Care Tips For Your Rechargeable Hearing Aid Batteries
Silver-zinc rechargeable hearing aid batteries now provide all-day power for many of today’s most advanced rechargeable hearing aids. Available as a built-in option on styles from nearly every major hearing aid manufacturer, they are entering the mainstream and being put to use by thousands of hearing aid wearers around the world. In this article, Sara Sable-Antry talks about how you can get the very best out of your ZPower rechargeable hearing aid batteries.
At ZPower, we are committed to enhancing the quality of life and hearing experience of patients, and we are thrilled that so many people are now benefiting from silver-zinc rechargeable hearing aid battery technology. Because our battery technology is different from traditional hearing aid battery technology, it requires a different care routine; and as our batteries become more and more popular, we’ve recognized the need for some additional information to help users get the most of their experience.
With any new technology, there is a learning curve, and we want to make sure our customers have all the information they need to best care for the batteries. We’re grateful to the team here at Hearing Aid Know for giving us the opportunity to share some of our battery best practices with you.
First, let’s talk about charging
ZPower Batteries Come Pre-Charged and Ready to Go
ZPower batteries come pre-charged from the factory, and they are ready to go right out of the box. There is no need to pre-charge your battery before using your hearing aid for the first time.
Charge Your Batteries Every Night
Place your hearing aids in the charging dock every night until the flashing green lights are a steady solid green. This may take up to seven hours, depending on how depleted your batteries are.
Charge Your Batteries When You’re Not Using Your Hearing Aid
If you remove your hearing aids during the day (i.e., to take a shower, go swimming, etc.), put the hearing aids back on the charger. A good rule of thumb to go by is: If the hearing aids are not on your ears, they should be in the charger. The batteries will not overcharge, and storing them in the charger will not decrease the overall lifespan of the battery. If the charger is not available, it’s OK to open the battery door for a few hours until you either need to wear your aids again or you can place them on the charger
Short-Term and Long-Term Storage Tips
If you’re not going to wear your hearing aids for a couple of days, simply leave them in the charger until you’re ready to use them again. If you’re not going to use your hearing aids for longer than two weeks, it’s best to remove the batteries from the hearing aids and store them in a safe place away from other metal objects like keys or coins, placed in such a way that they don’t touch each other.
What to Do if You Forget to Charge
One of the most appealing benefits of the ZPower rechargeable system is that if you forget to charge your hearing aid batteries, you can swap them out for zinc-air disposables. Just make sure that at the end of the day, you put your ZPower batteries back into the hearing aids and place them in the charger so that they will be ready to go the next time you need them.
Now, let’s talk about drying.
Many hearing aid manufacturers recommend the use of dehumidifying dryers as part of regular hearing aid maintenance. The temperature fluctuations can exceed a silver-zinc battery’s recommended operating temperature, which can then impact the battery’s performance. That’s why ZPower has partnered with MG to bring a compatible dryer system to the market. During late spring of 2018, ZPower will be launching a retrofit drying system that will work with any ZPower charger that's already purchased or that will be purchased. This system will provide charging, active drying and a UV light – all in one system.
Finally, let’s talk about issues associated with trying to extend battery life.
Should You Charge Every Other Day?
A ZPower rechargeable hearing aid battery is designed to perform at full capacity for approximately 12 months when used as directed and charged each night in preparation for the next day. If you attempt to extend battery life by charging every other day, you may encounter performance issues associated with full battery depletion.Should You Reboot After a Low Battery Warning?
Have you ever opened and closed the battery door on your hearing aids to eke out a little bit more battery life? It’s a pretty common way in which people try to squeeze a little more juice out of their disposable batteries before they have to replace them. And while this practice can get a little more power out of your ZPower rechargeable batteries as well, it is a practice we highly discourage because it can negatively impact long-term battery performance. That’s why, when you hear the low battery signal, it’s time to either put your hearing aids in the charging dock or insert disposable batteries and keep the rechargeable batteries safe for charging later.
Silver-zinc rechargeable batteries are non-toxic, non-flammable and 100% recyclable.
Here at ZPower, we’re thrilled to be able to supply a safe, recyclable, rechargeable battery for hearing aid wearers that provides the kind of power that can keep today’s most sophisticated hearing aids going strong. We know that there will continue to be questions asked as more and more people make the switch to rechargeable batteries, and we’re committed to providing support to our users every step of the way.
If you have a question not addressed in this article, we invite you to visit our dedicated support page, Ask the Expert, where you can submit your query and get an answer directly from a ZPower expert.
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