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Cracking Tubes on Behind-the-Ear Hearing Aids

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

A mother wrote:

My son got a hearing aid in May and the ear piece is cracking already. This is his first hearing aid, so I have no idea what to expect. Is this normal?

Yes, it is normal for the tubes to become harder and more brittle as the months go by, and eventually they get so brittle they will crack or snap off if you wait that long before replacing them.

Furthermore, when the tubes stiffen, they make wearing hearing aids uncomfortable as the tubes shrink in length and thus pull on the top front of your ears and can make your ears sore there.

There are at least two factors affecting how fast ear mold tubes stiffen, and thus need to be replaced. One is exposure to sunlight. Another is the oils in your skin—your particular body chemistry. Thus some people have to replace their tubes every 4 months or so, others can go 6 to 8 months, and some people get away with only replacing them every year or so. (I just replaced my tubes at 11 months (they were pretty stiff and I should have done it sooner), while my wife has gone almost 2 years—but needs to get her tubes replaced soon.)

I think normally you should expect to replace your tubes at least once or twice a year on the average. When they start to stiffen up, that’s your signal that its time to replace them.

Another mother asked:

Do you mean the plastic “tube” that is attached to the hearing aid itself that curves around the ear, or do you mean the tube that attaches to the ear mold and then fits into the first plastic tube?

The piece of plastic that is attached to the hearing aid is called the “ear hook.” The ear hook is hard to start with and should never need replacing. It doesn’t shrink.

The plastic tube I am talking about is the one that fits onto the ear hook and goes to the ear mold.

It should be so soft it sort of flops the ear mold around if you hold the hearing aid itself. If it holds its position and doesn’t flop, it is too hard by far.

If you go to the audiologist you purchased your hearing aids from, they should replace the tubes for free. Otherwise they may charge between $5.00 and $15.00 each to replace them.

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Hearing Loss Research & Resources

Free Visor Cards

Download your free Visor Cards for hard of hearing or deaf people here.

Loop Systems

Loop your home or meeting room. Discover how you can hear wonderfully clear sound again when listening to the TV/radio, etc, or when listening to a speaker at a meeting.

Loop systems are one of the best-kept secrets in town. To learn more about Loop Systems and what they can do for you, click here.

Take Control of Your Tinnitus—Here’s How

If your ears ring, buzz, chirp, hiss, click or roar, you know just how annoying tinnitus can be. You do not have to put up with this racket for the rest of your life. This book teaches you many things you can do to help bring your tinnitus under your control so it no longer bothers you.

Learn More | Add to Cart—Printed | Add to Cart—eBook

Sounds Now Too Loud for You?

Hypersensitive to Sound front coverIf some (or all) normal sounds seem so loud they “blow the top of your head off”, or make you wince or jump, or cause you headaches or ear pain, or affect your balance, or result in fear or annoyance of sounds so you feel you have to avoid these sounds, this book is for you!

Learn More | Add to Cart—Printed | Add to Cart—eBook

Hearing Phantom Sounds?

When hard of hearing people begin hearing phantom voices or music, they immediately worry they are going crazy. It never crosses their minds that they are sane and are just experiencing Musical Ear syndrome.

To learn more about the strange phantom sounds of Musical Ear syndrome and what you can do about them, click here to read a comprehensive article about Musical Ear Syndrome.

Or get the book—Learn More | Add to Cart—Printed | Add to Cart—eBook

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Center for Hearing Loss Help

Neil G. Bauman, Ph.D.

1013 Ridgeway Drive, Lynden,
WA 98264-1057 USA

Email: neil@hearinglosshelp.com

Phone: 360-778-1266 (M-F 9:00 AM-5:00 PM PST)

© 2025 Center for Hearing Loss Help – Help for your hearing loss, tinnitus and other ear conditions

"The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life [which also includes perfect hearing] through Jesus Christ our Lord." [Romans 6:23]

"But know this, in the last days perilous times will come" [2 Timothy 3:1]. "For there will be famines, pestilences, and [severe] earthquakes in various places" [Matthew 24:7], "distress of nations, the sea and the waves roaring"—tsunamis, hurricanes—Luke 21:25, but this is good news if you have put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, for "when these things begin to happen, lift up your heads [and rejoice] because your redemption draws near" [Luke 21:28].