I bought some spare tubing off of amazon so I could retube my hearing aids myself without going to audioloist, I’ve watched a couple of videos detailing how to do it and I’m pretty confident in myself- problem is I can’t even pull the tubes OFF of my hearing aids so that I can begin the process. I’ve been pulling at both of mine for about an hour now and they haven’t budged at all.
Does anyone have any tips for getting them off? Or do I just have to grovel and go to my audiologist?
I wear BTE aids so don’t have a receiver. When mine are difficult to get off, I put them under hot water.
You say BTE but then you said receiver. If you meant ear mold, you can unscrew the ear hook from the HA, and it is safe to put the ear hook, tube, and ear mold in hot water to soften the tubing. Don’t put the HA in water. No experience with receivers but if it is RIC, you prolly don’t want to submerge the receiver.
What brand of HA’s do you have? My Bernafon aids have flextubes with ridges that can be pulled out. My Phonak aids have slimtubes with a screw-like ending that you have to rotate. My older Oticon aids have an adapter fastened with a pin in which a corda minifit tubes with ridges go.
Why not make a photo of your BTE’s and post it?
Hey! Thanks for pointing out that I used the wrong terminology in my original post, here is a picture of what I’m trying to do:
This is a picture of my Oticon Opn 1 PP BTE hearing aids. I can’t get the plastic tube OFF of the electronic parts so I can’t submerge it in water. I was twisting it and it didn’t do anything so I just pulled but it would not budge one bit.
The part that attaches to the black hearing aid is called the hook. It should screw off the aid, counter clockwise. The part that attaches to the ear hook is the sound tube. It just pushes onto the hook.
A firm grip on both the aid and hook in each hand should break the hook loose from the aid.
Edit…I am wrong about how the hook attaches to the aid. There is a pin that holds it in. The hook does not screw onto the aid.
My apologies for wrong answer.
Good luck with trying to pull the tube from the hook! When mine get brittle as they do after four or five months there is no way to get them apart without doing damage. I find I have to go to my audiologist if, for any reason, I need to get them separate although the only times are when I need to replace them - which is about the six months after the last change.
I’ve used a scalpel blade before to get the tubing off the ear hook.
You don’t damage the hook by doing it and it doesn’t matter about the tubing as you’re changing it.
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When I wore aids that had a hook and tube, my Audi used to put a spot of some sort of clear glue on both ends of the tube. I asked her to stop, so I could change the tubes myself. It is easy to do. Maybe that’s the problem.
I tend to be able to fix most anything. Like Zebras said, a sharp knife will get them off without damaging the hook as will a good soaking in hot water with small pliers. Maybe it’s a DIY attitude.
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I agree with Zebras. I use a scalpel to make a cut at the top of the tube length wise an then pull it off.
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I have never even come close to a BTE aid and my experience is with removing fuel lines on motorcycle carbs. So take this advice with a grain of gasoline! I have a 1977 Yamaha 750 and working with old stuff is a necessary requisite for keeping these old fellows working. My technique is to first try twisting the connection. If you can’t twist it, then you are unlikely to get it off without cutting it, which I would consider a last resort. If it still is somewhat elastic and does move, then I find it easier to push it apart with a flat screwdriver blade rather than try to pull the tube off the barb like fitting. Pulling seems to make it tighter. I think there may be some benefit in warming the tubing up. Looks to me that there is nothing to harm in a BTE mold and the tube, so why not dip it in quite warm water to soften it up, then try the twisting and pushing it off.
Cut tube near from earmold with knife or scalpel. Then split tube in middle with knife or scalpel from the end where was earmould, until reaching hook. Then grab splitted ends with your fingers and pull them in opposite directions to break this end of tube
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No, these Oticon’s have a small metal rod that has to be disconnected to remove the hook. Don’t twist! You’ll indeed break them.
Here are my old Oticon Vigo’s with the hook removed:
I just got a quote from my local shop and the hooks are only 0.75€. So it’s no biggie if you break one.
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Thanks for the correction.
My apologies.