How Long do Hearing Aid Batteries Typically Last?

The use of the right hearing aids, with the help of an audiologist, can have a truly profound impact on the quality of life for someone who experiences hearing loss. As such, you will want to keep those hearing aids running effectively for as long as possible. To that end, taking care of your batteries is crucial.

All hearing aid batteries will run out at some time. However, to make sure that you’re not caught without your spares, it’s important to know how long your batteries should last. Here, we’re going to look at how long that is and how to make sure you get as much life out of them as you can.

How long should your hearing aid batteries last?

To offer a quick answer, your hearing aids should last anywhere between 4 and 10 days. However, the specifics of this answer depend largely on factors such as battery size, hearing aid style, and more. The average in-the-canal (ITC) hearing aid wears their hearing aids around 13 hours a day. As such, when looking at the following figures, we will divide the overall average hours of operational life by 13 hours a day to also show how many days you can expect it to work for. There are four common hearing aid battery sizes: 10, 312, 13, 675. Here are how they each perform:

• Size 10 batteries have an average lifespan of 60 hours. When divided by 13 hours a day, this is roughly four days of battery life.
• Size 312 batteries have an average lifespan of 73 hours which, divided by 13, gives them five days of battery life roughly.
• Size 13 batteries have an average lifespan of around 117 hours which, divided by 13, gives them nine days of battery life.
• Size 675 batteries have a 154-hour lifespan on average which, divided by 13, gives them roughly 11.8 days of battery life.

The difficulties with estimating hearing aid battery drain

Batteries are not drained at a uniform speed. Both battery manufacturers and hearing aid manufacture may provide estimates of how long you can expect a battery to last with their product. However, there is a natural want for them to exaggerate those results. Similarly, many tests are done without the use of advanced processing features like digital noise reduction or wireless connectivity, which can increase battery drain.

However, if you’re regularly finding that your hearing aid batteries drain far quicker than the figures above indicate, then there may be an issue reducing their lifespan. Here are a few tips on getting the most out of your hearing aids.

Use your batteries a while after you pull off the tab

A battery will start to drain as soon as you pull off this attached tab. This activates the material directly beneath to complete the loop that powers the hearing aid device. However, the activated material loses charge when not in your device. It’s recommended you give the tab three to five minutes to breathe before putting in the battery, however.

Start with the oldest batteries

Batteries will start to lose their charge as they remain in storage, even if the tab is removed. As such, when you’re changing your batteries, make use of those that you have in storage for the longest. Do not leave your batteries in the hearing aid overnight and keep the battery compartment open to let it air out when not in use.

Keep them dry and in room temperature

Your hearing aid batteries will be negatively affected by heat, cold and moisture alike. The moisture can cause it to corrode, which may even do damage to your device, while extreme temperatures sap it of its charge. 

Use a hearing aid dehumidifier

Hearing aid dehumidifiers remove moisture from the hearing aid to keep them effective. They also usually complete with places to store your batteries for the same purpose. Make sure you wash and dry your hands before handling batteries, as dirt and grease can affect them, too.

Ask your audiologist

If you want to know more about the specific batteries you use, or what else you can do to get as much life out of them as possible, then your audiologist may be able to help. If your batteries consistently underperform when compared to their estimated lifespan, then it could be a malfunction with the hearing aid, a battery mismatch, or other issues that could be the cause. The team at Hinderliter Hearing Services is always here to help, so don’t hesitate to call our office at 248-430-8425 with any questions or concerns.