We’ve all been there before, and none of us have enjoyed it. Maybe your smart watch somehow got mixed in with your clothes the last time you did laundry. Maybe you forgot to take your phone out of your pocket before jumping into the pool this summer. Or maybe you accidentally dropped your tablet in the toilet (no judgment here.)
Having valuable equipment get wet is extremely frustrating, and often forces you to replace expensive devices you use every day. Yet if your phone or another important piece of technology was briefly dropped in the water, you may actually be able to salvage it. Save yourself a few hundred dollars by reading our 5 steps for dealing with wet electronics, and make sure to call our experienced Albany electricians at Mel Carr Electric for all your essential electrical services.
The 5 steps for saving wet electronics are:
- Act Fast: Time is of the utmost importance when dealing with wet electronics. You will want to get your device out of water as soon as possible, as the longer it is exposed, the greater the chance there is it can’t be saved. Again, speed is paramount here, so as soon as you’ve gotten your device out of water, you will want to move on to the next step…
- Take Out the Battery: It is important to take any batteries out of your wet device right away, because if the power source gets wet, chances are the device will be out of commission. If, however, you can protect the power source and remove the battery fast enough, your device stands a good chance of surviving.
- Carefully Dry Off the Device: Because components may have been damaged, you will want to dry off your device as carefully as possibly. This means lightly shaking the water off, or gently patting it down with a soft paper towel or cloth.
- Suck Out Water from the Crevices: To thoroughly remove all the water from the device, you may want to use a can of compressed air, or even a small vacuum cleaner to suck up water from the tiny, hard-to-reach areas.
- Put Your Device in Rice: Yes, this really does work! We recommend attempting the above steps first, but putting your device in uncooked rice or some kind of silica does help absorb excess moisture. Ideally, you should let your device sit in this state for half a day, turning it over every 2 hours or so. Larger devices may take longer to dry, and depending on the extent of the water damage, you may want to turn it over every hour.
After you have completed the above steps, wait a day before trying to turn your device on. If you see the LED light looks strange or discolored, the device may be safe to use, but may still contain moisture, so you should give it some additional time to dry and/or take it in to a professional. If it doesn’t turn on at all, chances are you’re out of luck. If it turns on and everything seems to be normal, congratulations, our advice worked!
For more tips and tricks, keep reading Mel Carr Electric’s blog here, or contact our skilled Albany electricians for service at (518) 500-3042. You can also request an appointment anytime online.