Posts Tagged ‘hearing aid dryer’

Everyone who has a hearing aid is going to need it to be repaired at some point.  Some repairs are because a component (such as a microphone or receiver) has failed.  The vast majority of repairs aren’t due to a component failing.  The hearing aid isn’t working properly because of wax or moisture.

What’s the deal with Wax?

Ear canals produce wax.  It’s part of their job.  Wax helps keep the ear canal lubricated.  Some people’s ear canals produce more wax than others.  It’s typically not a problem – unless it collects on the end of your hearing aid (or earmold) and plugs it up.  If that happens your hearing aids aren’t going to work the way they are supposed to, and you won’t hear as well using them as you did before they became clogged.

Why isn’t my Hearing Aid working – Does it Need to be Repaired?

If it’s just wax at the tip of your earmold or the receiver opening it probably doesn’t need to be repaired – it just needs to be cleaned.  If you wear eyeglasses and there is a smear on the lens, you can’t see as well, but there isn’t anything wrong with your glasses.  They just need to be cleaned.  Hearing aids are the same way in many cases.  If your hearing aids use wax guards (most of the better ones do) the wax guard may need to be changed.  If you wear a Behind The Ear (BTE) aid it may just be that your earmold needs to be cleaned.  At Hearing Aid Express we will clean any hearing aid you purchase from us for free for as long as you own it.

What About Moisture?

Hearing aids use electrical components to make them work.  A battery powers the microphone, computer chip and receiver.  Nothing electronic likes any kind of moisture.  Most hearing aid problems related to moisture aren’t due to water coming from the outside, like rain (but don’t wear them in the shower!).  Moisture problems are usually due to sweating.  As with wax, some people sweat more than others.  If you are a “heavy sweater” you need to be more diligent to make sure it doesn’t cause problems with your hearing aid.

So How Do I Avoid Hearing Aid Repairs?

For wax issues, be sure to change your wax guards regularly.  You should take your hearing aids in a few times a year to have them cleaned and checked to make sure they are working properly.  For people who purchase their hearing aids from us this service is free for as long as you own them (try doing THAT with a place that sells hearing aids online!).

For moisture, the main thing is to keep the moisture from getting in the hearing aid to begin with, and if moisture gets in your hearing aids to get it out as soon as possible.

This is usually done using a hearing aid dryer.  Some dryers use a dessicant (material that absorbs moisture).; others use heat or air to dry your hearing aids.  The most effective dryers use a dessicant and forced air (blowing through the drying chamber) to dry out your hearing aid.  Operating a dryer is easy.  You open the battery door of your hearing aid and put it in the dryer – typically while you sleep.  Hearing Aid Express offers a variety of hearing aid dryers – from the dessicant type to forced air dryers.

What should I do if I think my Hearing Aid has Wax or Moisture Problems?

That’s easy – bring it in to us.  We’d be glad to clean and check your hearing aids – for free.  We will let you know if you need a new wax guard or if you might benefit from a hearing aid dryer.  You may just need your hearing aids cleaned.   While you are visiting us be sure to get some batteries.  We still have fresh hearing aid batteries for only 50 cents each.