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Hearing Aid Repair

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"I’ve had multiple repairs done on my hearing aids due to sweat damage."

Thanks for the hearing aid repair information.

I sweat profusely, always have. Using a quality hearing aid dryer has stopped all failures of hearing aids I have owned. FYI

I do use a dryer, but I wanted folks to know there’s a repair option that doesn’t drain your wallet. Sweat salts can still damage hearing aids, even if you dry them regularly.

The Dry & Store Professional.

I got rid of it 5-6 years ago when I got 's. I bought it mostly for the bad itching in my ears from domes and molds. The dryer pretty much stopped the itch and moisture was never an issue. These were all Phonak hearing aids.

In reply to @jim225

As far as salt goes from sweat, I used a wet cloth with RO or DI water to wipe the aids off after bad days of sweating. Didn't take long and in the dryer for the night after that.

Sorry about the confusion — I do all the usual cleaning steps, but I wasn’t clear about which brand of dryer you meant. I should’ve been more specific. I use a regular hearing‑aid dryer and clean them with Audinell wipes. Even with that, salt still gets inside the hearing aids, and when it dries it forms little salt crystals on the internal components. That’s why I wondered if your dryer had something special because of the brand.

So can you tell me the make and brand of hearing‑aid dryer you use?

In reply to @jim225

With older aids that are not IP68, salt deposits may be unavoidable. Not all parts can probably easily and safely be washed with distilled water. Are there tricks to maintaining older aids? What is done when they are sent for repair?

Edited

The last time I sent my Oticon More 1 in for repair, they replaced the amplifier. When I sent in my other aid — the Oticon OPN 1 — they ended up replacing all the internal components. Both of those models are IP68, so it’s not a waterproofing issue; it’s sweat‑salt damage.

People talk a lot about IP68 ratings, waterproof shells, sealed battery compartments, rubber gaskets, and “Life Proof” designs, but none of that stops sweat‑salt damage. Every brand — Phonak, Oticon, ReSound, Widex, Signia, Starkey — is vulnerable to salt because sweat enters through the microphone ports, and those ports can’t be sealed without blocking sound.

IP68 only protects against clean water and dust. Sweat is different. It contains salt and minerals, and when it dries, the salt crystals stay behind and corrode internal components. Even the old Siemens waterproof model (Aquaris), which was the most sealed hearing aid ever made, still wasn’t salt‑proof. It handled moisture better, but sweat‑salt could still reach the microphones.

Bottom line: no hearing aid on the market is salt‑proof. Sweat‑salt damage can happen regardless of brand or rating.

@jim225 said:

Even the old Siemens waterproof model (Aquaris), which was the most sealed hearing aid ever made, still wasn’t salt‑proof. It handled moisture better, but sweat‑salt could still reach the microphones.

I don't think this is technically correct. The Aquaris microphones had a special cover that was attached to the device using some kind of ultrasonic tech from memory that prevented any moisture ingress which is why you could swim with it. They only discontinued the device because the company manufacturing the cover ceased production. The weak point for moisture was actually the sound outlet which cannot be sealed.

In reply to @Raudrive

@Raudrive said:

The Dry & Store Professional.

Just a note for others, if you are getting any kind of hearing aid dryer and it uses rechargeable batteries make sure that it is designed for this type of hearing aid. Some older dryers use hotter temperatures over extended periods that will degrade the lifespan of Li-Ion batteries, for example the new Phonak D-Dry+ is safe to use with Li-ion rechargeable batteries but the older Phonak D-Dry is not.

I use a Zephyr Dry & Store. It works very nicely. You need to realize that as soon as you remove your aids from any dryer they are going to start gathering moisture from the air and from close proximity to you. I have seen quite a few people here mention that when they take their aids into their audiologists they always find some moisture. Well, of course there will be moisture. You have been wearing it and there moisture in the air as well. Its not that your dryer is not working properly.

If you want to buy a Zephyr I would suggest looking at fleabay. You can get an excellent used one for far less than the cost of a new one. And they are built to last many years.

"Google Overview

A lithium-ion hearing aid battery becomes unstable at around 60°C (140°F) and can burst or explode when temperatures exceed 100°C (212°F) due to a dangerous chain reaction called thermal runaway.

Temperature ThresholdsSafe Limits: Hearing aid batteries usually operate safely between 0°C and 40°C (32°F to 104°F).Early Instability: Starting at 60°C (140°F), the internal chemicals begin to break down and lose stability.Thermal Runaway: Above 100°C (212°F), the battery canrapidly overheat, build up internal gas pressure, and rupture or explode. Fires during this phase can rage from 200°C to over 1,000°C."

Note that the batteries used in quality aids are extremely reliable and highly unlikely to give you any trouble unless you did something like leave them on the dashboard of you car in the hot sun. The most likely trouble will be a failure in the charging unit causing a battery to overheat and fail. That is extremely rare.

Some hearing aid styles are more prone to sweat damage than others. are the safest sweat-wise, followed by . and are at more exposed to sweat.

In reply to @jim225

Bottom line: the place above did a fantastic job repairing both my Oticon OPN 1 left and my Oticon More 1 both. I don’t have the kind of money to go through a local hearing aid office for repairs, so I figured other people might be in the same situation and could benefit from knowing about them. For my OPN 1, they replaced the entire aid, and for my More 1 they replaced the amplifier — and about a year ago they also repaired the switches in both.

In reply to @Hearing_Potential

@Hearing_Potential said:

Some older dryers use hotter temperatures over extended periods that will degrade the lifespan of Li-Ion batteries,

Rechargable aids started coming out the last couple years I had the Dry & Store Professional hearing aid dryer. Members here on the forum talked about rechargeable aids not doing well in hot dryers. I put a temperature device in this dryer just to verify the temp, it was 102°. Perfect temp for all aids.

I have the Zephyr now which my wife is using.

Edited

Here’s the breakdown of what my repairs actually cost. In April 2025, both Oticon More 1 switches were repaired for $168 including shipping. Around September 2025, my Oticon OPN 1 kept going into airplane mode because of a Bluetooth issue, and that single aid was repaired for $92. In July 2026, my OPN 1 died from sweat damage and they replaced the unit for $95. Most recently, my left Oticon More 1 had sweat damage and needed a new amplifier, which was also $95. Their turnaround has always been fast — I mailed the last repair on August 24 and had it back on August 31 using USPS Priority Mail. Just contact him — he always tells me up front what he thinks the cost will be, and so far he’s been right on the money.

In reply to @Hearing_Potential

Thanks for the clarification — you’re right that the Aquaris used a special ultrasonic‑bonded microphone cover that made it fully waterproof for swimming. That part was extremely well‑sealed. What I was referring to is that even with that membrane, sweat‑salt could still cause issues over time because salt crystals behave differently than clean water. The Aquaris handled moisture better than anything before or since, but the sound outlet and the acoustic path were still vulnerable to salt buildup, which is why it wasn’t truly “salt‑proof.”

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