problem with recharging hearing aid

Posted by smallisland @smallisland, Jun 24 10:12am

I put my rechargeable hearing aid in recharger over night. In morning it was as dead as a door nail. I cleaned it and the ports on the charger and tried again. It stayed dead for several days. I even changed outlet . Then all of a sudden , after several days, it was charged. Has anyone had this problem? Any suggestions as to why or how to handle it when it happens. Thanks

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Hearing Loss Support Group.

Julie, Volunteer Mentor | @julieo4 | Jun 24 10:04pm

What kind of hearing aids do you have? Have you asked the provider about this issue?

vic83 | @vic83 | Jun 24 10:44pm

I have Phonak hearing aids, which I do like. Within the first year I had an issue with the charger. I replaced the charger and now all is fine. The charger should always work with no tricks necessary.

ner | @ner | Jun 25 8:34am

Hi, I found my left HA sometimes fails to fully charge, even when I clean the contact point on the hearing aid and in the charger, as instructed by audiologist. Only the left one has this problem.

I think gremlins come in the middle of the night and shake the left hearing aid loose, because, although it’s in contact with the charger, and winking on and off (charging) when I go to bed, in the morning I occasionally find the left hearing aid is dislodged from the charger, and not fully charged. Maybe you have gremlins. Mine also hide things, and only surrender them when I buy a new one. This has been going on for years.

Lately I’ve found a way to keep the charger box upright overnight. The hearing aids are pulled down by gravity to maintain contact with the charging device. Somehow the gremlins haven’t discovered this yet. I lodge the plugged-in charger with the hearing aids inside between bookend and books so it’s held upright all night. So far, so good. Often the simplest solution is the best one when dealing with gremlins.

smallisland | @smallisland | Jun 25 9:45am

Thanks. There have been lots of occasions when I have felt gremlins are responsible for things in my apartment, so you could have the answer.
, but how will the audiologist respond to this suggestion?

smallisland | @smallisland | Jun 25 9:47am

In reply to @julieo4 "What kind of hearing aids do you have? Have you asked the provider about this issue?" + (show)

Mine are Phonak rechargeable . I see the audiologist this week. I'll let you know what they say.

Julie, Volunteer Mentor | @julieo4 | Jun 25 2:31pm

In reply to @vic83 "I have Phonak hearing aids, which I do like. Within the first year I had an..." + (show)

You are absolutely right. The charger should work. If it doesn't it's important to take the hearing aids and the charger back to the provider. Your hearing aids are from one of the top brands, so it seems it would be replaced with no fee. On the other hand, if one purchases OTC hearing aids (over the counter), the return/repair policy may not be the same.

Read the fine print.

vic83 | @vic83 | Jun 25 4:52pm

In reply to @julieo4 "You are absolutely right. The charger should work. If it doesn't it's important to take the..." + (show)

Actually I first had one hearing aid that wasn't working properly and they replaced the insides (cheaper than figuring out what was wrong no doubt). That was free because under warranty. I had to pay for the new charger - outside of warranty.
I have to wonder about OTC hearing aids. The fitting?

Julie, Volunteer Mentor | @julieo4 | Jun 25 8:59pm

In reply to @vic83 "Actually I first had one hearing aid that wasn't working properly and they replaced the insides..." + (show)

OTC hearing aids are a whole different 'ballgame'. They are not fit by a professional. They are sold in the box. Some of them are of higher quality than others. I have always bought into the theory that the process of fitting them properly to a person's audiogram and lifestyle is of great importance.

Cost is a huge issue that has led to the acceptance of OTC devices. Good or not good. I don't know. The only person who knows if they are helping is the person who is using them.

Not all that long ago hearing aids were basically amplifiers. Today they are capable of adjustments relative to a person's hearing loss as it shows on an audiogram. While amplification is still important,, we know that different people need amplification in different decibel levels. It's complex. Clarification can also be related to those adjustments. Most people who start to experience hearing loss will say "I can hear, I just don't understand'.

Adjustments matter more in some instances than in others.

Again, fitting is extremely important. It's something we pay dearly for.

smallisland | @smallisland | Jun 27 9:01am

Thanks everyone for your comments. I saw the audiologist yesterday. My HA has been charging just fine for the the last few days so she had nothing to do. I could send the charger to Phonak to be checked for $150.00 or buy a new one for $100.00 so I opted to get a new one to be back up in case this happens again.

daveshaw | @daveshaw | Jul 1 9:44am

I actually have a charger that plugs in the wall but if I am going somewhere it is portable. My hearing aids would stop working and all I had to do many times was just put them in the charger and they started working again.
I am looking forward to getting some new hearing aids soon so I will finally have a backup pair. Nothing ruins a weekend like having your hearing aids stop working on a Friday afternoon and your audiologist can’t get you in until Monday.