What would you do in a storm with rechargeable hearing aids?!

Hearing Aids
#81

The question is posed as if we’re living in the past. I have an EV truck in my garage with a 131 kWh capacity Li-ion battery. The truck has multiple AC and USB outlets in it (even a 240-volt outlet that can supply 7.2 kW in the truck bed and a “frunk” outlet that can supply 240-volts at 2.4 kW). I can power much of my house for at least 10 days with the truck during a power outage-I don’t need to go to the truck to get electricity-it feeds its power to our electrical panel in an outage). 131 kWh is 131,000,000 mAh. Most HA rechargeable batteries probably aren’t more than a few hundred mAh capacity. So I could keep any rechargeable HAs powered for a really long time using my EV. I also could use my wife’s ICE vehicle battery, either of my two uninterruptible computer power supplies, which have lead acid batteries in them, a 25,000 mAh Li-ion battery pack I own, or a fold-up solar panel.

Even EVs not designed to be a source of utility power could keep rechargeable HAs and smartphones going for quite a while in an emergency.

Folks should worry about how they’re going to keep their cell phones charged up because in an outage, finding out what’s going on out in the world via cell phone could be very helpful in dealing with the situation - more essential than hearing aids (cell towers usually keep running in outages-they have their own backup generators-and you can surf the web on your phone and find out what’s going on by reading). In the February 2021 Texas winter power outage, we didn’t have heat or electricity for 2 1/2 days (the house temperature dropped to 44 deg F). We kept our smartphones charged from our car batteries, and my HA charging case kept my hearing aids charged the whole time (ReSound rechargeables run for 30 hours of use on a full-charge, too). If one thinks there might be some need to remove hearing aids to charge them during the day, just keep a backup set to wear while your regular-use ones are being recharged.

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#82

This thread is nothing to do with how to charge them.

Charging things ‘off grid’ has come on over the years and is well known.

:slight_smile:

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#83

The title of the thread is “What would you do in a storm with rechargeable hearing aids?!” How could that not be about how to charge them - that’s what most of the replies in the whole thread are about. What, then, is the thread about? My rechargeables NEVER ran out of charge during the day, and I could charge them while I slept if I wanted. Perhaps running out of charge during the day is only something Phonak rechargeable users really have to worry about - whether there is an outage on the horizon or not.

As several posters have suggested, you have to learn what the requirements are for the care and feeding of the type of HAs you use and adapt. You plan ahead and don’t wait until a storm to figure out what you should have made contingency plans for. The answer for either type of HA could be as simple as stock up on disposable batteries or buy a good-sized Li-ion battery pack (both inexpensive options). And always keep your previous set of HAs as a backup if your daily use set goes down (or needs to be recharged or have its disposable batteries replaced at an inconvenient moment). I got the truck because I didn’t like freezing for 2 1/2 days and the wife didn’t want a portable (or built-in) gas or gasoline generator for fear of carbon monoxide or a fire or explosion.

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#84

@jim_lewis

There have been many reports of rechargeable’s not lasting the whole day for ‘some’ people.

You might not have an issue of them not lasting the whole day but for some, there clearly is an issue.

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#85

In the UK, our weather is very different.

Also as stated on first post, I’m asking what others do regarding :point_down:

As clearly I don’t have rechargeable’s yet.

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#86

Then if a user is having that problem and it seems insurmountable and always having a charged HA is essential, maybe they ought to consider changing to a brand that lasts all day. ReSound Omnia UP aid will run for 30 hours, according to ReSound. Their Enzo Super Power aids take a 675 battery (~647 mAh capacity) and draw about 3 mA (they don’t come in rechargeable). So neither of those aids should run out of charge during a day if a user takes steps to recharge or replace the battery of each aid in a timely manner.

It seems you’re raising a non-problem… (for almost all HA users, if they plan ahead and take care of business during a storm).

One should never let a rechargeable HA be without some charge, even when you’re not using them. I keep my Quattros as a backup stored at about 40% charge. So, if my Omnias fail, I can pop the Quattros in and still get through the day with only 40% charge (40% of 30 hours is 12 hours runtime). The Quattros lose very little charge on sitting. The charging case does lose its charge and needs to be recharged about once a month.

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#87

Normally I use rechargeable aids, where 15 minutes on charge will give you a few hours of use. I’m planning to pick up the add on battery pack for my charger.

However this weekend I’ve been travelling and I’m using my battery NHS aids. Not nearly as good as my private ones but I like near 100% certainty of having useable hearing.

That would be (or currently is) my solution. And have a supply of good quality batteries.

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#88

Sorry everyone but I realise others might be giving advice for others even tho I seem to always be notified each time.

It may not be directed at me.

:slight_smile:

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#89

As a slight aside and probably to better answer the original question: if there’s a real concern about the reliability of your local mains supply, get a Jackary (or any number of car-booster Lithium batteries with a USB) and just leave it sitting fully charged somewhere convenient.

We used to live out in the sticks (in Wales) and power outages were fairly uncommon, but we had a decent wood stove and recharging torches. It’s just about being prepared.

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#90

https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2023/07/10/council-adopts-new-regulation-on-batteries-and-waste-batteries/

" The regulation of the European Parliament and the Council will apply to all batteries including all waste portable batteries,"

================

I’ve read an article few years ago, that South Korea too had a legislation where FM radio in smartphone is mandatory.

