Dunshaw Hearing Aid Centers

Hearing aids are fantastic devices…IF your batteries are functioning properly.

Without properly functioning batteries, hearing aids are little more than extremely expensive earplugs.

The most common type of battery is known as “Zinc Air”. This type of battery is operated by the oxidation of zinc with the oxygen present in air around us. Because Zinc is readily available, these batteries are easily produced and retain terminal voltage until 80-85% depletion. Furthermore, they are easily stored and last a long time – provided the tab isn’t pulled.

Zinc-Air batteries for hearing aids come equipped with a tab, that, once pulled, will activate the battery and begin the process of depletion. When pulled, the tab allows water and oxygen in the air to mix with particles of zinc and an electrolyte (usually potassium hydroxide), forming zincate and releasing electrons. Once this process is started, the tab can’t be reattached, so it is best to keep tabs on until the battery needs to be used. Because t he tabs are held in place with sticky glue, they can come off in hot environments without the wearer knowing . It is generally not a very good idea to place these batteries in extremely hot environments for extended periods (for example in cars in the summer).

No matter your hearing aid, proper battery usage is crucial to maintaining good function.

Tags: functionality, hearing aid batteries, hearing technology, Technology

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 5:39 pm and is filed under Accessories, General, Tips & Tricks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.