Troubleshooting Recovering Wet Kindle

dvhh · 12-21-2010, 04:51 AM

Hello,

I would like to share my experience, in case it happens to one of you too,

I usually read my kindle in the bath, using a ziplock bag, unfortunately for avoiding having much air as possible in the bag I usually seal it with the help of the bath (the water pressure outside pushing out the air out of the bag). One day during my routine sealing I noticed a small amount of water in the bag (about 20~30 cc enough to wet the IO port and a good part of the keyboard).

it went that way :
- went out to immediately dry it in a regular fashion ( no hair drier blow )
- opened the kindle by popping off the back plate (kindle 3 wifi) to expose the circuit
- left it three days in the rice (in fear of not recovering it) in a sealed bag.
- after these three days the battery was out of juice, (tried different method to restart it), the only way for me was to dismount the battery the replug it, it would then accept charging, left it to charge until the led was green.

I recovered the kindle in a pretty good shape, the whole thing is very functional (yet?), keyboard/ buttons usb are still functioning, I didn't test the microphone yet but that is not a big loss right now. Since then I have avoided my bath reading sessions.

What I would have changed :
- After popping off the back plate, I am pretty sure I should have removed the battery, but I was damn too afraid to touch the electronics.
- dry the battery separately from the unit.

The thing almost gave me a heart attack. I don't think I would be trying my chance again.

desertblues · 12-21-2010, 05:02 AM

Thanks for sharing. It must have been a few stressfull days. I had my (different) ereader defective twice and I just was so sad after it happened.
I don't ever take any gadget in bath with me, or on the beach. In emergency (which?) one can always switch to text-to-speech and have the Kindle read to you from outside the tub, or play an audiobook.

I know; it can be done with a ereader in a ziplockbag in bath, and all that.
But even when you're very very carefull with your things, accidents may happen. I once dropped my Kindle---was lucky enough to have a sturdy cover so it survived.

TheKindleWorm · 12-21-2010, 05:08 AM

Good tips in case this should happen to anyone else - thank goodness you got it working again.

I wouldn't use a ziplock bag in the bath as it isn't designed to be fully waterproof. I use an e-volve aqua waterproof pouch and even then the cautious side of me never actually puts the case in the water.

But glad for you your Kindle is still usable.

terencek · 12-21-2010, 05:53 AM

dvhh's description of what he/she did raises an interesting possibility, especially for those of us not in the USA: how easy is it in fact to 'pop off the Kindle's rear cover' as described?

Right now if you need a battery replacement, Amazon says you have to ship the unit all the way back to the States. Could we in fact not do it ourselves if we could persuade Amazon just to send a battery -- assuming for instance that the unit is out of warranty a year or so down the line and that heavy users have by then worn down the original battery?

dvhh · 12-21-2010, 06:28 AM

I am in fact living outside of the US, and popping off the back plate seemed easier around the page turn button (I would recommend some tool for that though). There was no warranty stick of any sort the battery is easily removed with 2 screws (with precision screwdriver ). Out of stress it took me maybe less than a minute to remove the cover. Removing the battery takes less than 20 sec.
I'll try to upload some picture if I find time.

Anyway I would certainly be out of warranty as there is strains of water remaining.

speedlever · 12-21-2010, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by terencek

dvhh's description of what he/she did raises an interesting possibility, especially for those of us not in the USA: how easy is it in fact to 'pop off the Kindle's rear cover' as described?

Right now if you need a battery replacement, Amazon says you have to ship the unit all the way back to the States. Could we in fact not do it ourselves if we could persuade Amazon just to send a battery -- assuming for instance that the unit is out of warranty a year or so down the line and that heavy users have by then worn down the original battery?

This YouTube video will answer both your question.

Edit: I have no relationship to the vendor, but the video shows what is required to open the case and change the battery.

Doug Huffman · 12-21-2010, 10:39 AM

In re wetting; there are common chemicals much more hygroscopic than rice, though more reactive too. Once the corrosive environment is established by wetting then speed is of the essence.

I would remove the back and place the exposed KINDLE under a large bowl with the most hygroscopic chemical that you can find in a separate bowl adjacent to the KINDLE. If a small circulator, a fan, is available then I might include it.

