Hearing aid help: cleaning, repairs and servicing at home

My hearing aid has stopped working

Work through these before booking. Check the battery, or that the aid has charged fully overnight in its charger. Look at the tube and tip for wax or moisture, since a plug of wax in the sound outlet silences an aid completely. Check the wax filter if your aid has one. Open and close the battery door firmly, as a door not fully closed leaves the aid off. If the aid whistles rather than going quiet, the tip is likely the wrong size or seated loosely, or there is wax against the eardrum. If none of that resolves it, book a visit.

Sounds are muffled or quieter than they were

Muffled sound usually means either the aid or the ear is blocked. Wax builds up faster in ears that wear hearing aids, because the aid holds it in. HomeSight removes earwax at home by microsuction for £80, and the audiologist can do it on the same visit as the hearing aid service. If the ears are clear and the aid is clean, hearing may simply have changed since the aids were programmed, and a reassessment with a new audiogram is the next step.

Whistling and feedback

Feedback is the aid own output getting back into the microphone. The usual causes are a tip that no longer fits, a split tube, or wax in the ear canal reflecting sound back. Tips harden and shrink over months, and ears change shape with weight and age. Custom ear tips are £90 per tip and are moulded to your ear, which resolves persistent feedback that stock tips cannot.

Cleaning and daily care

Wipe the aid with a dry cloth every evening, never with water, alcohol or wipes. Brush the microphone ports weekly with the small brush supplied. Leave the battery door open overnight on battery aids so moisture escapes, or leave rechargeable aids in the charger. Replace wax filters when sound drops, typically every four to eight weeks. Keep the aids away from hairspray, radiators and bathrooms.

What a £45 home service visit covers

An audiologist comes to you and carries out a full clean, re-tubing where the aid uses tubing, replacement of wax filters and domes, a listening check, troubleshooting, and re-programming where the manufacturer software allows it. The £45 is a fixed home visit fee and covers most major brands regardless of where the aids were bought. Parts outside the standard service, such as custom tips at £90 per tip, are quoted before any work is done.

If you bought your hearing aids from HomeSight

Aftercare visits at home are included in every package: two years on Essential Hearing Support, three years on Enhanced Clarity, four years on Best Sound Experience, which also includes five years of receiver replacements. All aids carry a five-year warranty. An extra year of aftercare beyond the package is £400. Call and the visit is booked without a service fee. See the hearing aid packages.

When it is time for a reassessment rather than a repair

Hearing changes gradually, so aids that felt right two years ago may now be under-programmed rather than broken. If speech in company has become harder while the aid itself sounds clean and loud, a full hearing assessment at home is £30 and refunded against any new hearing aids from HomeSight. The audiologist reprograms your existing aids to a fresh audiogram where the software allows it, and only recommends new aids if the current ones cannot be adjusted far enough.

Where HomeSight services hearing aids

Across Greater London, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Berkshire, plus selected surrounding areas, and in care homes across the South East. See areas we visit.

Frequently asked questions

Will you service hearing aids I did not buy from HomeSight?

Yes. Most major brands, for a fixed £45 home visit fee.

Can you repair an NHS hearing aid?

NHS aids are repaired and re-tubed free by the NHS audiology department that issued them, so that is the cheaper route. HomeSight can clean and troubleshoot an NHS aid on a visit, but cannot reprogram it.

How quickly can someone come out to fix my hearing aid?

Visits are usually arranged within two weeks of your call, sooner where a route allows.

Do you supply batteries, tubes and domes?

Consumables are supplied and fitted as part of the service visit.

My hearing aid is under warranty. What happens?

HomeSight aids carry a five-year warranty. If the fault is a manufacturing one, it is returned to the manufacturer under warranty and you are not charged for the repair.

Can you help someone with dementia manage their hearing aids?

Yes. The audiologist shows family members and carers how to insert, charge and clean the aids, and can fit rechargeable aids so there are no batteries to change.