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Waterproofing of hearing aids

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Due to Japan’s hot and humid summers, I sweat a lot, often getting into the battery pocket of my hearing aids and causing them to stop working. Additionally, I started working outdoors last year, so I quickly adopted a headband last year. This worked well. However, the hassle of having to wear a headband has me considering replacing my hearing aids with waterproof ones. My current hearing aids are Phonak Audeo P30s, and I’m considering replacing them with Phonak InfinioSphere water block models. The problem is the price. They cost over ¥500,000 for both ears. Are they really worth it? I’ve heard that rechargeable hearing aids, rather than battery-powered, offer better waterproofing. Also, is it foolish to buy expensive hearing aids for work? Would it be more realistic to find a job where I don’t need to rely on hearing aids?

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@T.T said:

Due to Japan’s hot and humid summers, I sweat a lot, often getting into the battery pocket of my hearing aids and causing them to stop working.

You should be using a dehumidifier to help with this, easily available on eBay.

@T.T said:

However, the hassle of having to wear a headband has me considering replacing my hearing aids with waterproof ones.

This is not a bad idea, Phonak offers a range, but you’ve mentioned most rechargeable are pretty good for moisture issues like yours, so this gives you options.

@T.T said:

The problem is the price. They cost over ¥500,000 for both ears. Are they really worth it?

Well actually no (cost wise) but you need them as you have severe loss, so it’d be a struggle without aids I’m sure!

@T.T said:

Also, is it foolish to buy expensive hearing aids for work? Would it be more realistic to find a job where I don’t need to rely on hearing aids?

Well no it’s not foolish, I mean you need them right, but you don’t have to have premium, you use P30 now so you go 50 or 70 and save a few yen, have you considered , you could save considerable amount this way as well.

Edited
@tenkan said:

You should be using a dehumidifier to help with this, easily available on eBay.

I use a vacuum dryer, which is great, but the problem is that it’s at home, so I can’t use it when I’m out.

@tenkan said:

This is not a bad idea, Phonak offers a range, but you’ve mentioned most rechargeable are pretty good for moisture issues like yours, so this gives you options.

@tenkan said:

Well actually no (cost wise) but you need them as you have severe loss, so it’d be a struggle without aids I’m sure!

I see. The rechargeable model seems to be sweat-resistant. It seems like it will meet my expectations, but I’m hesitant to try it because I’m afraid I’ll regret not getting the water block model.

@tenkan said:

Well no it’s not foolish, I mean you need them right, but you don’t have to have premium, you use P30 now so you go 50 or 70 and save a few yen, have you considered DIY, you could save considerable amount this way as well.

I’ve considered them. I have Noahlink Wireless. But the problem is that making earmolds isn’t DIY.Saving money is great. If you can save money, do you have any ideas for using it to make your hearing aid life more comfortable?

Fair enough, I was going to suggest some amplified Peltors if you were in significant noise or on machinery.

Rion in Japan used to make hermetically sealed aids that could happily be dunked in water. All other aids are going to have the odd issue with sweat in the mics to some extent, though as you say rechargeables are less of a problem as the battery compartment doesn’t need venting.

It’s an old problem that’s never been fully resolved - things are better due to oleophobic and aquaphobic coatings, but you still need to get the signal to a fairly delicate diapragm without particle or moisture invasion.

If it was me I’d consider better aids for meetings and home, perhaps keep the old ones available for site work or when you know you’re going to be perspiring.

In reply to @T.T

@T.T said:

What I’m looking for is toughness.

I found behind the ear aids were the most durable. The receiver in the ear aids tend to need more maintenance.

Using a dryer to get the moisture out of the aids is important when dealing with lots of sweat. Wiping the aids off each night before placing them in the dryer worked great for me. I wore Phonaks always. They proved to be reliable.

What if you got something called, Ear Gear. Its a sleeve for hearing aids and does not impair them from what i notice. It should protect them from rain and sweat. I remember before i had ear gear mine turned off during a hike due to the sweat from my ear on one side, and head on the other, now this does not happen even if I am say in a heavy rainstorm. The only thing it will not help is if a drop of water gets directly in your ear, between the ear mold and your ear.

Edited

In reply to @Um_bongo

@Um_bongo said:

Fair enough, I was going to suggest some amplified Peltors if you were in significant noise or on machinery.

