This is general guidance and every make and model differs slightly, so check your manufacturer’s instructions where they conflict. If the checks below don’t solve it, we can look at the aid for you through our hearing aid repair service.
1. Check the power
For a battery aid, fit a fresh battery. Peel the sticker off and wait about a minute before inserting it, because these batteries need air to start working properly. Check it’s the right size and the right way round, and that the battery door closes fully.
For a rechargeable aid, check it’s sitting properly in the charger and that the contacts are clean and dry. If the charging light isn’t behaving as the manual describes, try a different cable or socket.
2. Check the settings
It sounds obvious, but a volume turned down, a different programme selected or a Bluetooth streaming mode left on can all make an aid seem faulty. Some aids also have a telecoil (“T”) setting for loop systems, which sounds very quiet if you leave it switched on by mistake. Cycle through the programmes and set the volume back to where it normally sits.
3. Look for wax and debris
Wax is the most common reason an aid goes weak or silent. It collects in the small opening where sound comes out. Many aids have a wax guard or filter over that opening that is designed to be replaced regularly. Look at the opening, brush away anything visible with the little brush that came with your aid, and replace the wax guard if it looks blocked. If you’re not sure how, bring the aid in and we’ll show you.
4. Check the dome, tube or earmould
On many aids, the dome (the soft tip) or the tube can become blocked, hard, split or twisted. Check for kinks, splits or condensation droplets. A tube that has hardened or cracked, or an earmould that has become cracked or no longer fits snugly, usually needs replacing rather than cleaning.
5. Dry it out
Moisture builds up from sweat, humidity and showers. If your aid sounds crackly, cuts in and out, or was recently caught in rain or steam, leave it overnight in a hearing aid dry box or with a drying kit, with the battery door open. Don’t use a hairdryer, a radiator or a microwave, because heat can damage the electronics.
6. Make sure it’s not your ear
Sometimes the aid is fine and the ear canal is the problem. If wax has built up in your own ear, sound can’t get through, and a perfectly good aid will seem quiet or “blocked”. If you’ve noticed a feeling of fullness, or your hearing has dropped in one ear, have your ears checked. Our earwax removal is carried out by microsuction.
7. Think about whether your hearing has changed
If the aid works but things seem quieter than before, it may be your hearing that has changed. A hearing test will show whether your aids need adjusting. If the problem is a whistle rather than silence, see our guide to why hearing aids whistle.
When it’s time to book a repair
It’s worth getting the aid looked at if:
- you’ve worked through the checks above and the problem is still there
- the sound cuts out, crackles or fades intermittently
- the aid has been dropped, crushed or has got wet
- the casing, battery door or microphone is visibly damaged
Manufacturers usually give a warranty of around two to five years, so check your paperwork first. Once the warranty has ended, repairs are generally chargeable, but an older aid isn’t necessarily beyond repair. We use a local repair centre that deals with all the major brands.
Hearing aid still not right? Find out how our repair service works and send us a repair enquiry.
Hearing aid repairs
