Category: Liquid Damage Repairs

Water damaged devices are a common occurrence. In the following mini document, I will be discussing what to do when your device encounters liquid damage.

Scenario - taking that perfect summer beach photo for your Instagram, and oops! Your phone slips out of your hands and into the water it goes. You quickly take it out give it a shake and “wow!” it’s still working…

What do you do?

A - carry on using as usual.

B - put it in some rice overnight just in case

C - switch it off and take it to a professional asap.

If you answered A. then sorry your wrong!

Water can get into your phone in seconds, and even if it continues working this water can start to cause some serious issues to your board. Why? Because when the electrical currents running through the device mix with the water it starts to cause shorts and corrosion.

You may not see the effects of this immediately however sometimes even months later,  you will start to have issues. By which point you have forgotten about the water damage, and may put the blame on something else (if taken to a professional they should be able to diagnose the issue and determine the extent of the damage). The cost to do repairs (if at all repairable) at this point will be higher than if you choose the right answer.

If you answered B. then you are also wrong!  

Despite what you may have been led to believe by rumours/superstition rice does NOTHING in regards to helping resolve the issue at all. In fact, in most cases, it can cause more damage than help. As the granules can get jammed in ports e.g. charging.

When water damage occurs sometimes your screen may go black, what a lot of people do is leave it in rice overnight and then put the device on a charge - expanding on my previous point, water and electricity do not mix well! All this does is become a catalyst to creating shorts and further corrosion of your device, even though it may turn back on all that is going to happen is a repeat of why (A.) was also wrong.

So if A. and B. were wrong then C. is, of course, the right answer!

Yes if your device has water damage take to switch it off and take it to a professional asap!

1. Your first step post water damage is to power down the device.
2. Take it to a technician as soon as possible.

Do not attempt to charge the device or use it in any way as this as mentioned can cause shorts, fry the on board chips and kick start the corrosion.

The technician will open the device and assess the extent of the damage, they do this by checking over the board and all major components. The tech will then start the ultrasonic cleaning process.

What is ultrasonic cleaning?

Ultrasonic cleaning is a process in which an ultrasonic frequency is put through a specially formulated solution. What this does is create millions of microscopic bubbles which are of roughly up to 45 degrees celsius. which aggressively pop therefore resulting in a clean board.

The process

The technician will disconnect the battery from the board and then begin the disassembly of the device. After they have removed the board they will dry it using compressed air. They will then look through a microscope to examine the board in-depth to see if they can spot any corrosion that may have already taken place.

Their next move is to place the board in an ultrasonic cleaning solution using a special PCB cleaner.

They will then remove the board from the ultrasonic tank and the clean any deposits with IPA.. The technician then have another detailed look at the board under the scope to ensure the ultrasonic wash has been completed successfully. If you are lucky you will receive a call saying your device is ready to be collected.

In some cases, the board has extended damage so you will be advised on what the best option for you to go forward would be. This could be having to change a few components on the board or some other components such as the screen etc

Here at Gadget Rehab our repairs are conducted in a safe, secure and professional manner. Our technicians are experts in their particular fields. All repairs go through a 4 eye checking process to ensure the best outcomes.

Gadget Rehab complete liquid damage repairs on smartphone, tablets, PCs and Laptops. Prices start from as little as £36.00 including VAT and take up to 5 working days.

So if your device has encountered any form of liquid give us a call on: 01494 534 008 or email: info@gadgetrehab.co.uk