In the event the KINDLE is wetted with a corrosive in itself mixture, seawater or dirty water, then judiciously rinse the wetted components with clean water and proceed as above.

desertblues · 12-21-2010, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug Huffman

In re wetting; there are common chemicals much more hygroscopic than rice, though more reactive too. Once the corrosive environment is established by wetting then speed is of the essence.

I would remove the back and place the exposed KINDLE under a large bowl with the most hygroscopic chemical that you can find in a separate bowl adjacent to the KINDLE. If a small circulator, a fan, is available then I might include it.

In the event the KINDLE is wetted with a corrosive in itself mixture, seawater or dirty water, then judiciously rinse the wetted components with clean water and proceed as above.

Can you recommend such a specific chemical; just in case, one never knows and if speed is essential?
And what could one use in emergency's?

JSWolf · 12-21-2010, 04:11 PM

Suggestion, forget taking a bath. take a shower. 10 min max and then you can be back and reading your book once again without risking getting your reader wet.

speedlever · 12-21-2010, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Suggestion, forget taking a bath. take a shower. 10 min max and then you can be back and reading your book once again without risking getting your reader wet.

Err, um... I hate to say this... but I suspect the length of time in the shower may be a male/female issue. Or at least that's been my experience.

JSWolf · 12-21-2010, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedlever

Err, um... I hate to say this... but I suspect the length of time in the shower may be a male/female issue. Or at least that's been my experience.

How long do you think males take and how long do you think females take? My wife (being a female) does not take long at all in the shower.

Doug Huffman · 12-21-2010, 05:53 PM

First choice silica gel (leaves 0.03 milligrams H2O per liter of air).

Second choice calcium chloride ("DampRid") (leaves up to 0.25 milligrams H2O per liter of air).

Both can be regenerated by drying in a 250°C oven.

http://www.mallbaker.com/techlib/doc...icas/3045.html

desertblues · 12-21-2010, 05:58 PM

Thank you very much for this information. I'll remember this for future reference.

speedlever · 12-21-2010, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

How long do you think males take and how long do you think females take? My wife (being a female) does not take long at all in the shower.

Well Jon, in my experience (as mentioned earlier) the females are 30 minutes and up and the males are 15 minutes or less. But as usual, YMMV.

dvhh · 12-21-2010, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug Huffman

First choice silica gel (leaves 0.03 milligrams H2O per liter of air).

Second choice calcium chloride ("DampRid") (leaves up to 0.25 milligrams H2O per liter of air).

Both can be regenerated by drying in a 250°C oven.

http://www.mallbaker.com/techlib/doc...icas/3045.html

I wasn't that ready for this event, but it is really good to know for the next time.
Although the kindle internals ( especially visible under the battery ) show signs of stains and probably corrosion, I would hardly venture in rinsing it after being soaked.
but yes I shoud have used a fan or a small circulator, luckily the winter we got here (japan) is still quite dry.

12-21-2010, 04:51 AM	#1
dvhh Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 2600 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Osaka, Japan Device: Kindle 3	Recovering Wet Kindle Hello, I would like to share my experience, in case it happens to one of you too, I usually read my kindle in the bath, using a ziplock bag, unfortunately for avoiding having much air as possible in the bag I usually seal it with the help of the bath (the water pressure outside pushing out the air out of the bag). One day during my routine sealing I noticed a small amount of water in the bag (about 20~30 cc enough to wet the IO port and a good part of the keyboard). it went that way : - went out to immediately dry it in a regular fashion ( no hair drier blow ) - opened the kindle by popping off the back plate (kindle 3 wifi) to expose the circuit - left it three days in the rice (in fear of not recovering it) in a sealed bag. - after these three days the battery was out of juice, (tried different method to restart it), the only way for me was to dismount the battery the replug it, it would then accept charging, left it to charge until the led was green. I recovered the kindle in a pretty good shape, the whole thing is very functional (yet?), keyboard/ buttons usb are still functioning, I didn't test the microphone yet but that is not a big loss right now. Since then I have avoided my bath reading sessions. What I would have changed : - After popping off the back plate, I am pretty sure I should have removed the battery, but I was damn too afraid to touch the electronics. - dry the battery separately from the unit. The thing almost gave me a heart attack. I don't think I would be trying my chance again. Last edited by dvhh; 12-21-2010 at 08:42 PM. Reason: typo

