Question
I have a few “Frequently Asked Questions” that we get from our patients about batteries. The first is, how long should you wait after taking the tab off a battery before inserting it into a hearing aid?
Answer
Jenna Rebout: That is a very common question we get about zinc air batteries. We recommend about 1 minute. It's enough time to let air get into the battery to help activate it. I've heard that people take the tab off and wait anywhere from five minutes, to a couple hours, to let it sit overnight, but really only about a minute is needed.
Denis Carpenter: Waiting a full minute ensures a good start condition for the battery. People think that waiting a full minute for the battery to power up means they will get longer life from the battery. That's not really true.
Think about turning on your computer. You have to wait for it to boot up before you start using it. The same thing actually occurs with a hearing aid. A hearing aid has a boot up sequence and it requires a lot of power. So you want to ensure your hearing aid battery has the voltage to power that start up sequence. Allowing the battery to wait for one minute after it’s untabbed before inserting it into the aid will ensure it has the voltage it needs to support the start up sequence.
Next FAQ. How can my patients maximize battery life in their hearing aids?
Denis: We hear that question frequently, as well as, “How can I make my hearing aid battery last 7 days?”. That seems to be a magic number for people, as it keeps it simple to remember to change your battery once per week on the same day.
Turning your hearing aids off and opening the battery doors when you’re not using them is the best advice. Always buy fresh batteries, and store them in a cool, dry location. Don’t keep them in your glove compartment, in the refrigerator, on your radiator, or anywhere they’ll be exposed to temperature extremes. Keep them in the original packaging and obviously, don’t remove the tabs until ready to use.
This Ask the Expert was taken from an AudiologyOnline interview with Rayovac - read the full interview here. For more information, visit www.rayovac.com or the Rayovac Expo Page on AudiologyOnline.
