtime you will need to bring in your devices for a thorough deep cleaning and check. Our staff take the time to complete disassemble your devices and scrub them clear of all wax, moisture and debris. We change out your wax guards as well as any other maintenance or minor repairs that are needed. In addition, we will run a quick diagnostic to verify that they are working at optimum level.
Frequency
The ear is a very bad place for a computer to live. There is moisture, earwax and humidity all within your ear canal. Computer devices break down with moisture and debris. That is why we recommend getting in a routine of a Clean and Check every 2-3 months. By this time, most people have built up some debris in their hearing aids and a deep cleaning will get your hearing aids back running at peak performance. For some people, they need it more frequently than others. Our staff will be able to guide you through your timing.
These appointments are usually a quick 15-30 minutes that will have you hearing at your best. We do Clean and Check appointments on all makes and models regardless if you purchased from us or not.
It is recommended that every adult goes to see a general doctor once a year. This allows for continuous monitoring and allows the doctor to understand when something has changed. By being proactive, the goal is to catch any issues before they become major. This is also true with dentists and the eye doctor.
In the same way, it is important to build a relationship with a hearing professional. An annual test is recommended regardless if there is an established hearing loss. Early detection allows for professionals to address the issue before it becomes a major problem. Once your hearing is gone, it is impossible to get it back.
Over 450 million people worldwide have disabling hearing loss, and one in three adults aged 65 and older have some degree of hearing loss. Yet despite these numbers, surprisingly few of us test our hearing on a regular basis.
These tests shouldn’t stop once you have a hearing treatment plan. It is just as important with hearing aids as without. Overtime, your ears will change much like your vision. These changes require adjustments to your hearing prescription and fine-tuning of your device. If your hearing loss changes drastically, there is a chance that you will need a stronger hearing aid.
Keeping up with annual exams allows for your hearing solution to be as exact as possible, leading to the best hearing possible. If it has been over a year, schedule your annual exam today. Not sure when you have been in last? Give us a call and we can look up your records.
Hearing aids keep you connected to your world. When they need repairs, you don’t want to rely on a company that simply ships out all its repairs to a factory across the country or around the world. We pride ourselves in being able to do almost all our patients’ hearing aid repairs right here in-house, eliminating lengthy shipping times and other repair delays. You trust our team here to give you the best hearing solutions. It’s only natural for you to trust us to repair your hearing aids when and if problems arise.
The Cost of Hearing Aid Repairs
The cost of having your hearing aids repaired will depend on several factors. Among them are:
- Are your hearing aids under warranty or service plan?
- Do your hearing aids need replacement parts?
- How expensive are the replacement parts?
- What is the extent of the damage?
If you bought your hearing aids from our office and they’re still under warranty or service plan, your costs could be very small or nonexistent. If you’ve got older hearing aids that need substantial work done, your costs could be more significant. For instance, a cracked case on a custom molded device might be quite expensive to replace, but we can repair some cracks ourselves in-house, reducing the costs significantly.
The Benefits of In-House Repairs
Because we do a lot of the repairs in-house, you can speak with the professional who is doing the repair. We will answer any questions or concerns you might have. Since your hearing aids won’t need to be shipped, time and costs are saved and passed back to you. Many repairs can be finished in the same day.
Occasionally, we will have to send out a repair to our manufacturer if it is beyond our ability in the clinic. If this is the case, we will fit you with a loaner pair of hearing aids to keep you connected until your devices are back from our manufacturing experts.
Repairing other Brands
We don’t stop at just helping the hearing aids we fit. All makes and models are welcome. Our staff have worked on almost every make and model of hearing aids from cleanings to much needed repairs. Some manufacturers have restrictions of how much we can adjust or program them.
Adjustment Period – 1 to 3 months after purchase
Getting fitted with hearing devices is not the end of the journey. Unlike glasses, there is an adjustment period that can take up to four months. During this time, your mind will be adjusting to the sounds that you used to miss. Some of these noises will be welcomed while other noises will become annoying. It is important to know going in that this will take time.
Working with your Provider
During this adjustment period, it is important to stay in contact with your provider. They will help you by making small adjustments until you are hearing comfortably. Some people adjust quicker than others so don’t be surprised if you are getting adjustments to your prescription every week or so. In addition to adjustments to the sounds, it is important to discuss any frustrations, annoyances and excitements that you have experienced with your new hearing. This is a team effort, so do not be afraid to speak up.
Practice
Remember that your hearing loss has been gradual. Over the years you have lost the ability to hear certain sounds in different volumes and pitches. This can include sounds that you haven’t heard in a while but have been there all along such as traffic, the wind, the hum of machinery and other background noises. Understand that some of these noises can become annoying as you have gotten used to them not being there. Overtime, you will get reacquainted with these. Practice getting used to all these noises. Your brain will adjust, and these sounds will become normal again.
Be patient
It takes time to adapt to hearing aids. Wear them as much as possible at first to become more skilled at recognizing sound direction and to learn which hearing aid settings work best for you in different situations. The more you use them, the quicker your adjustment period will be and the more benefit you will receive.
Rest
The adjustment period may be tiresome. It’s a lot like retraining a muscle that has not been used in a while. It’s important to give your brain and ears a break. When you are feeling stressed or frustration building, take a 15 minute or half hour break. Work with your provider to set goals to build more time with your devices each day. Before you know it, you will be wearing them constantly and getting the best value out of your devices.
Setting the right expectations for any new experience is important. Let’s settle some myths to make sure that your expectations of helping hearing will be more realistic. First, hearing with hearing aids will not sound identical to natural hearing. Yes, our hearing aids are as natural sounding as ever and we continue to develop better technology. However, there are limitations to a machine when comparing to a natural ear. We will work together to get you hearing as best as you can, but it may sound slightly different. In addition, if your hearing loss is too profound, it may not get back to perfect. All of these variables play a factor.
Hearing Aids are NOT Created Equal
Another myth is that all hearing aids are the same and treat everyone. You are unique, and so are your ears and your prescription. Custom hearing solutions that we offer is a combination of two things: A custom fitting product that is specifically molded for your ear, and a custom fitting prescription to your level of loss.
Custom Products
Custom molds allow for the most comfortable fitting devices and can also fit with your lifestyle. These products range in size from very small that fits in your ear canal to an over-your-ear product with a custom mold that is connected in your ear. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. The smaller products can be made if your ear shape allows it. In addition, the more hearing loss, the larger a device is needed to create the sound needed.
Custom Prescriptions
Custom prescriptions are just as vital, if not more than the shape or style of device. Many devices simply make all sounds louder. These are great if your hearing loss is the same across all pitches. Most of us don’t have that type of hearing loss. Custom hearing prescriptions are programmed into your hearing aids to amplify the pitches that you have a hard time hearing. Amplifying everything only makes it more difficult to understand, especially in crowds.