Have you ever dropped your cell phone in liquid. here are some tips on how to save it.
Remove from water as soon as possible. The housing covers on cell phones are fairly tight, but water can still enter the phone. But this time may be quite short - 30 seconds or less. So grab your phone quickly! If you can't get to it in time, your best bet is to remove the battery while it is still under water. Water helps dissipate heat from shorts that can damage the phone, so most damage occurs when the inside of the phone is merely wet and there is a power source.
- Remove the battery. This is one of the most important steps. Don't take time to think about it; electricity and liquid do not mix. Eliminating power to your phone is an impootant first step in saving it. Many circuits inside the phone will survive immersion in water provided they are not attached to a power source when wet.
- If you have a GSM carrier, remove your SIM card. Some or all of your valuable contacts (along with other data) could be stored on your SIM. To some people this could be more worth saving than the phone itself. SIM cards survive water damage well, but some of the following steps are unnecessary i.e. don't heat it. Just pat it dry and leave it aside until you need to connect your phone to your cellular network. (This step does not apply to CDMA carriers such as Verizon, Alltel, US Cellular, etc.)
- Dry your phone. You will need to remove as much of the water as soon as possible, so you can save it from getting into the phone. Shake it out without dropping it, then use a towel or paper towel to gently remove as much of the remaining liquid as possible.
- Remove any covers. Remove any port, headset jack, micro sd covers to let air get into the phone
- Use a vacuum if possible. Do not use a hair dryer to dry out the phone, as this may force moisture further into the small components, deep inside the phone. If moisture is driven deeper inside, corrosion may result when minerals from liquids are deposited on the circuitry. Using a hairdryer might be a temporary fix, but this will eventually cause component failure inside the phone. Instead, remove all residual moisture by drawing it away with a vacuum cleaner held over the affected areas for up to 25 minutes in each accessible area. This is the fastest method and can completely dry out your phone and get it working in thirty minutes. Be careful not to hold the vacuum too close to the phone, as a vacuum can create static electricity, which is even worse.
- Use a substance with a high affinity for water to help draw out moisture. Leave the phone in a bowl or bag of uncooked rice over night. The rice would absorb any remaining moisture.
- Leave the phone sit on an absorbent towels, napkin, or other paper. Remember that the goal is to evacuate all the moisture and humidity, not to trap it or add even more. Check every hour for 4 to 6 hours. If moisture is evident, repeat the vacuuming step.
- The Battery - Be sure to do these same proceudres to the battery, as it needs to be completely dry as well.
- Test your phone. After you have waited a day or so, make sure everything is clean and dry looking and re-attach the battery to the phone and see if it works. If your phone does not work, try plugging it into its charger without the battery, if this works, you need a new battery. If not, try taking your cell phone to an authorized dealer. Sometimes they can fix it. Don't try to hide the fact that it has been wet. There are internal indicators that prove moisture.
- If all else fails - Equipment Blowouts has a full repair facility that has certifed technicians, that can repair phones that have suffered from liquid intrusion.
Guide created: 03/17/09
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