Hearing aids are built to provide many years of useful service. However, regular exposure to a harsh environment means they will occasionally encounter problems. No matter how fastidious you are when it comes to hygiene, the ear canals inevitably attract dirt, moisture and earwax buildup, all of which can damage the electronic components in your hearing aids.
Regular maintenance can help keep them in great working condition, but once in a while, they may need servicing or repair. Massachusetts Hearing Group & Nashua Hearing Group can help. If you have tried the troubleshooting tips below and still can’t get your hearing aids to work properly, please contact us to schedule an appointment.
Troubleshooting Your Hearing Aids
If your hearing aids aren’t working properly, try the following techniques for a quick fix.
- If there is no sound:
- Make sure the battery is inserted correctly.
- Replace the battery if you suspect it is dead or weak.
- Remove excess earwax from earmold or replace wax guard.
- Check tubing for wax buildup or moisture; clean with blower tool.
- If you are experiencing whistling (feedback):
- Remove and reinsert your hearing aids.
- If you have volume control, turn down the volume.
- Make sure there is nothing blocking or covering your hearing aids.
- Have your doctor check your ears for excess wax and remove if necessary.
- If the sound is weak or distorted:
- The battery may be dead or weak; replace it.
- Open the battery compartment and clean the contacts with a dry cloth.
- Remove excess earwax from earmold or replace wax guard.
- Check tubing for wax buildup or moisture; clean with blower tool.
Troubleshooting Your Rechargeable Hearing Aids
- Oticon
- The charger and hearing aids require the temperature to be between +41°F to +104°F.
- The charger LED remains turned off when the charger is connected
- The charger is not switched on = Verify the power supply is connected correctly
- The charger LED remains turned off when the charger is connected
- The charger LED shows long red blinks
- The hearing aid or charger is too warm = Move the charger and hearing aids to a different location
- The charger LED repeated shows 3 short red blinks
- The charger is too cold = Move the charger to a different location
- Or system error = Contact your audiologist
- The charger and hearing aids require the temperature to be between +41°F to +104°F.
- Phonak
- When the hearing aids IN CHARGER:
- Blinking green = 81-99% charge
- Blinking orange = 11-80% charge
- Blinking red = 0-10% charge
- Staying red OR no indicator light at all = Battery error, action required
- The hearing aid must be reset by activating the “stock mode.”
- Press the lower part of the rocker switch for at least 11 seconds, and then place the hearing aid in the charging case for 30 seconds or until the light indicator starts to blink.
- Press the lower part of the rocker switch for at least 11 seconds, and then place the hearing aid in the charging case for 30 seconds or until the light indicator starts to blink.
- The hearing aid must be reset by activating the “stock mode.”
- When the hearing aids IN CHARGER:
- Signia
- The hearing instruments will emit a signal tone to indicate the battery is low, and the alert will be repeated every 15 minutes for approximately 1.5 hours until charged.
- If the fully charged hearing instruments do not last over a full 16 hour day of use (no streaming), then we recommend having the hearing aids sent in for repair.
- Starkey
- The LEDs correspond to each hearing aid.
- Glowing green = Charging
- Solid green = Fully charged
- Note: When charging without the charger cord, the LEDs will turn off when the hearing aids are fully charged to save battery.
- Blinking red = Fault state = Contact your audiologist
- The LEDs correspond to each hearing aid.
