Troubleshooting guide • RCI-registered audiologists since 2004
If your parent's hearing aid has suddenly gone silent, do not assume it is broken and do not let them give up on it. In our clinics, most "dead" hearing aids are working fine and just need a fresh battery, a quick clean, or a setting reset — a five-minute fix you can often do at home. Work through the four checks below in order. If the hearing aid still has no sound after all four, that is exactly when to call us: we check it free at our clinics in Pune, Delhi and Bengaluru, or we come to your parent's home.
A hearing aid that stops working feels like an emergency, especially when a parent is already frustrated and half-ready to leave it in a drawer. Take a breath. The large majority of 'my hearing aid stopped working' cases we see are a flat battery, a wax-blocked receiver, or a setting changed by accident — not a real fault. Spend five minutes on the checks below before you assume the worst, and before you spend a rupee on a repair.
Modern hearing aids are tough little computers, but they are sensitive to wax, moisture and a dead battery. When one goes quiet, the fault is far more often a blockage or a flat cell than a failed circuit. Rule those out first.
If your parent insists the aid 'never worked properly', resist the urge to argue. Do the checks with them, show them the sound come back, and re-fit it gently. A hearing aid manages hearing loss, it does not cure it — so also confirm the fit and volume were right in the first place.
The brand and model, roughly how old the aid is, whether it is battery or rechargeable, and what changed just before it stopped. Two minutes of notes here helps us fix it faster, in the clinic or over WhatsApp.
This is the single most common reason a hearing aid stops working, and it is the first thing to rule out. A weak or wrongly seated battery gives you a hearing aid with no sound, or one that cuts in and out. If the aid stopped working right after a battery change, the new battery, the film tab, or the way it was inserted is almost always the culprit.
Put in a fresh battery from a sealed pack. New zinc-air batteries have a coloured sticker tab — peel it off and wait 60 seconds before closing the door, or the battery never activates. Check the tiny + and - line up, and wipe the metal contacts with a dry cloth if they look dull.
Nine times out of ten it is the new battery, not the aid. Batteries can sit dead on a shop shelf, the tab may not have been removed, it may be the wrong size, or it may be in upside down. Try another fresh battery, tab off, correct way up, before assuming a fault.
Seat the aids firmly in the charger — a light usually confirms contact. Check the charger is plugged in and switched on at the wall, and that the charging pins and the aid contacts are clean and dry. Give a fully drained aid at least 3 hours before you decide it is dead.
If the battery is good but there is still no sound or the sound is muffled, wax is the next suspect. Ear wax blocks the tiny opening where sound comes out, and it is the most common thing our audiologists clear. This is normal, especially for older ears, and it is not a sign the aid is failing.
Look at the end that sits in the ear — the receiver opening or the dome. In good light, even a little wax or debris in that hole is enough to choke the sound. Wipe the whole aid daily with a dry tissue; never use water, alcohol or wet wipes.
Most receiver-in-canal aids have a small white wax guard at the tip that is meant to be replaced. Use the brand's replacement tool and a fresh filter from the pack that came with the aid. If you are unsure which filter fits, bring the aid in and we will show you.
Do not dig into the receiver with a pin or matchstick — you can push wax deeper or damage the speaker. If a clean and a new filter do not restore sound, book a free check and we will clear it properly under magnification.
For behind-the-ear aids with a clear tube and an ear mould, the tube is a common failure point. Over months it hardens, cracks, or fills with moisture and wax, and the sound drops or disappears. This is a normal wear item, not a breakdown.
Hold the tube up to the light. If it looks yellowed, stiff, twisted, or has a split, it needs re-tubing. A cracked tube leaks sound and often whistles. Re-tubing is a quick, low-cost job we do at the clinic while you wait.
Droplets or a wax plug inside the tube or mould will block sound. Detach the mould if you know how, and clear it with the puffer or cleaning wire from your care kit. In the monsoon, a drying box or dehumidifier jar overnight often revives a muffled aid.
Do not use a hairdryer, oven, sunlight or a heater on a hearing aid — heat damages the electronics. If moisture keeps causing problems, ask us about a proper drying kit at your next visit.
Buttons and dials get bumped, and app settings get tapped. A parent may have muted the aid, turned the volume to the lowest, or switched to a program made for a quiet room. The aid works perfectly — it just is not set the way they expect. This is worth a 30-second check before you conclude anything is wrong.
Turn the volume up, or press the button to step it up, and listen for the confirmation beeps. Many aids have a mute or a long-press that silences them — a simple off-and-on (open and close the battery door, or dock and undock a rechargeable) resets it to the normal setting.
If the aid was switched to a 'restaurant', 'music' or 'quiet' program, everyday speech can sound wrong or faint. Cycle back to the default program with the button, or use the phone app if the aid is paired to one.
