My psu got wet. How Long should I leave it for?

arnoldma

arnoldma

arnoldma

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The gf spilt some water on my psu... Computer went off :( how long should I leave it to dry before plugging it back in? So ****ed at her!!

Any chance of other stuff got damaged? (water only on psu)

Edit: not gonna plug it back in... Just worked about other bits.
 
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If it wasnt switched on, nothign else should be damaged, assuming the water didnt leak onto anythign else
In order to dry it, you want to be sure, so ideally a coupla days in an airing cupboard or the like, make sure its thoroughly dry before plugging back in
 
martynbez said:
If it went off after the water went in then I would say the damage is done.
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This exactly. I don't think that there is any chance of it working again.

Do NOT try to take the PSU apart. Whether it is plugged in or not, even if there wasn't water in it, you could cause yourself potentially fatal injuries.


However, there is a small chance that it will work. Leave it for a couple of days so it can dry out and try it again. In the mean time, if you have got a spare PSU, make sure all of the other components are dry and put it in to see if anything else is damaged.
 
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arnoldma said:
What do u mean the damage is done? Psu is dead? What about other parts? :(

Pc was on at the time... Went off after spill..
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It might have blown them, it might not, but I wouldn't risk using that PSU for now, cause if you haven't damaged anything yet, plugging in a faulty PSU could do some damage.

Use a replacement power supply, test the rest of your hardware.
 
to be honest i wouldn't risk plugging it back in, deffo replace that PSU, plus side of it is its a sure way to find out if any other parts are fried!
+1 for what Guru wrote.

water will shut any thing down that runs off electricity, the two things just don't mix with open live components
 
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all depends on if it was the mobo shuting down to save the pc or shutting down cause it fried, if its fried then theres a fair chance other hard ware is also.
id start buy trying a new PSU an take it from there.
 
More expensive PSUs usually have a few levels of protection to keep your other components alive. Cheaper ones often don't. However you can get lucky with a cheaper unit or be unlucky with an expensive one, so as said, just buy a new (Good quality) PSU, hope for the best, and get testing. It's the only way to know.

As to 'Shouldn't it just shut down', tap water is pretty conductive due to all the ions in it. The PSU handles a hell of a lot of energy at a range of voltages and currents, all running through exposed metal contacts very close to one another. When water bridges the gaps between the contacts, currents and voltages start flowing through components that aren't designed to handle them, and the PSU does indeed shut down. Potentially quite dramatically. But before it does so, depending on what the water hits inside, it can stick a nasty surge of current down any number of cables into your other components. Lesson learned, keep liquids and significant others away from your computer.
 
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It was a good one seasonic x850. So sould have some nice protection right? Yeah going to order new one... Stupid gf!!!

Lesson learnt indeed.
 
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