3 Tips for Hearing Aid Repair

Hearing aid repairs are about the last thing anyone relying on the expensive devices wants to deal with. Unfortunately, hearing aids don’t last forever. After all, they reside in a hostile environment full of wax, debris, sweat and bacteria. The mere exposure to such elements can cause hearing aids to malfunction from time to time.

Luckily, most audiologists aim to make the hearing aid process as affordable and hassle-free as possible. Many audiologists even specialize in fixing broken devices.

Before taking your hearing aids into the shop, it is a good idea to try to troubleshoot the broken devices at home. Often times, minor issues can be easily fixed at home just by making sure basic components of the hearing aids are working correctly. Consider the following tips before scheduling an appointment with your audiologist.

1. Check the battery. Often times, the battery can be the culprit of a hearing aid that suddenly stopped working. Using a battery testing, check the life of the battery. Depending on the type of hearing aid you have, your battery will last from a few days to a few weeks. Hearing aids that are more technically advanced will typically have batteries that don’t last as long. Likewise, hearing aids that are smaller will often have batteries with shorter lives than larger sized hearing aids. If the battery is working and still has life left, make sure the battery is placed in the devices correctly.
2. Give it a good cleaning. Do you clean your hearing aids regularly? If not, the malfunction could be caused by buildup of debris, earwax or other gunk. Take your hearing aids out, turn them off and give them a good cleaning. Use a soft cloth, wax pick or other multi-tool made specifically for hearing aids to get rid of any buildup.
3. Check the settings. Sometimes the volume can get turned down or other settings can become disrupted with the simple swipe of a finger. If you aren’t hearing noise or are hearing intermittent sounds, check the volume of the hearing aids.

If you are uncertain whether your hearing aids need repair, schedule an appointment with your audiologist to have them examined. Your audiologist will be able to recommend the best course of action for getting your hearing aids in tip-top shape again!