"5-Minute Rule" Extends Life of Zinc Hearing Device Batteries

@sam2678

Hi,

I learned this rule years ago…but it said to wait 2 or 3 minutes. I use 675 Power One batteries in my powerful Phonaks and have gone 3 weeks on a regular basis before changing batteries.
I wear 12 to 13 hours daily usually. Power One are excellent batteries and 675 batteries are really big for hearing aids. I passed this on to my Audi…she didn’t know….and she passed on to her patients. I generally change a day or two ahead of the 3 week limit so as not to be caught short and to have time to let them come up to full power. I have had them go longer than 3 weeks during the lockdown to see how much further they go. I also switch batteries from left to right and right to left every morning as I tend to remove the left one earlier.
So I think it’s valid Information that you should let these batteries with stick on tabs take the time to rev up to full power.

BTW my library recycles old batteries so I keep a ziploc baggie of used batteries until it’s full and take it over. Boy do we use a lot of batteries between my house and my daughter’s house. You wouldn’t think so with all the recharging devices we both have.

FL Mary

That was not my experience. Exposure to air is necessary but my experience was that simply blowing on the tiny air holes for a few seconds worked just as well. And for me Rayovac batteries lasted at least twice as long as Power One.

@arrowshooter

I am wondering if it is how much power is being drawn from each person’s device because I have tried all the brands including Rayovac and Power One works for me better.

Whatever floats ya boat as they say. Happy hearing

FL Mary

Thanks guys! I have an Osia 2 processor, and I did not know about the 5 minute rule or blowing in the holes. Any tips are greatly appreciated since I have been changing out batteries every two to three days.

I use Rayovac batteries for my Oticon hearing aids. I'm trying this method of the 5 minute rule today. I'll let you know if my batteries last longer than the usual week. I wear my aids 8-10 hours a day.

Over many years, I have had the best of luck and the longest service with batteries(312) that I have bought from Costco ... Kirkland. I will have to try the 5 minute rule ... new to me and thank you for posting.

The story behind the '5 minute rule' is interesting. The link was shared in an earlier post, but I'm going to share the story. NOTE: Some hearing aids have a much longer battery life than others. Cochlear implant batteries generally last 2-3 days at most. Still, gaining time is beneficial to all of us. Here's the story; Enjoy!

An eighth-grade student in Rochester, Minnesota, recently made a money-saving discovery for people who use hearing aids: Waiting five minutes to put a newly activated battery in a hearing aid may extend the battery life by two or three days.

Ethan Manuell, who wears a hearing aid in his left ear, studied the effect of “wait time” on battery life. To activate a new battery, users remove a sticker from the battery, allowing oxygen to mix with zinc-oxide inside the battery. Manuell did tests to see if waiting a little longer before putting the battery into the device would make a difference.

He found that if users wait five minutes after taking the sticker off, the battery will last up to three days longer, a considerable increase beyond the usual two- to seven-day battery life (depending on the model).

Manuell has won several awards, including a U.S. Naval Science Award, and received recognition for his “five-minute rule” discovery.