If the aids stream from a phone, an accidental Bluetooth connection or a low app volume can seem like the aid failed. Check the app volume, and disconnect the phone to test the aid on its own.
If you have tried a fresh battery, a clean and new wax filter, a tube check and a settings reset and there is still no sound, it may be a genuine fault — a failed receiver, moisture-damaged circuit, or a broken charger. The good news is that most repairs cost far less than a new aid, and many are done the same day. We give you an honest quote before any chargeable work, so you are never surprised.
Cleaning, moisture drying, a wax-filter change and a settings reset are usually done free when you visit, whatever brand you own and wherever you bought it.
Re-tubing, new domes, wax filters and small parts are low-cost consumables — typically a few hundred rupees. We tell you the price first. Call +91 9429690093 for an exact quote for your model.
A receiver or microphone replacement, a charger swap, or an out-of-warranty circuit repair costs more and may need a manufacturer part. It is still usually a fraction of a new aid. We quote the price and timeline before we start.
See pricing guidanceIf the aid is under warranty, many faults and even batteries may be covered. Bring your paperwork or tell us the brand and purchase date and we will check what applies before charging you anything.
Bring the aid to any of our clinics for a free diagnostic check — all eight major brands serviced in-house, whatever the model and wherever it was bought. If your parent cannot travel easily, our home visit is the differentiator: we collect, check and return the aid, or test and re-fit right in their home. We serve only Pune, Delhi and Bengaluru.
Our head office and in-house repair bench in Viman Nagar, near Ramwadi Metro, serving east Pune and PCMC. Walk in or book a slot for a free check.
Pune clinic detailsFree repair checks at our Rohini Sector 9 and Green Park clinics, with home visits across Delhi for parents who cannot travel.
Delhi clinic detailsOur Jayanagar 4th Block clinic services all brands in-house, with home visits across Bengaluru on request.
Bengaluru clinic detailsCan't get your parent to a clinic? We collect and return the aid, or test, clean and re-fit at home in all three cities.
Ask for a home visitThis is one of the most common problems, and it is almost always the battery, not the aid. New zinc-air batteries have a coloured sticker tab that must be peeled off, then the battery needs about 60 seconds of air before you close the door. Also check the battery is the correct size, is the right way up (+ side matching the door), and came from a sealed pack — batteries can sit dead on a shelf. Try a second fresh battery before assuming the aid has failed. If it still has no sound, call us on +91 9429690093 for a free check.
If the battery is definitely good, the next most likely cause is a wax blockage at the receiver or in the wax filter, or moisture in the tube or mould. Clean the aid with a dry tissue, replace the wax filter, and check the tube for cracks or droplets. Also confirm the volume was not turned down or the aid switched to a quiet program. If a clean and a settings reset do not bring the sound back, book a free repair check at our Pune, Delhi or Bengaluru clinic.
Usually not. In our experience most sudden 'dead' hearing aids come down to a flat battery, a wax-blocked receiver, moisture, or a setting changed by accident. Work through the four checks on this page first — battery, wax, tubing, and volume or program. If it is still silent after all four, bring it in or ask for a home visit and our RCI-registered audiologists will diagnose it free and tell you honestly whether it is a quick fix or a real repair.
It depends on the fault. Cleaning, moisture drying, a wax-filter change and a settings reset are usually done free when you visit. Minor parts like re-tubing, domes and filters are low-cost consumables, typically a few hundred rupees. Bigger repairs such as a receiver replacement or an out-of-warranty circuit repair cost more but are still far cheaper than a new aid. We always give you an exact quote before any chargeable work — call +91 9429690093. If the aid is under warranty, many faults may be covered.
Yes. We service and repair all eight major brands — Signia, Phonak, Oticon, Widex, ReSound, Starkey, Unitron and Interton — no matter where the aid was bought, including online and other clinics. Bring the aid and any audiogram or warranty paperwork to our clinic in Pune, Delhi or Bengaluru. If a model is too old to support or a repair is not worth it, we will tell you honestly rather than charge for work that will not last.
Yes — home visits are what set us apart, and we offer them in Pune, Delhi and Bengaluru. We can collect the aid, check and repair it, and return it, or bring our equipment and test, clean and re-fit right in your parent's home. Call or WhatsApp +91 9429690093 to arrange a home pickup or a home hearing test.
If your parent's hearing aid is still not working after these five checks, do not let them give up on it. Bring it to our clinic in Pune, Delhi or Bengaluru for a free diagnostic check — all brands serviced in-house — or book a free 45-minute hearing test to confirm the fit and hearing are still right. If travel is hard, we come to you: ask for a home visit and we will collect, repair or re-fit the aid at home. Call or WhatsApp +91 9429690093.
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