How often do you change your Domes?

Hearing Aids
#25

On the Jodi-Vac, maybe it’s one of those YMMV things. I let my HA’s dry overnight before using the Jodi-Vac on them. Any residual wax is nice and dry by then and it’s easily suctioned up. I’ve been using the device two months and the filter is about 25% full - so at that rate the filter would last 8 months. There is a clever foam ball in the flow path to judge the strength of suction - if you have suction, the ball gets sucked up to the top of the filter tube but if you don’t, the ball falls to the bottom of the filter tube under gravity (and you know you need to ream the needle tube, etc., which is required only very infrequently). So presumably I can use 100% of the volume capacity of the filter as long as the ball doesn’t drop because debris accumulation blocks flow. So since my filter usage falls within the parameters that Jodi-Vac says the average customer can expect, the rate at which it works for me must be typical of the average customer and perhaps folks who don’t see anything accumulating have unusually wax-free ears or only use the Jodi-Vac to vacuum microphones?

On free domes and wax guards, I got a much better deal than most folks by going through TruHearing.com. I didn’t pay $6K or $7K for my ReSound Quattro 9 61’s, only about $4,400 before insurance and because my wife is a highly paid MD still working, in addition to my own retirement income, I like to buy my own stuff and not ask for freebies when I got a cut-rate deal from my audi, who seems very competent, but being older may be suffering a bit from competition, i.e., maybe that’s why she’s willing to take less lucrative customers from TruHearing? There seems to be an audi on every block in San Antonio - the same for dentists! So the cost of domes and wax guards is so incidental, it’s not a big deal to get them from Amazon and I don’t have to depreciate the value of my nice car just by driving 20 miles or whatever to get stuff that I can have delivered directly to my door. And hopefully, then, I have no need to visit my audi more than once a year for an annual checkup, unless something goes wrong with the HA’s.

#26

I clean the domes each night so I would not expect much from vacuuming them but in the beginning I vacuumed all over the aids daily but it was a lot of work for little gain That is when I decided that the dome cleaning was enough most of the time.

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#27

I brought mine to work and tried it under a microscope. That’s when I discovered that it doesn’t work well on fresh wax. So, like you said, I use it first thing in the morning when the wax is dry.

I managed to extend the life of my filter using hot water and isopropyl. Made it look brand new. I DO NOT recommend doing this. It was really gross. I will not do that again. :nauseated_face:

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#28

I’m not sure I’d say they fall off easily. I think I might wipe a bit too vigorously. It’s just that as the domes age, they slip off more easily when I wipe them down and I begin worrying that one day they’ll come off inside my ear canal. That’s never happened yet. But, it seems to me that they get a bit grotty after about 6 weeks, despite the wiping.

FWIW, I’m wearing Oticon Agil Pro HAs. I got them in 2012, the same year I got new, plastic eyes, a new grandson, and a retired spouse.

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#29

Sounds like an epic year!:smiley:

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#30

Am I facing prison time? :slight_smile: Have had my KS7’s 355 days and never changed the domes (click domes - - they don’t come off easily).

When new, I did wipe nightly with the dry cleaning cloth provided for a couple of weeks. They go in the UV dryer every night.

I plan to continue following this forum from jail.

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#31

Haven’t changed mine since May so approx half a year.

I just wipe them with a clean tissue when obviously soiled turning the domes inside out but never unclip the dome.

Also remove the minifit tube from the BTE and thread the plastic cleaning tool through.

They just air dry overnight. On average, they need a weekly wipe.

Regarding bacteria, as mentioned, air drying will remove moisture and inhibit growth.

Secondly, using solvents often damages plastics. I’d use nothing more than a damp microfiber cloth.

Everyone is individual. Some have harder drier wax, other have wax that is wet. Similarly, skin in the ear canal will slough off more or less easily for some.

Common sense as always. Do what works for you. :slight_smile:

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#32

Ditto - for the exact same reasons.

#33

What are these?! Do tell!

