What to Do if Your Hearing Aids Malfunction

Any electronic device can malfunction, so this includes hearing aids. But what do you do if it does happen to you? We’re going to have a look at the ways you can deal with some hearing aid malfunctions. This advice should help you to save time and reduce frustration by solving some of the issues yourself. If you experience any of the following problems:

• Complete loss of sound
• Weak or intermittent amplification
• Internal noises or garbled or distorted sound.

If you are faced with these issues, think about the following tips:

Check the Hearing Aid Is On

If no sound is coming from your hearing aids you need to run through some checks to ensure it is set up and on. Make sure the hearing aid battery door is completely closed and it is also turned on. If you have volume control capabilities, make sure it’s not on the minimum setting or mute.

Is There an Issue with the Battery?

In order for the battery to work, it needs to sit in the hearing in a specific way. Just like other batteries, hearing aid batteries have both plus and minus markings. The flat part of the hearing aid battery is the positive end. Make sure they are inserted properly into the battery compartment. If the battery is upside down, then your hearing aid won’t get power. Next, you need to ensure you aren’t working with a weak or dead battery. Remove the old battery and replace it with a new fully charged battery. This will usually need to be done every other day, especially if you wear your aids all day. Place the new battery in the hearing aid after a few minutes and it should solve the issue. If you have a battery tester as part of your kit, you can use this to monitor the level of power left in your battery before changing. If it is fully charged, it may be a different issue with your hearing aid.

Are They Clogged?

Moisture, earwax, oils and other foreign materials can build up in the microphone, tubing, sound port of hearing aids and have a negative impact on their function. You should:

• Wipe your hearing aid clean using a tissue or dry cloth.
• If your hearing professional gave you a cleaning tool or brush, use this to clean debris from the hearing aid’s components.
• Replace or clean earwax protection.

Time to See Your Hearing Health Professional

Sometimes you need to see your hearing aid professional because they are better equipped to resolve a malfunction. It is vital that you remember that some types of malfunctions need to be referred to your hearing professional this is, so you stop any further damages or invalidating the hearing aid’s warranty. If the troubleshooting tips above, don’t resolve your problems it might mean that you need to send them for hearing aid repairs. Your audiologist will often make repairs to your hearing aids in-office and send them off for repair when necessary. If you need any further hearing aid troubleshooting tips make sure you contact your hearing aid professional.