If your cell phone has been submersed in water recently and you have managed to save it yourself, then good for you. But, there are some other tips that you might want to know just in case.
Another method for helping the phone dry out (if you do not have any rice on hand) is to put it on top of the vent on a monitor or a television for at least 24 hours. The low amount of heat put out by these devices should be enough to gently dry out the phone.
If you are the kind of person who keeps the silica packs that come packed in electronics, coats, shoes, and etcetera, you can put the phone into a plastic bag with a couple of these and let them absorb the moisture over a couple of days. If you do not have these on hand, a local craft store should have a flower drying kit that will contain a silica sand-type mixture. Put it in a Tupperware dish, use a dryer sheet, lay the phone on top of it, and seal it.
Corrosion is a definite threat to cell phones and other electronics and some people have suggested that you wash the phone in distilled water to wash away any kind of minerals that might have existed in the water or other liquid the phone was originally submersed in. If you choose to try this, do it only after you have removed the SIM card and battery.
If the battery is wet, do NOT heat it to try and dry it out. Batteries, especially lithium-ion ones, are quite sensitive and they very well may explode if you try to speed up the drying process in this manner.
If you choose to use alcohol to clean off parts of the phone that are sticky with soda or another similar liquid, do not apply heat to the device in any way. Do not reattach the battery until the smell of alcohol is completely gone.
This might also seem like common sense, but do not put any electronic device into the microwave. You will probably destroy not only your device, but even your microwave could be put at risk.
You should be aware that most phone warranties do not cover water damaged phones and that most phones today have special stickers inside them (only one visible to you) that will tell a technician if the phone has come into contact with water or even just too much humidity. Be careful when taking your phone outdoors when humidity is very high. It is possible to void your warranty.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Things You Should Know About Water Damage And Your Computer
Water or almost any other kind of liquid is not a great thing to have around your computer or any other electronic device. This kind of damage can be expensive to either replace or to have repaired and unfortunately, many people who are unfortunate enough to have this happen to them cannot afford it.
If the liquid spilled upon the device is acidic, like soda or coffee, then it generally does more damage than simple water would do. It causes more corrosion to the metal areas of the motherboard or any other computer component such as the hard drive or CD-ROM.
One of the worst case scenarios is that you spill a liquid onto your laptop where everything, motherboard, hard drive, CD-ROM, and etcetera are all packed into the same general area. In most cases of water damage to computers, the liquid is spilled merely on the keyboard or another outside component such as the mouse. With laptops, spilling a liquid on the keyboard does not mean that only the keyboard is affected, but also the other components sharing the shell of the laptop are, as well. What can you do if water or another liquid is spilled on your laptop?
Unplug it from the A/C adapter and remove the battery IMMEDIATELY. Unplug any other external devices including external hard drives, mice, other input devices, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, and etcetera. The next thing is to turn the laptop completely upside down to stop the liquid from sinking any further into it.
Use a towel or paper towels to clean up the spilled liquid, wipe off the keyboard, exterior, and any external devices that came into contact with the liquid as well.
At this point, you could do one of two things. You could take it to a professional repairman and have them look at it (I hope you have an extra arm and leg lying around) or if you know how to take something apart and put it back together, you can try to fix it yourself. In trying to fix it, you may irreparably damage it, so if you are even remotely unsure about your ability to repair it, it is better to take it to a professional.
If you choose the do-it-yourself route, disassemble the computer and allow it to dry out completely for at least 24 hours, if not longer. Let it dry until you are satisfied that it is completely done. Whatever you do, do not turn the power on before it is. It is not water itself that kills the circuit board of any electronic device, but the electricity that runs through it when someone tries to turn the device on when it is still wet.
If it was just water, drying should be all it needs. If it was soda or any other acidic liquid, clean it with rubbing alcohol and Q-tips, then put it back together and wait for the alcohol to dry. See if it works.
If the liquid spilled upon the device is acidic, like soda or coffee, then it generally does more damage than simple water would do. It causes more corrosion to the metal areas of the motherboard or any other computer component such as the hard drive or CD-ROM.
One of the worst case scenarios is that you spill a liquid onto your laptop where everything, motherboard, hard drive, CD-ROM, and etcetera are all packed into the same general area. In most cases of water damage to computers, the liquid is spilled merely on the keyboard or another outside component such as the mouse. With laptops, spilling a liquid on the keyboard does not mean that only the keyboard is affected, but also the other components sharing the shell of the laptop are, as well. What can you do if water or another liquid is spilled on your laptop?