#34

I had cataract surgery, so it’s really only the lenses in my eyes that are plastic. Whatever, they can’t adjust to different distances, so I have special pairs of glasses sprinkled around for seeing at various distances, one pair for the computer, one pair for playing music, one pair at church for playing handbells, etc. For just walking and reading, bifocals are fine. It’s the intermediate distances that are problematic, for example, I have to have a special pair of glasses for trimming my beard. :wink:

FWIW, so-called progressive lenses on eye glasses, which are supposed to take care of this problem, only work with one’s neck cocked in a certain direction. When you have a stiff, arthritic neck, progressive lenses don’t really work.

Now that I think of it, 2012 was epic in another way, but not a good one. I lost my beloved Golden Retriever, Brewster, that year.

I should probably say something HA related so as not to get pitched from the forum. I’m waiting for a call (since October) from my audiologist, who is going to help update my HAs. I’m quite excited about the idea of getting blue-tooth connected with the world.

#35

HAIRY glasses. That’s what you’ve got.

But more important: Condolences for the passing of Brewster. BTW, Goldens are PEOPLE, not dogs. They are just a distant branch off the chimps, having 4 legs instead of two.

You will LOVE the Bluetooth connected world. It’s like for once - WE hear better than others, heh-heh!

#36

I have never replaced my own domes a single time. I was given a small baggie with some when I got my Starkey Halos 3 years ago. Never had one tear or go bad. I clean with alcohol once a week. But wipe nightly before putting them in my DryCaddy overnight.

I have seen the audiologist every 5 or 6 months for cleaning and checkup. They have replaced the domes and wax guards at that time.

Before the Halo’s I had Beltone True 17’s. With those I saw the audiologist much more often. I liked the fit and feel of those domes better. They had a double wall dome. That double wall did trap more ear wax. So I did use alcohol wipes more often. Even so, never had one rip on me or feel like it had degraded.

I just upgraded last week to the Starkey Livio. Looks to use the exact same receiver and domes. So hoping the life expectancy is the same.

#37

Another Costco advantage. Domes and filters are free.

#38

My domes last at least 4 months. I wipe them down (without taking them off the receiver) and the rest of the aids every night with this non-alcohol product: Tech Care Clean Wipes

#39

I change domes once a month as a general rule. I find that they become a bit brittle over time and shrink a small amount which I can sense. I do check them every day and if there is excessive wax on them I try to wipe it away with very gently and avoid jamming the wax in the opening. I would not remove them for cleaning then put them back on. Would rather the cost of new domes than weakening the connection to the receivers and loosing one in my ear.

#40

I leave my audio to change the domes when I see him. I can’t say that I have noticed any detoriation of my domes within a six month period. The only problem I have is the length of time the receivers last. The domes seem to last just fine. But maybe I don’t know what to look for. I will ask my audio on Wednesday when I see him.

#41

Well, after bragging above about getting 6 weeks to 2 months out of a set of domes, I had a pair crap out on me in 2 weeks. One of them tore while I was wiping it down. The previous pair had been replaced because of a tear, but the “defective” dome waited a decent period of time, close to 10 weeks. I hope my audiologist calls to set up the Marvel trial before I run out of my remaining domes. Of course what I have should be last me until summer.

#42

As a newbie learning the ropes, I’d better understand when folks report domes biting the dust if they mentioned (or reminded me!) what they’ve been cleaning them with and whether they remove (or even unfold) the domes from the receivers every day. Don’t mean to make it sound like a critique of lgpiper’s report. Just a request that might help me appreciate dome durability better.

#43

I never cleaned domes. Never had to change a plugged up wax guard. I simply don’t make much wax. But I changed domes and guards once a month anyway as a matter of maintenance.

#44

In reading this thread, I have a vague feeling that different HAs have different kinds of domes. So, one kind will last for ages for some people and others will pretty much need replacement within a month or two. I’ve only ever worn one pair of HAs, so have no experience with anything other than Oticon Agil Pro.

I think I did mention something far above my last post. I have a special cloth my audiologist gave me that I use to wipe the domes and wires down each night. I don’t use any solvents and the like. I wash the cloth out in soap and warm water every once in a while to get the wax off the cloth. The cloth is a little bit like a thin flannel.

When I had my last check up with my audiologist, my domes had been for 2 months and a week, and my audiologist thought they were pretty grubby (they start to look oily or greasy or something, and also discolored) and needed replacement.

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