Moisture and Your Hearing Aid

taken from Ear Technology Corporation website and
adapted for use at HearWell Center

1. Recognizing moisture problems

Some moisture problems are obvious, such as droplets visible in the tubing of BTE instruments. Most, however, are not so apparent because most problems are caused by moisture molecules, not visible droplets.

Even if you can’t see the moisture, you will likely notice its presence because your hearing aids will not sound as good. You may notice distortion, intermittent failures or faulty switches as the moisture soaks into the diaphragms of speakers and microphones, starts corroding metal contacts and sensitive electronics, and blocks air vents and tubing. It can even interfere with battery efficiency.

It is a good idea to suspect moisture when obvious causes such as weak batteries are eliminated.

2. How does the moisture get there?

To start with, the humidity level in a typical ear canal is high. Then, perspiration introduces even more moisture into the ear canal. Temperature changes cause condensation, as described below. Then of course there’s the accidental dunk in the shower, pool, or washing machine.

Why is water vapor attracted to your hearing aids? Simply put, warm air can hold more moisture than cold air can hold. It’s the same principle that causes your bathroom mirror to fog up during a hot shower. The hot shower introduces water vapor to the air, but the cool air can’t hold all the moisture, so it's looking for a place to land. That's when it "condenses" onto surfaces. It's landing everywhere, but it's just more noticeable on the mirror.

The same thing is happening to your hearing aids all day as you experience different levels of activity and different ambient temperatures. Again, condensation happens when warm air meets cool air, so it even happens when you enter an air-conditioned building on a warm or humid day.

Since a hearing aid has such tiny openings, once the moisture gets inside, it takes special measures to draw the moisture back out. That’s where Dry & Store comes in.

3. How to Get Rid of It

1. Open battery door at night.
2. Use an earmold blower on BTE tubing.
3. If moisture problem persist use the Dry & Store drying unit nightly available for purchase in our office.

The Dry & Store combines several technologies to effectively remove even microscopic molecules of moisture from your hearing aid:
-a controlled amount of heat;
-a large volume of warm, sanitized, circulated air; and
-a charged desiccant to absorb the moisture that is released





This information brought to you by Dr. Yoder of HearWell Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. To learn more about our office please visit www.hearwellcenter.com