Here is what you can do if water get into your computer. Spilling water on a laptop is a miserable situation that can happen to you. Do you know how to “save” your computer in this situation?
It is a nightmare for laptop users when they carelessly spill a cup of coffee or water on the laptop or encounter a shower while working outdoors.
When liquid and electricity meet, the liquid can destroy a lot of electronic circuits, resulting in severe electric shock if not careful.
What you should do when Water spill Into your Computer:handling a laptop with water.
- Think of Safety first
- Quickly Unplug the power cord with dry hands and remove the battery
- Find a laptop repair or maintenance manual
- Disassemble laptop parts
- Drying laptop parts
- Assemble the pieces into the computer
- Power on and hope
Safety first
Before you begin, you may face the fact that your laptop might be dead. Sorry, but at this point, what you’re prepared to do is just a “first aid” measure with the faint hope that the hardware can be saved.
However, if there is a complete damage warranty or there is a possibility of a simple upgrade, you can use them.
But if you see any part of the computer sparking or smoking, stay away from it and, if necessary, remove it from the house.
Use a fire extinguisher to put out any real fires you observe. In this situation, there is no longer a method to “rescue” your laptop, so get ready to purchase a new one.
Quickly Unplug the power cord with dry hands and remove the battery
If your computer appears to be safe, with no smoke, explosions, or other signs of danger, please:
Unplug the power cord with dry hands and remove the battery using a removable type. Now you don’t need to worry about electric shock anymore.
Remove any other hardware attached to the laptop, such as the mouse, USB drive, removable devices, and all other cables.
Wipe the outside of the laptop. Open the computer entirely, hold the laptop with the screen and keyboard facing down, and then wipe all wet surfaces with a face cloth or other non-microfiber absorbent. Filtered water is the least harmful liquid, while sugary water and alcohol and beer will do the most harm. You must minimize liquid damage by drying as soon as possible.
After the machine has dried, you have two ways to solve the problem:
The first way:
You can bring the device to the repair shop. If your machine is still under warranty and the store where you bought it has warranty support even in case of water damage, you can bring your laptop in for service.
The second way is:
Remove the machine and fix it yourself. Note that disassembling your laptop may void your product’s warranty. You must also be careful when disassembling your computer, but a quick self-repair can increase your laptop’s survivability.
Tools:
You will probably need a set of Philips flat-head and screwdrivers of various sizes. If you have a small group of Torx screwdrivers, use them. You may also need a small, narrow stick, a Swiss Army knife.
A can of compressed air:
Used for dust removal and cleaning.
A safe workspace:
A clean and dry place, ideally without carpet, and a desk that uses wood or rubber to house computer components.
Rice or silica gel moisture-proof packet:
Both will help absorb moisture.
Heating device:
An in-room heater or hair dryer.
Most of these tools are available at hardware stores, but if something is missing, you can use something similar instead because if you don’t handle it quickly, the water will seep in and damage the laptop.
Find a laptop repair or maintenance manual.
Using another computer or phone with an Internet connection and viewing the PDF file, search on shopping mode Google for maintenance or repair instructions according to your laptop model number. If you find it, save it or watch it online.
A service manual is a unique guide created by your laptop manufacturer for technicians and third-party repair services. It will give you step-by-step instructions on how to disassemble the laptop.
Maintenance guides are usually divided into sections for specific repair tasks (replacing RAM, hard drive, keyboard, monitor, etc.). Still, you can find how to remove parts of laptops if you scroll through sections.
If you can’t find a service manual, especially with newer designs, you can still find end-user instructions on disassembling a specific laptop model.
Another place you can look is Youtube, which hosts many disassembly instructions for different laptop models.
Disassemble laptop parts
Follow the service or repair manual instructions and disassemble the laptop parts.
Let’s start with the easiest set of parts. Many laptops are designed so that the RAM, hard drive, or SSD (and sometimes even other components like drives) can be removed with a screwdriver.
Other computers ask to remove the plate below it. However, on newer and more sophisticated laptops (like Dell’s shopping mode XPS 13 and other ultraportables), it’s hard to remove these components. To clear this plate, you may need to pry off the plastic or metal pieces at the body seams.