12-21-2010, 05:53 PM	#12
Doug Huffman Banned Posts: 102 Karma: 7860 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Washington Island, across Death's Door, Wisconsin, USA Device: KINDLE 3 WiFi	Hygroscopic drying dessicant agent First choice silica gel (leaves 0.03 milligrams H2O per liter of air). Second choice calcium chloride ("DampRid") (leaves up to 0.25 milligrams H2O per liter of air). Both can be regenerated by drying in a 250°C oven. http://www.mallbaker.com/techlib/doc...icas/3045.html Last edited by Doug Huffman; 12-21-2010 at 06:17 PM. Reason: Add technical reference

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12-21-2010, 05:02 AM	#2
desertblues Home for the moment Posts: 5,127 Karma: 27718936 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: travelling Device: various	Thanks for sharing. It must have been a few stressfull days. I had my (different) ereader defective twice and I just was so sad after it happened. I don't ever take any gadget in bath with me, or on the beach. In emergency (which?) one can always switch to text-to-speech and have the Kindle read to you from outside the tub, or play an audiobook. I know; it can be done with a ereader in a ziplockbag in bath, and all that. But even when you're very very carefull with your things, accidents may happen. I once dropped my Kindle---was lucky enough to have a sturdy cover so it survived.

12-21-2010, 05:08 AM	#3
TheKindleWorm Guru Posts: 860 Karma: 177868 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: East Anglia UK Device: Kindle 3G, iPhone 3G, iPod 4G, PB 360, Sony 600 sold, Kindle 2i sold	Good tips in case this should happen to anyone else - thank goodness you got it working again. I wouldn't use a ziplock bag in the bath as it isn't designed to be fully waterproof. I use an e-volve aqua waterproof pouch and even then the cautious side of me never actually puts the case in the water. But glad for you your Kindle is still usable.

12-21-2010, 05:53 AM	#4
terencek Groupie Posts: 170 Karma: 1010944 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: The African bush Device: Kindle 3	dvhh's description of what he/she did raises an interesting possibility, especially for those of us not in the USA: how easy is it in fact to 'pop off the Kindle's rear cover' as described? Right now if you need a battery replacement, Amazon says you have to ship the unit all the way back to the States. Could we in fact not do it ourselves if we could persuade Amazon just to send a battery -- assuming for instance that the unit is out of warranty a year or so down the line and that heavy users have by then worn down the original battery?

12-21-2010, 06:28 AM	#5
dvhh Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 2600 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Osaka, Japan Device: Kindle 3	I am in fact living outside of the US, and popping off the back plate seemed easier around the page turn button (I would recommend some tool for that though). There was no warranty stick of any sort the battery is easily removed with 2 screws (with precision screwdriver ). Out of stress it took me maybe less than a minute to remove the cover. Removing the battery takes less than 20 sec. I'll try to upload some picture if I find time. Anyway I would certainly be out of warranty as there is strains of water remaining.

12-21-2010, 10:39 AM	#7
Doug Huffman Banned Posts: 102 Karma: 7860 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Washington Island, across Death's Door, Wisconsin, USA Device: KINDLE 3 WiFi	In re wetting; there are common chemicals much more hygroscopic than rice, though more reactive too. Once the corrosive environment is established by wetting then speed is of the essence. I would remove the back and place the exposed KINDLE under a large bowl with the most hygroscopic chemical that you can find in a separate bowl adjacent to the KINDLE. If a small circulator, a fan, is available then I might include it. In the event the KINDLE is wetted with a corrosive in itself mixture, seawater or dirty water, then judiciously rinse the wetted components with clean water and proceed as above.

12-21-2010, 04:11 PM	#9
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,249 Karma: 145488788 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Suggestion, forget taking a bath. take a shower. 10 min max and then you can be back and reading your book once again without risking getting your reader wet.

12-21-2010, 05:58 PM	#13
desertblues Home for the moment Posts: 5,127 Karma: 27718936 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: travelling Device: various	Thank you very much for this information. I'll remember this for future reference.

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