Restoration of Water Damage

[alex-denver]

My mom dropped her phone in water the other day. The water damage colorado was immediately obvious, as the phone wouldn't turn on. I had heard that a good way to repair water damage was to put the phone in a bag of dry rice. Sure enough, after a few days, she took the phone out and it turned right on!

[Rockbobster]

After immersion, the first thing to do is remove the battery, if possible. If it is dropped in salt water, then immerse it in fresh water for a few minutes. Flush and immerse again. Flush again and then put the item in a bag of dry rice.

Another option is to immerse the item in isopropyl alcohol and then drain and dry it. This helps disperse the water.

[Apache]

If immersed in salt water you would need to rinse right away. The corrosion starts immediately.
Apache

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Apache

If immersed in salt water you would need to rinse right away. The corrosion starts immediately.
Apache

Agreed. I watched components just fall off circuit boards if you got near them, that had been exposed to salt water used to fight a big fire
After the initial water rinse, do a final rinse with DI (Distilled) water to reduce mineral deposits.
The alcohol (NOT RUBBING which has lubricants) bath is a great idea for most simple boards, do a careful test on the display in a TINY area where cloudy can be tolerated.

[DustyDisks]

Originally Posted by theducks

Agreed. I watched components just fall off circuit boards if you got near them, that had been exposed to salt water used to fight a big fire
After the initial water rinse, do a final rinse with DI (Distilled) water to reduce mineral deposits.
The alcohol (NOT RUBBING which has lubricants) bath is a great idea for most simple boards, do a careful test on the display in a TINY area where cloudy can be tolerated.

Yes most circuit boards are cleaned by deionized clean water and distilled water after being run through the wave solder machine is as close as you can get, then the boards are passed through a dryer. Tho the components on the boards that are sensitive to water have protective covers (usually speakers and microphones) that are removed later in the assembly process. And anhydrous is-propyl alcohol(99.99%) is also used for cleaning and sometimes helps removing the water.

The big thing is to try to completely dry/remove the water that is trapped under the components that could cause a short or add capacitance/inductance to the circuit. So rinse the boards well and then place the phone in a very warm place, some have used ovens that are turned down very low 45°c to 60°c. (113°f to 140°f) 150-160°F could be used for a shorter time. Or place it in a hot car (summertime) on or near the dash for a couple of hours.

If water has gotten into the microphone or speaker there could be problems because the water can degrade them, also trash/minerals/oils that are trapped under the keypad could also become a problem.

Just some thoughts.

[Apache]

Denatured alcohol is also a good choice. Or Vodka.
Apache

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Apache

Denatured alcohol is also a good choice. Or Vodka.
Apache

I was thinking:
Everclear

[Apache]

Even better.
Apache

[dakini]

its amazing what a bag of rice and an airing cupboard can do!

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Apache

Or Vodka.
Apache

Monkey vouches for the Vodka

[Quexos]

The thing is, the water inside must dry out before it starts rusting circuits and electronic components. Didn't know rice would do the trick.
I would rather use a hair dryer as the warm current of air would dry it quick.

Originally Posted by Rockbobster

After immersion, the first thing to do is remove the battery, if possible. If it is dropped in salt water, then immerse it in fresh water for a few minutes. Flush and immerse again. Flush again and then put the item in a bag of dry rice.

Another option is to immerse the item in isopropyl alcohol and then drain and dry it. This helps disperse the water.