Cracked heart rate sensor screen

[wms2015]

I had my first fitbit surge back in Feb 2015.  At that time I wore it everyday as a regular watch, and used the GPS and heart rate monitor to track my runnings.  After about 6 months, the clear heart rate sensor screen cracked, and my watch stopped working after a couple of days.  I contacted Fitbit and they sent me a new Fitbig surge.  I suspected the same thing would happen to my new surge so I only wore it during my run instead of all the time, hoping to make my watch last longer.  Sure enough, now after about 1 year, the screen cracked again and the watch started to act up.  It lost all the charges in less than 12 hours after I fully charged it.  Something happened similar to the first watch I got before it died.  Does anybody else has similar issue with their Fitbit surge?  I am surprised I don't see more people complained about the problem I had.  I took good care of the watch by cleaning it after every run to clean up the sweat.  Did I clean it too much?

[SantiR]

@wms2015 Welcome to the Fitbit Community! That is very strange, never heard of that before! Maybe you were cleaning it too hard? It is recommended to use a soft swipe to gently clean the sensor if needed. What method were you using to clean it up?

Keep me posted! 

[wms2015]

I usually wet my hand with water, sometimes with mild hand soup, and wipe across the top and bottom of the watch, as well as the wrist band.  Then I just pat dry it with a soft hand towel.  I know I am not cleaning it with anything hard.

[AlejandraFitbit]

Thanks for the information @wms2015. In this case, about the broken part, I recommend getting in touch with our support team, I know they will have a solution for you. About the battery inconvenience, I recommend doing the following:

To maximize your tracker's battery life:

• Shut down your Surge when not in use.
• If you use the Fitbit app, make sure All-Day Sync is turned off. All-Day Sync increases battery drain on both your tracker and mobile device.
• If you don't need heart rate data, change the Heart Rate setting to Off. When you turn it back on, make sure the setting is Auto (the default) instead of On. Auto uses less battery than On.
• Charge your tracker more often if you use music control frequently.
• If you have many silent alarms set, remove some. Each alarm you add up to the maximum of 8 reduces battery life by a small percentage. 
• Turn off Quick View. Since it causes the screen to light up when you turn your wrist towards you, turning this setting off may prolong battery life.

After the tips to maximize your tracker's battery life try these steps:
1. Dirty charging contacts.
2. Try a different USB port or UL-certified wall charger. Do not use a USB hub.
3. Try reconnecting your tracker to the charging cable. 

Now, if none of these steps work, again feel free to contact support. For a faster response you can contact them via phone or chat. 

Let me know the outcome. 

[SteeleT]

I just had the same issue and it is the second time it happened. The first time it happened was about 6 months after I got my first Fitbit Blaze. Fitbit sent me a new one and now about 8-9 months later I'm having the same issue, the HR screen is cracked and no longer registering my HR. I use a slightly damp wash cloth with warm water to clean it. Fitbit, please help. Thank you!