Unplug it from the A/C adapter and remove the battery IMMEDIATELY. Unplug any other external devices including external hard drives, mice, other input devices, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, and etcetera. The next thing is to turn the laptop completely upside down to stop the liquid from sinking any further into it.
Use a towel or paper towels to clean up the spilled liquid, wipe off the keyboard, exterior, and any external devices that came into contact with the liquid as well.
At this point, you could do one of two things. You could take it to a professional repairman and have them look at it (I hope you have an extra arm and leg lying around) or if you know how to take something apart and put it back together, you can try to fix it yourself. In trying to fix it, you may irreparably damage it, so if you are even remotely unsure about your ability to repair it, it is better to take it to a professional.
If you choose the do-it-yourself route, disassemble the computer and allow it to dry out completely for at least 24 hours, if not longer. Let it dry until you are satisfied that it is completely done. Whatever you do, do not turn the power on before it is. It is not water itself that kills the circuit board of any electronic device, but the electricity that runs through it when someone tries to turn the device on when it is still wet.
If it was just water, drying should be all it needs. If it was soda or any other acidic liquid, clean it with rubbing alcohol and Q-tips, then put it back together and wait for the alcohol to dry. See if it works.
Water And Your Cell Phone Do Not Mix
Many people have horror stories about how they lost anywhere between $50 and $600 on replacing a cell phone that was dropped into the toilet or the bath tub or any other liquid. The sad fact is that most cell phone warranties do not cover water damage and unfortunately, cell phone manufacturers have begun to place what some are calling “snitch stickers” in their phones that change color if they have been exposed to even a drop of water. While this keeps people trying to get a new free phone from saying that their old phone was not water damaged when it actually was, it is unfortunate for the consumer because these stickers have been known to change color in even just high humidity. So, water damage to phones is a serious problem, but what do you do if your phone does become submersed?
Take it out of the water immediately. The plastic covers on most cell phones these days are pretty tight, but water can get inside the phone. As long as you get the phone out of the water in under around 20 seconds, it should not have that much opportunity to seep in.
After you do that, remove the battery and do not hesitate. This is to effectively cut the power supply off from your phone; electricity and water combined are what fries your phone, not just the water itself.
If your phone has a SIM card, remove that quickly, as well. These cards store contact and other kinds of data from the phone and to some people, the information held on that card could be more valuable than the phone itself, even if the phone might cost them $600. Some service providers, however, do not use SIM cards, like Verizon Wireless.
Do not put the battery or the SIM card back into the phone. Dry them separately. Then, dry the phone itself from the outside and then if possible, put it in a bowl of rice and let it stay there overnight. You might get a grain of rice or two in your phone, but this probably will not happen. Rice will help draw out the moisture. Wait at least two or three days before trying to turn your phone back on. Never turn on an electronic device after it has been wet until you are sure it has completely dried out.
As long as the phone looks dry, it should be safe to try and turn the phone on. If it doesn’t work with the battery, try plugging it into the wall outlet. If this works, you just need to replace the battery.
Take it out of the water immediately. The plastic covers on most cell phones these days are pretty tight, but water can get inside the phone. As long as you get the phone out of the water in under around 20 seconds, it should not have that much opportunity to seep in.
After you do that, remove the battery and do not hesitate. This is to effectively cut the power supply off from your phone; electricity and water combined are what fries your phone, not just the water itself.
If your phone has a SIM card, remove that quickly, as well. These cards store contact and other kinds of data from the phone and to some people, the information held on that card could be more valuable than the phone itself, even if the phone might cost them $600. Some service providers, however, do not use SIM cards, like Verizon Wireless.
Do not put the battery or the SIM card back into the phone. Dry them separately. Then, dry the phone itself from the outside and then if possible, put it in a bowl of rice and let it stay there overnight. You might get a grain of rice or two in your phone, but this probably will not happen. Rice will help draw out the moisture. Wait at least two or three days before trying to turn your phone back on. Never turn on an electronic device after it has been wet until you are sure it has completely dried out.
As long as the phone looks dry, it should be safe to try and turn the phone on. If it doesn’t work with the battery, try plugging it into the wall outlet. If this works, you just need to replace the battery.
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