Dead or Weak hearing aid repair (BTE)
If your behind the ear hearing aid is dead or weak, the first step is always to replace the battery, just to make sure it isn’t a bad battery.
Next, you will want to make sure hearing aid isn’t plugged with wax or debris.
Start out by visually inspecting the end of the mold, the tube, and the earhook. If there is a visual blockage, clean with compressed air or BTE floss and see if it works.
If there is no visual blockage, or you have already tried cleaning the tubing, remove the earhook from the hearing aid. This is usually done by unscrewing it, although some models pull off. Refer to you hearing aids manual for instructions.
Once you have the earhook removed and a good battery inserted, turn the hearing aid on set to maximum volume.
Cup the hearing aid in your hand and listen for feedback. This may require someone without a hearing loss. If you or an assistant can hear the hearing aid whistling (or whistling stronger in the case of a weak hearing aid), replace the earhook and earmold and cup the aid in your hand again with it turned to full volume.
If you cannot hear the feedback (or not as strongly for a weak diagnosis) with the earmold and earhook attached, try removing the earmold. If there is feedback with the earmold removed and the earhook attached, or if the strength of the feedback increases, then there is something obstructing the sound in the tubing or earmold. A good cleaning with compressed air through the tubing or BTE floss should do the trick.
If there is still no improvement with only the earhook attached, then the obstruction is in the earhook. It may be as simple as cleaning the earhook, but some behind the ear hearing aids have an acoustic filter built in.
The acoustic filter may be in the tip of the earhook where the earmold connects, or further up, inside the ear hook.
If the filter is on the tip, it is usually a metal screen. You can first try cleaning the screen by soaking the earhook in rubbing alcohol for 15 minutes and then drying it with compressed air. If this does not work you can poke a hole in the screen with a needle.
This will allow the sound to go through, but will also slightly increase the high pitch frequencies. This shouldn’t be a problem unless your earmold doesn’t fit well; in this case it is possible that it could cause feedback.
If your earhook has a filter further up inside it made from cotton or plastic, you can remove the filter by pushing it out with a piece of fishing string. Like poking a hole through the metal filters, this also slightly increases the high frequencies and may cause feedback if your earmold does not fit correctly.
If you have tried all of these options, and your hearing aid is still dead or weak, it may be time to try a professional hearing aid repair lab.
4 Comments to Dead or Weak hearing aid repair (BTE)
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You just saved me $175, at least. Following these instructions, I found that the filter in my ReSound was clogged. Removing it and cleaning it with a needle restored the sound beautifully. Amazing.
My siemens BTe aids feed back, they are open ear tubes. the dealer can not adjust them or dont know how. I have had them 2 yrs. 9 mo. and have given up on my dealer,so its back to my old ITE aids. what can be done?–Richard
Richard, please accept my sincere apology for not replying to you sooner! Your comment was lost in the unfortunate amount of spam comments we receive.
To answer your question, the first thing I would try in that situation would be custom earmolds. I know that seems like it would defeat the purpose of open fit hearing aids, but there are very small molds they make now, with a very large air vent to keep the open feeling and benefits. The reason the may help with the feedback on your hearing aid is that it would direct the sound in the right direction.
There are two major bends in the ear canal, each going a different direction. When the open fit tubing isn’t pointed correctly in the canal it may cause the sound to bounce off one of those bends, back out of the ear and to the microphone, causing feedback.
What the custom earmold would do is make sure that the sound waves are headed in the right direction.
I’m assuming your local Siemens dealer already tried the typical diagnosis routines, such as checking the physical integrity of the tubes (no holes or cracks), and running the feedback calibration in the hearing aid programming software. Which if so, I would say trying a custom mold would be your best bet.
Here is a picture of custom open fit earmolds taken from http://www.greatlakesearmold.com/open_fit.asp:
Another site where you can get a good idea of what the custom molds are like is:
http://www.microsonic-inc.com/index2.php?section=46
If you want to give it a try you should see your dealer and ask him to take impressions of your ears for custom, open fit molds. Then they will send the molds to the lab they use, and have you come back in to try them out when they’re ready.
Let me know if you decide to try it out, and how it works out. I’ll get back to you quickly this time!
That is great to hear Robin! I love helping people fix things themselves! There are simple things like that which anyone can do, and not only does it save you money, but the hassle of going to your dealer or sending your hearing aid off for repair, and the time that you would be left without your hearing aid.