How to Replace a Polar Heart Rate Monitor Battery

Heart rate monitors, like those made by Polar, are an important tool in the training bag of many endurance athletes. Runners, cyclists and triathletes have found that training by heart rate allows them to make better use of their time spent training, ensuring that hard workouts are done at the proper intensity, while easier workouts aren't overdone.

A heart rate monitor consists of two parts: a transmitter, connected to a chest strap worn by the athlete, that picks up the heart beat through integrated electrodes; and a receiver, typically in the form of a watch, that receives the information and displays it to the athlete. Both the transmitter and the receiver require batteries to operate, and in the case of Polar heart rate monitors, these are not user-serviceable.

Instructions

    • 1

      Determine that the batter(ies) need to be replaced. On the receiver (the wrist portion of the unit), an icon shaped like a battery will appear when the existing battery is at 15 percent of capacity.

      There's no indicator for the transmitter battery (the chest strap portion of the unit), but the most common indication of a failing battery is erratic or unobtainable readouts on the receiver that can't be fixed by positioning of the chest strap or proper moistening of the contact electrodes on the transmitter.

    • 2

      If your Polar Heart Rate Monitor is no longer covered by its warranty, print out the form linked to in Additional Resources and follow the complete instructions for shipping the heart rate monitor for servicing. It's best to ship both the receiver and transmitter and have both serviced at the same time.

    • 3

      If your Polar Heart Rate Monitor is still under warranty, go to the link in Additional Resources for "Polar--Warranty repair online form," and follow the instructions to register and then ship your transmitter and receiver.