Sound processor care

By performing regular maintenance checks and generally caring for your sound processor, you can be confident that you or your child will always enjoy the best possible hearing experience.

Care and maintenance

• Take your sound processor off before applying cosmetics, skin care or hair products such as hairspray. These substances can get inside your sound processor and cause damage.
• Avoid getting sand or dirt into any part of the system. If this should ever happen, shake out as much as possible, wipe your sound processor with a damp cloth and place it in the dry aid kit. Once your processor is dry, check that it’s working. If not, return it to your hearing health professional for service.
• Don’t leave your sound processor in extreme heat such as inside a car, or in direct sunlight.
• Don’t wear your sound processor while bathing, swimming or showering. If your sound processor does get wet, wipe it dry and place it in a dry aid kit for at least twelve hours. If it fails to work, you should return it to your hearing health professional. Cochlear cannot guarantee that they will be able to repair water damaged parts.
• Microphone protectors are designed to protect the microphones from dirt and moisture. It’s important to replace these on a regular basis. Please refer to your user manual for more information.

Storage

• Humidity and moisture may cause the sound processor to cut out or stop working. Store your processor overnight or when you’re not using it in the dry aid kit. The coil, coil cable, coil magnet and battery module (if it’s not being charged) should remain attached to the processing unit. You may also choose to pull out the battery holder (for Nucleus Freedom^TM speech processors) or remove the battery cover (for Nucleus CP810 sound processors¹). Turn off your processor before placing it in the dry aid kit.
• For long-term storage, remove the batteries from the sound processor and store them separately so they can’t short each other out.

Cleaning

• Regular cleaning of your sound processor prevents dirt from building up and degrading sound quality.
• Check the contacts between the processing unit and the battery module regularly to ensure they’re clean. If the contacts are dirty, you can gently tap or blow on them to remove dirt.
• Keep the batteries free from moisture. If the batteries become dirty, wipe them with a dry, clean cloth.
• Clean external parts of the system regularly to prevent dirt from building up. Simply wipe them gently with a damp cloth.

Troubleshooting

• Cochlear sound processors are built to withstand daily use in a wide range of environments. However, you may occasionally hear intermittent sound or no sound at all. This may be due to a low battery charge, excessive moisture or natural wear and tear on the external components.
• You can often troubleshoot simple problems yourself without sending the processor away.

¹ Not all products are approved in all countries.