The makers of the popular Dry & Store Global II and Zephyr have introduced a new, very easy-to-use hearing instrument dehumidifier now available at Oaktree Products, Inc. The Dry Caddy is a passive dehumidifier composed of a Dry Caddy Jar and packaged with six (6) Dry-Discs. The Dry-Disc is a powerful molecular sieve desiccant; when placed in the bottom of the Dry Caddy Jar, it attracts and captures moisture from hearing instruments placed in the container.
To prepare for use, simply remove the foil cover from one of the six packaged Dry-Discs. Store the other unopened discs in the provided storage canister and place the canister in a dry cool place. Write the current date on the exposed Dry-Disc label then place the Dry-Disc in the jar with the date side up. Close the lid. NOTE: Keep the jar closed at all times to prolong the life of the desiccant. Every night, instruct patients to open the battery compartment of their hearing aids (batteries do 
not have to be removed) and place the hearing instruments in the jar on top of the Dry-Disc. Replace the Dry-Disc every 2 months based on the start date written on the label. There is no need for recharging or reactivating the desiccant. Since the product comes packaged with 6 Dry-Discs, each Dry Caddy provide one full year of hearing instrument protection.
no concerns…a product to consider for our offices, thank you.
ya, I think it is nicely packaged and designed to make it easy for patients to use. I would probably have the patient write down the date to discard the dessicant rather than the date they started using it but either way, easy means of knowing when to pitch the Disc. If you end up trying it, let me know what you think!
No, the user needs to remove the zinc-air batteries before placing the hearing aids &/or CI processors in the dryer, as the dessicant will also dry out the electrolyte, shortening the life. Zinc-air cells are optimized to work at 50% relative humidity. Please see the graph in figure 5.10.4 on page 11 of this Duracell tech bulletin.
From page 8 of this Energizer tech bulletin:
Dan Schwartz,
Editor, The Hearing Blog
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Dan:
I have heard that one has to take out the battery out when using dehumidifiers as well as one does not have to take the battery out. The information referenced in this blog post re: that it is okay to leave the battery in comes directly from Dry & Store, the manufacturer of the product. Having said that, yes, taking the battery out is probably the best practice to eliminate any potential deficit in battery life. The tech bulletin you are referencing certainly outlines that heat and humidity will result in a decrease in battery life and that makes sense. In the case of the Dry-Caddy, keep in mind that this is a passive dehumidifier (no heated air, no moving air, no electricity, etc) so how much battery life will be lost if one leaves the battery in a passive dehumidifier is going to be significantly less than if one keeps it in an active dehumidifier (i.e. Dry and Store Global, Zephyr). In the case of the Dry Caddy, whether leaving the hearnig aid batteries in while putting instruments in the jar amounts to any practical significance with regard to battery performance is the $1 question. For anyone reading this, if you have a concern, take the batteries out.