Ear Center: Hearing Aid Battery Troubleshooting
Having trouble with your new hearing aid batteries?
Your new batteries are not dead. They just need to be "activated"!
Modern hearing aid batteries are a type of battery called a "zinc-air" battery and are non-rechargeable. Zinc-air batteries replaced mercury containing batteries that were prevalent in the 1970-1980's.
Zinc-air batteries are activated and powered by air. They must be "activated" before using them in your hearing aid or BAHA/Ponto sound processor. To charge your zinc-air batteries, you must:
- Remove the sticker from the surface of the battery
- Blow into the hole in the battery or shake the battery several times in the air
- Wait 2 minutes before inserting the new battery into your hearing aid or BAHA/Ponto sound processor
Zinc-air batteries are not used to power cochlear implant sound processors. Cochlear implants use rechargeable batteries. Common rechargeable batteries are lead–acid, nickel cadmium (NiCd), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium ion (Li-ion), and lithium ion polymer (Li-ion polymer), not "zinc-air" batteries.
If you are still having problems with your new hearing aid batteries, please contact us at 336-273-9932 and ask to speak to one of our audiologists.
Last updated: 06/13/2014