How do you fix a cell phone you drop in the water?
I do the put your phone in the bucket of rice trick and it worked well the one time I had to do it. Anybody else have any tips or tricks?
by
magicgoat
asked 8 months ago
the very day i got my iphone i sat it on my lap with a cup of coffee between my legs driving and got home and realized it was in the coffee...whatever you do, do NOT plug it in...that will get the circuits (or whatever they're called) fried - basically just let it dry and hope for the best - i tried the rice thing on my husbands phone once and i don't think it did a whole lot to be honest, it was more just time i think
@gretchena: lol :) yea mine was a little worse.... Dont pee and text is all I will say...
Mine was washed in the washing machine. I pulled the battery. I placed the phone in the center of a large glass bowl of rice. I baked the bowl at the lowest temperature for 20 minutes, including preheat. I turned it off for an hour. I left it in the oven/rice for a day or two. I then put the phone in my pocket and noted some evaporation on the inside of the glass so I put it in the oven/rice again for a few more days. I bought a new battery. It worked.
FYI my oven's lowest temperature is 170.
I had at least 1.5" of rice surrounding my phone.
Open up the case and take out the battery. Soak up any remaining liquid with a towel. Turn face side down and let set for a while. Use a blow dryer on a low setting or 'air only' and thoroughly flush the insides. Wait a day and pray. Hopefully it will power back on.
And don't think you can return it to the retailer saying it just stopped working. On the interior of the phone somewhere is a sticker that changes color once exposed to excessive moisture.
I've heard taking the battery out immediately and then putting the phone in a bag of rice helps because the rice absorbs moisture. Leave it there overnight.
I've also heard a qtip with some alcohol along the inside if you drop it in soda because the alcohol cleans it and dries it out at the same time.
You know in a box of shoes or many, many other items that contain a little package that says "Throw Away... Do Not Eat". That is Silica gel. It will pull moisture out of pretty much anything. If you put your phone in a zip lock (opened a 1/4 or 1/2 of the way) with one of those it will dry it out.
@caffeine_dude: I did the same thing with my phone that fell in the hot tub and "cooked" for half an hour before realizing. Worked for me too :)
DeLorean + 88mph
I did a combination of the hair blower on air only and the rice without the oven. After using the hairblower I put the phone in a container of rice and closed the lid. After 24 hours I put the battery back in and the phone worked. Good luck.
If all fails, sell on eBay as "Not Working/For Parts"
Did that for 2 iPhones...
This worked for my brother:
http://www.accessorygeeks.com/dry-all-molecular-dehumidifier-wet-cell-phones-emergency-kit.html
But he already had it when he dropped his phone in the toilet. (He's clumsy lol) so I'm not sure how effective it is if it's been some time in between getting it wet, and using the Dry All.
@rockytrh: Beat me to it. I have a stash of 1lb bags that I get from my job. I keep it in case of emergencies like this.
They also help keep my 5Fingers relatively fresh.
Basically what everyone suggested but also a vacuum desiccator if you have access to or own one.
When I said "phone in my pocket and noted some evaporation"
It was early in the morning and I should explain.
I did not put the battery back in when I put it in my pocket. The heat from my body caused more water to evaporate leaving condensation on the inside of the screen. Water on the inside is a sign it is not finished drying out.
Also after an hour of the oven cooling down I did the 20 minutes of baking again. Less time if the rice was too warm to to squeeze.
The phone stank of rice but it did work.
@rockytrh: but they are so delicious! And the fact that they say DO NOT EAT makes them more so!
@rockytrh: You can also buy a container of that Silica Gel at any hunting store. I forget how much more moisture it pulls then rice, but I remember it was substantial. Here is a link for some:
Agree with the others about pulling battery. Had an LG chocolate that survived one toilet immersion plus two washer cycles, some rain, etc. I opened it up as best I could, and let it sit for a few days (up to a week).
Never tried the rice thing.
Ditto and re-emphasize most all of the above comments.
DO NOT power on.
Remove Battery.
WAIT (patience) until dry.
This has worked for us on two occasions. If you're in a hurry, I have heard success stories with the rice, silica gel, and even low heat baking to speed up the drying process. Basically we waited until there was no sign of moisture anywhere (like under the displays...)
Best of luck!
@magicgoat: oh no! that would be awful, especially considering that I also tried sucking the coffee out of it (i was desperate!) - it works now but the power button doesn't work lol - did you save yours?
@75grandville: Also own an LG chocolate. Ended up in the washer. Took out the battery, into a bag of rice for 48 hrs. Powered right up. I just bought the silica bags referenced above to have on hand just in case.
@gretchena: yea it work fine now
If you drop it in anything other than water (coffee, soda, etc), you will want to rinse it with water or alcohol before trying to dry it. You may have to rinse it several times to make sure there isn't any sugary residue left.
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