Even though the battery performance for hearing aids might seem an easy question to answer, in truth it varies according to many factors. Just how long a battery will last depends on who manufactured the battery, and will vary across various models from the same manufacturer. The length of time your batteries will last also depends on the way in which you use the hearing aid – hearing aids demand continuous power when they are switched on, so the more time each day you use it, the faster you will go through batteries.
The batteries themselves are a crucial factor. Batteries the exact same size from different manufacturers will have distinct lives. And there will be variance within one battery manufacturer if they offer premium or extended-life lines. Battery life also hinges on battery type; for example some varieties are only discharging power when they are in a hearing aid that is on, while other types (such as, zinc-air batteries) start burning stored energy as soon as you remove the adhesive strip on the bottom of the battery and they are in contact with oxygen, whether the hearing aid is turned on or not.
If you are looking for a new hearing aid, you may wish to do some research in advance to see which have the best ratings for battery life, because that could influence your choice of which type or which model of hearing aid to buy. If you have an existing hearing aid and are looking for the longest lasting batteries for it, the Internet can be a wonderful source of comparative ratings and reports.
To make things somewhat easier for you, hearing aid batteries are available in four common sizes, each of which is marked with a unique color code, which is consistent no matter who the manufacturer is. The following list of battery life is an approximation, of course, but it may give you a basic idea of how long batteries of each size should last:
- Size 675 – Blue – 300 hours
- Size 312 – Brown – 175 hours
- Size 13 – Orange – 240 hours
- Size 10 – Yellow – 80 hours
Remember to turn your hearing aid off when you are not wearing it for the longest battery life. To ensure the longest shelf life for batteries you’ve purchased but have not used yet, store them indoors, at room temperature, and in their original, unopened packaging.