electronics - water damage

Tomsk · 11 Mar 2011 at 09:39

Just read this thread - http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18251330- and others like it, about getting electronic devices (usually mobile phones) wet.

I always hear about how liquids can always leave marks or residues after the device has been dried.

Before drying the device, would it be a good idea to dunk it in some other liquid such as distilled water or alcohol, to remove traces of the original liquid before drying?

The device is/was already wet, so there's nothing to lose.

neodude · 11 Mar 2011 at 09:42

Depends on what the original liquid was. Marks and residue will only be cosmetic unless they are conductive. Water itself will have no ill effects on electronics as long as they are dried completely and there are no batteries/charged caps on the board. A lot of electronics are actually passed through an industrial washing machine as part of the manufacturing process.

tigerstyle · 11 Mar 2011 at 09:43

Some phones have small pieces of colour change material stuck inside them, they'll turn a certain colour after water exposure, so when disassembled the results are obvious. Dunking the thing again won't help!

Tomsk · 11 Mar 2011 at 09:48

@neodude - Water marks are a result of impurities in the water. Distilled water shouldn't have any impurites, therefore a second dunking would allow the device to dry without water marks. If it the original liquid was eg coke or beer, then a second dunking cleans it.

@tigerstyle - I know devices have the water damage stickers, that's why a second dunking isn't (or shouldn't) do any more damage, and may even help by cleaning off the original liquid.

Brookert · 11 Mar 2011 at 10:01

Tomsk said:
@neodude - Water marks are a result of impurities in the water. Distilled water shouldn't have any impurites, therefore a second dunking would allow the device to dry without water marks. If it the original liquid was eg coke or beer, then a second dunking cleans it.

@tigerstyle - I know devices have the water damage stickers, that's why a second dunking isn't (or shouldn't) do any more damage, and may even help by cleaning off the original liquid.

sound reasoning there. Isn't the trick to drying out phones just to leave them to dry slowly? Does fast drying leave more residue behind?

tigerstyle · 11 Mar 2011 at 10:17

Tomsk said:
@neodude - Water marks are a result of impurities in the water. Distilled water shouldn't have any impurites, therefore a second dunking would allow the device to dry without water marks. If it the original liquid was eg coke or beer, then a second dunking cleans it.

@tigerstyle - I know devices have the water damage stickers, that's why a second dunking isn't (or shouldn't) do any more damage, and may even help by cleaning off the original liquid.

Sounds like you already know what you want to do anyway so why post?

neodude · 11 Mar 2011 at 10:19

tigerstyle said:
Sounds like you already know what you want to do anyway so why post?

Tomsk · 11 Mar 2011 at 10:29

tigerstyle said:
Sounds like you already know what you want to do anyway so why post?

Actually, I've never had any water damage to my stuff. I was hoping that someone out there would be able to clarify my theory that distilled water or some alcohol would be a way of reducing further or future damage by the original dunking, by cleaning off the original liquid.
Maybe someone can try the theory the next time they inadvertantly dunk their device.

tigerstyle · 11 Mar 2011 at 10:34

Tomsk said:
Actually, I've never had any water damage to my stuff. I was hoping that someone out there would be able to clarify my theory that distilled water or some alcohol would be a way of reducing further or future damage by the original dunking, by cleaning off the original liquid.
Maybe someone can try the theory the next time they inadvertantly dunk their device.

I also forgot to add I think your theory stinks as if it was that simple to hide the fact a phone had been dunked simply by some distilled water or alcohol then the hole point of colour change materials used in phones would be negated thus not used. The fact they are used says to me it won't work :cool:

Google and youtube and other sites would also be full reporting this revelation, they aren't...

Tomsk · 11 Mar 2011 at 10:47

tigerstyle said:
I also forgot to add I think your theory stinks as if it was that simple to hide the fact a phone had been dunked simply by some distilled water or alcohol then the hole point of colour change materials used in phones would be negated thus not used. The fact they are used says to me it won't work

Google and youtube and other sites would also be full reporting this revelation, they aren't...

I never suggested that dunking in distilled water or alcohol would reverse a colour change sticker. I wouldn't expect it too. The sticker reacts to water, whether it's pure H2O, or in a solution like coca-cola.

What I'm asking, is, would distilled water/alcohol remove some/all of the residue left behind from some other liquid.

For example coca-cola is made of a solution of sugars and acids, some of which would be left behind when the water evaporates, and thus potentially causing more damage in the future. Dunking the item again would, I think, remove more or all of this residue reducing future damage.