Even though the battery life for hearing aids might seem an easy question to answer, it actually depends on a variety of factors. Just how long a battery will last is dependent upon who manufactured it, and can even vary across models from the exact same manufacturer. The way you use your hearing aid will also impact battery life; the more hours each day it is turned on, the more rapidly you will use up batteries.
In addition, there are differences in battery life between battery manufacturers, and the same manufacturer may offer different lines of batteries, some that are supposed to last for a longer period of time than others. Battery type is another main factor in longevity. For example, zinc-air batteries will begin to lose power the second you remove the adhesive tab on the bottom and will continue to lose charge even if the hearing aid is powered off while other types will only discharge when they’re in a hearing aid that is turned on.
Because the cost of batteries adds up, if you’re looking for a new hearing aid, you should do some research to find out which types and models of hearing aids have the best battery life, because that may influence your choice. The same research recommendation is true if you have an existing hearing aid and are trying to find the batteries with the best performance for it; you can uncover a great deal from consumer ratings and comparative reports.
To make things somewhat easier for you, hearing aid batteries are available in four common sizes, each of which is marked with a specific color code, which is consistent no matter who the manufacturer is. Take a look at the approximated battery life below to get a general idea of how long hearing aid batteries of each size should last:
- Size 10 – Yellow – 80 hours
- Size 13 – Orange – 240 hours
- Size 312 – Brown – 175 hours
- Size 675 – Blue – 300 hours
Don’t forget to turn your hearing aid off when you are not using it for the longest battery life. To ensure the longest shelf life for hearing aid batteries you’ve purchased but haven’t used yet, store them indoors, at room temperature, and in their original, unopened packaging.