Features of a Hearing Aid Battery

How It Works and Other Features

Older styles of hearing aid batteries utilized mercury to obtain the energy to power the hearing aid. These batteries are much less effective than the newer zinc batteries that are more commonly used today. The zinc hearing aid batteries use zinc air, meaning that the batteries use the oxygen outside the battery to combine with the zinc to provide the reaction that powers the battery, giving it about twice the life of the mercury battery systems.

The zinc hearing aid batteries come with a color coded tab on them which not only tells what the size of the battery is, but also keeps the air out of the battery until it is time to use it. Once the tab is removed, the oxygen in the air is allowed into the battery and activates it, since the zinc and oxygen begin to combine. For this reason the tab should not be removed until the individual is ready to use the battery so that it is fresh and new from the beginning.

There are four common sizes of hearing aid batteries on the market today so that every size of hearing aid has a battery that fits it. The smallest size is color coded with yellow and it labeled a ten. The largest size is six hundred seventy five and is labeled in blue. The hearing aids that fit inside of the ear canal typically use the smaller sizes and the behind the ear devices will use the larger sized batteries. Using the larger sizes insures a longer life before having to change the battery since there is more room for the zinc inside of the battery. However, because they are more bulky, many individuals would prefer having to change the battery more often and have a less noticeable hearing aid, than to wear a noticeable device for the battery life.