Water Damage and what it can do.

A brief overview of what water damage is and what it can do.

The word water damage describes what it is, damage caused by water but there is so much more to it than that. In the case of electronics water is the absolute worst thing that can happen. Distilled Water by itself is non conductive and of no danger to your device, however the contaminants in the water make it conductive causing damage. There are two ways liquid damage causes problems.

  • The conductive liquid can cause a higher voltage line such as the battery power line to short to a lower voltage line causing electrical failure inside some sensitive component in your electronic device causing it to malfunction or even die.
  • The liquid over time causes components inside your device to corrode making them fail over time. Thats why a device that seems okay immediately after liquid damage may still fail over time

It is said a picture is worth a thousand words, and since a video is a series of images shown really really fast I will link to an ifixit youtube video that goes over the effects of liquid damage in much greater detail.

 

What you can do in case of water damage.

  • Wipe the device as thoroughly as possible and blow any liquid out of the ports.
  • Turn off the device immediately and DO NOT plug it into a power source.
  • If possible try to take it apart and unplug the battery immediately and then do your best to dry the internal components.
  • If it is not possible for you to disassemble the device, try to find a source of dry air such as an air vent in the house and place the phone on top of it.
  • Take it in to a trusted professional as soon as possible. With liquid damage the earlier corrective steps are taken the better the chances of saving the data.

What we can do to help you in case of water damage.

  • Device is disassembled and cleaned immediately in a 99% iso-propyl alcohol solution. As alcohol displaces water it ensures all the liquid is washed out.
  • The device is then cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner with a proper ultrasonic cleaning solution which then ensures any corrosion under BGA chips is also cleaned out.
  • The device is then inspected under a microscope to check for corrosion and other signs of liquid damage which is then repaired to ensure a stable device.
  • Your data is then backed up immediately which ensures you at least have your information which is priceless.
  • The faster a device is brought in to us the better the chances of a successfull data recovery.