Rion in Japan used to make hermetically sealed aids that could happily be dunked in water. All other aids are going to have the odd issue with sweat in the mics to some extent, though as you say rechargeables are less of a problem as the battery compartment doesn’t need venting.

It’s an old problem that’s never been fully resolved - things are better due to oleophobic and aquaphobic coatings, but you still need to get the signal to a fairly delicate diapragm without particle or moisture invasion.

I researched and found out that Rion developed a closed-type hearing aid called the HB-W1RA. I was even more surprised to learn that it was developed in 1986. Even though I live in Japan, I hadn’t considered Japanese hearing aids. Thank you for letting me know.
I also learned that the reason the battery compartment is vulnerable to sweat is because the battery needs to be supplied with air, which made things clearer.

@Um_bongo said:

If it was me I’d consider better aids for meetings and home, perhaps keep the old ones available for site work or when you know you’re going to be perspiring.

I do keep a spare pair of my old hearing aids on hand, and luckily I haven’t had to use the spare yet, although if I did, it would probably break down quickly.

In reply to @Raudrive

@Raudrive said:

I found behind the ear aids were the most durable. The receiver in the ear aids tend to need more maintenance.

Using a dryer to get the moisture out of the aids is important when dealing with lots of sweat. Wiping the aids off each night before placing them in the dryer worked great for me. I wore Phonaks always. They proved to be reliable.

I’ve heard that behind-the-ear hearing aids are more durable than hearing aids with built-in receivers. However, I prefer hearing aids with built-in receivers because they are less noticeable. If there are behind-the-ear hearing aids that are less noticeable, I would consider them.
This is the dryer I use. What kind of dryer do you use?

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In reply to @Nikosman

@Nikosman said:

What if you got something called, Ear Gear. Its a sleeve for hearing aids and does not impair them from what i notice. It should protect them from rain and sweat. I remember before i had ear gear mine turned off during a hike due to the sweat from my ear on one side, and head on the other, now this does not happen even if I am say in a heavy rainstorm. The only thing it will not help is if a drop of water gets directly in your ear, between the ear mold and your ear.

Is “ear gear” the fabric cover you put over your hearing aids to protect them from sweat? Or is there something else? I bought sweat covers but never used them. Instead, I used a headband to prevent sweat from running from my forehead onto the hearing aids. I thought the headband would be more effective at preventing sweat, and the sweat covers were a bit too noticeable.

In reply to @T.T

Thanks for the reply. I am not familiar with that dryer, vacuum chamber?

I used slim tubes with Phonak Nadia SP aids. I thought they were discreet. You might check into these slim tubes to see if they could be used with your hearing loss. The newer aids are very discreet.

In reply to @Raudrive

@Raudrive said:

I am not familiar with that dryer, vacuum chamber?

I didn’t know there was something called a slim tube. That’s a great thing to know. Adults don’t say anything even if they notice, but children are honest. If they notice, they may get curious and try to touch it. It’s better to have something that is as inconspicuous as possible to reduce the chance of it breaking. This is just my personal opinion.

In reply to @Nikosman

@Nikosman said:

he ear gear is a sleeve that fits on the aid itself. The issue I see with a headband is that if it gets wet enough it may make it worse. Just my opinion.

That’s exactly right. Headbands are a temporary solution, but they’re useless if you sweat more than the headband can handle. So I’m not feeling safe. When I search for ear gear in Japan, I find results for cloth covers. I think these have the same problems as headbands. Are there any ear gear made of silicone or other materials?

Edited

Apparently, there used to be waterproof hearing aids in Japan. Around 2005. In this image, the caption reads, “I use my hearing aids even when I go to swimming lessons.” Have waterproof hearing aids been discontinued in recent years? As far as I know, the only waterproof hearing aids available are those made by Phonak. Was the technology superior in the past? Or are there simply restrictions on heavily advertising waterproof hearing aids?

index_02

In reply to @T.T

Rion still lists some models as waterproof. Not sure that doesn’t just mean water resistant with an IP68 rating. RION | Products : Audiological Equipment/Waterproof4

This page states “Since launching the world’s first waterproof hearing aid in 1986, we have refined our waterproof technology. The current HB-W1 type is a waterproof hearing aid that conforms to protection classes IP65 and IP68.”RION | Products : Audiological Equipment3

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