Troubleshooting Hearing Aid Repairs

If your hearing aid is not working as it should, then your first course of action is likely to be a call to your audiologist to try and identify the problem. This, however, is not always necessary. Before you call in the professionals, you can troubleshoot the issue for yourself to see if there is a basic fix that you might be able to manage yourself.

Muffled sound? Check the exterior of the hearing aid

You’re going to want to do this in good, natural light, so you can see all of the device clearly. Remove your hearing aid and carefully inspect the external surface; if you have one to hand, a magnifying glass will help to make this even easier.

What you’re looking for during this process is earwax. Cerumen is one of the leading causes of issues with hearing aids, so if you see any build-up, you’re going to want to remove it. Use a dry cotton swab to gently remove earwax from the hearing aid, then reinsert the device and see if that has fixed the issue.

Device won’t switch on? Replace the battery

Hearing aid batteries are, like any battery, liable to fail. If your device isn’t switching on at all, then a battery fault is likely to be the most common cause. When you receive your device, the instruction manual provided may be able to guide you towards changing the battery for yourself. If you’re not confident in doing this, however, then your audiologist should be able to assist you further.

Hearing aid just not performing like it should? Adjust the settings

Due to the nature of hearing aids, there’s a chance that the settings have been changed without you meaning to do so. If the sound clarity has been damaged or you’re experiencing excessive feedback, cycling through the different programs and changing the settings can be the best way to identify the fault.

If the problem repeats itself on every program, then it’s likely that the problem is with the internal mechanisms of the hearing aid itself. If the fault only exists on certain programs, then reconfigure the settings until you are able to use the device as normal.

Hearing a whistling sound? Reinsert your hearing aids

Even experienced users of hearing aids can sometimes insert them incorrectly, which can lead to a whistling sound or excessive feedback. Remove your hearing aids, ensure they’re clean, and then reinsert them. This may sound simplistic, but it’s a surprisingly effective fix for minor issues with sound distortion!

If the above options fail — or you just want the problem to be rectified as soon as possible — then, of course, you should call your audiologist to investigate the cause of the fault. They will be able to advise you further on how to deal with the existing problem, as well as give you a few tips about good maintenance and practice that can help to prevent further issues developing in the future.