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Hearing Aid
Batteries
All batteries are toxic and dangerous if swallowed. Keep all
batteries (and hearing aids)
away from children and pets. If anyone swallows a battery
it is a medical emergency and the individual needs to see
a physician immediately.
One question often asked is "How long does the battery
last?" Typically they last 7-14 days based on a 16 hour
per day use cycle. Batteries are very inexpensive, costing
less than a dollar each. Generally, the smaller the battery
size, the shorter the battery life. The sizes of
hearing aid batteries are listed below along with their
standard number and color codes.
- Size 5 RED
- Size 10 (or 230) YELLOW
- Size 13 ORANGE
- Size 312 BROWN
- Size 675 BLUE
Today's hearing aid batteries
are "zinc-air." Because the batteries are air-activated,
a factory-sealed sticker keeps them "inactive" until
you remove the sticker. Once the sticker is removed from the
back of the battery, oxygen in the air contacts the zinc within
the battery, and the battery is "turned-on". Placing
the sticker back on the battery will not prolong its life.
Since many of today's automatic hearing
aids do no have "off" switches, removing the
battery at night assures that the device is turned off. Zinc-air
batteries have a "shelf life" of up to three years
when stored in a cool, dry environment. Storing zinc-air hearing
aids in the refrigerator has no beneficial effect on their
shelf life, in fact, quite the opposite may happen. The cold
air may actually form little water particles under the sticker.
Water is made of oxygen and hydrogen. If the water vapor creeps
under the sticker, the oxygen may contact the zinc, and the
battery could be totally discharged by the time you peel off
the sticker! Therefore, the best place to store batteries
is in a cool dry place, like the back of your sock drawer,
not the fridge!
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