#91

My impression is that the European regulation requires recycling of batteries. I didn’t see anything about banning disposables.

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#92

Have a spare pair of hearing aids setup for my current hearing loss. Spare batteries. Spare wax guards. Packaged. Ready to go.

I’m in limbo right now. My oldest Phonak hearing aids were set up by the audiologist that quit.I shall try them out and see how they work; if not adequate I’ll pay or ask that they be set up again by the practitioner who fixed my Phonak Audeo Paradise P90R’s.

edit:

You asked about carrying the charger around all the time…that would drive me nuts…

**I have trouble getting out the door with everything I need in my work day. The charger I have is a Phonaks box. It requires a USB input from a power source. **

So…charger + cable + power source (a brick!) would be essential. And maybe a spare cable because they don’t last well in my hands.

Years ago I bought a vest from Scott E Vest. It’s intended for US customers that carry a firearm. I don’t have one of those. Advantage is that you can keep your stuff in the vest pockets, put the vest on and leave the house. That vest gear is expensive. And it doesn’t last. I’ve had about 5? of their products.

Now Phonak has changed stuff out.

  • Batteries are rechargeable (thus the need for a way to charge the darn HA’s.)
  • Wax Guards are so tiny! I can’t see them. In a storm? No Way!
  • Domes are labelled a different size! (What the heck? Why?)

That’s why the spare pair of hearing aids is so important!

Phonak is getting worse and worse. The Lumity doesn’t allow replacement batteries.

My hearing is bad enough that hearing aids are essential. However, the Paradise P90R’s with rechargeable batteries will only last me for a day.

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#93

Quit watching… The Walking Dead?

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#94

In a world where you can be anything, be kind!

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#95

The answer is in my post from a week ago:

https://forum.hearingtracker.com/t/phonak-l90-sometimes-red-led-after-charging-what-does-that-mean/81378/24?u=x475aws

As of now, the majority of RIC product families are available with disposable batteries. The future trend is another matter. Besides, Phonak Lumity has outsize impact due to the brand’s popularity and the Roger tie-in. Their rechargeable battery life is marginal with the available technology, as can be seen from the complaints here, yet they saw fit to force their RIC customers into rechargeables now anyway. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s eager to see their next flagship offering.

#96

Jeffrey, I wasn’t thinking of you when I wrote that post. I think you’re a nice guy and I like you. And in fact, I don’t think anyone on this site is shilling for the industry on this issue. But encouraging people to “get with the program” on rechargeables helps the industry, not the customers.

I have a package of 312 batteries from Costco that’s labeled bi-lingually for sale in Canada. The product name in French Canadian is “Piles Pour Audioprothèses”. Look at that last word. My guess is that it’s related to the English word “prosthesis”, which means an artificial body part. Hearing aids do supplement, and in some cases replace, a part of our body. For some of us they’re needed because of damage to our “original equipment”, for others they’re necessary because the original equipment was defective.

That brings me to the phone analogy. One problem with it is that a phone, but not a hearing aid, is usable while it’s being charged. But the more fundamental problem is that a hearing aid, unlike a phone, functions as part of our body and enables one of our basic bodily senses to work. Unlike a phone, it connects you to your immediate surroundings in a fundamental way that we’ve evolved to depend on.

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#97

Thanks. That was a good post that I hadn’t seen. The Starkey and Signia models are really pretty new and indeed come out with disposable battery models, although likely with some reduced features because they won’t work on lower voltage systems.

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#98

I’m sorry, I didn’t remember your hospital post, just the other guy’s. But whether or not hospital experiences are reported here, there’s no doubt that people do end up in the hospital unexpectedly. Older people, who are more likely to need hearing aids, are also more likely to end up in the hospital. When you’re in the hospital everyone around you is in a hurry, and it really helps to be able to hear what’s going on.

This whole hospital discussion, including the pooh-poohing of its importance, seems to assume that people always get taken to the hospital from home, where they have all their supplies and have a chance to remember to take them. But you could have a medical emergency when you’re out and about, or you could be in an accident. With a set of disposable battery aids in your ears, and a little pack of spare batteries in your pocket at all times, you’ve got your hearing covered for many days.

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#99

Thanks x475.

If I was buying new hearing aids and had a choice, that would be my choice too. replaceable batteries.
However, my primary hearing aids have rechargeable batteries. Phonak Audeo Paradise P90R’s.

@Zebras

What would I do in a storm with rechargeable hearing aids? I have a brick dedicated to my hearing aids now. I’ll keep it charged so I can recharge my hearing aids in a power outage.

That’s my decision for now.

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#100

I have Signias Stylettos AX; with streaming and wearing them all day usually they have 40% charge left by the end of the day. Their box is also a portable charger which together allow me to go without caring about charging for more than a week. Portable charger is almost always fully charged since I just throw it at wireless charging mat without thinking.
All my devices are USB-C, my laptop, my phone [my phone can charge my portable charger wirelessly too], etc. And I could use any of them to recharge.

Having them for more than a year, I’ve encountered the sound indicating low charge JUST ONCE, and I was really confused and puzzled because I couldn’t figure out what was that sound and where it was coming from! :sweat_smile:

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