Once the components have been removed, please place them in a safe, non-conductive place such as on a rubber sheet or wooden table, not in a carpeted area, and remember to wear tennis shoes.
You can take notes or take pictures with your phone to make it easier to reassemble your computer. You should put the screws in the bag and the box to not lose it.
Steps to disassemble the laptop
Water is one of the biggest enemies not only for laptops but also for other electronic devices. If the laptop is soaked in water, it can burn the microchips in the machine. In many cases, users do not perform “emergency” actions in time, making the laptop unable to work again.
Therefore, if you fall into the case of your laptop getting wet, stay calm and follow the steps below.
Step 1: Turn off the laptop and immediately disconnect the power source.
When the laptop is submerged in water, it is easy to cause an electrical short. At this point, time is the most decisive factor in saving your computer.
Therefore, turn off the laptop as quickly as possible by holding the power button.
To avoid short-circuiting, you need to disconnect the computer’s power supply by unplugging the charger from the laptop.
Step 2: Keep your laptop away from other liquids.
Keep your laptop away from other liquids to help avoid contact with other fluids. It also reduces the risk of electric shock.
Step 3: Turn the laptop upside down and remove the battery if possible.
Turn the laptop upside down, remove the battery by sliding the latch, and gently pull the battery out of the laptop. This operation may not be possible on some laptops and MacBooks, which are often designed not to be able to remove the battery part from the machine.
Step 4: Unplug all external hardware.
Unplug all specific external hardware devices as follows:
USB gadgets (flash drives, wireless adapters, chargers, etc.)
Memory Stick
Controller: Mouse
Computer charger
Step 5: Place the laptop face on a flat surface lined with a towel.
Open the laptop at a 45° angle and lie face down on a flat, towel-lined surface. This helps to reduce the amount of water in the computer flowing out. Please note that the surface of the laptop towel must be dry, not wet.
Besides, this will speed up the drying process of your laptop. You can ignite the drying stage by using an electric fan to help the liquid evaporate faster.
How To Fix a Water Damaged Laptop 👇🏿👇🏿
Step 6: Wipe off the liquid on the laptop
Carefully wipe off the liquid in the front, back, laptop case and laptop keyboard.
To prevent liquid from flowing back into the laptop’s interior, ensure your computer remains partially face down while you do this.
Step 7: Determine the elements for sure before touching the inside of your laptop
Static electricity is one of the factors that damage electrical circuits. Therefore, ensure you altogether remove the charge on your clothes before touching the RAM stick or the hard drive.
Step 8: Remove the hardware if you can
At this step, we do not recommend disassembling the machine’s hardware yourself if you are never familiar with disassembling the RAM and hard drive in the laptop. Because there are many cases of improper disassembly causing damage to your computer, you should take the machine to the centre to disassemble it and repair it in time.
However, you can also learn how to disassemble and replace the hardware through the laptop manual. You need to find out your laptop’s information coefficient; removing RAM or any other component in the machine is relatively easy.
For MacBooks, you’ll first have to remove the screws that hold the base of the case.
Step 9: Dry the parts in the laptop
To do this, you must prepare a microfiber cloth or a lint-free rag. If excess water remains in the machine, you must prioritize drying them.
The components of a laptop are composed of many small details, so be gentle and careful to avoid damaging your computer.
Step 10: Clean and remove dry residue
Clean up dry matter using a microfiber cloth or a lint-free rag to wipe away stains on the laptop. In addition, you can also use compressed air cans to blow dry dirt inside the computer.
Step 11: Let your laptop dry for at least 24 hours before assembling
Let your laptops dry for at least 24 hours before reassembling them. Make sure your laptop area is dry, cool and not humid. You can use desiccant bags to remove the amount of moisture in the laptop.
Never use a hot dryer to dry your laptop. Because the amount of heat the dryer emits can damage and injure the laptop’s internal components.
Step 12: Assemble the parts and start the machine.
Proceed to assemble the machine parts, then start the machine. If you find that your laptop falls into the following cases: distortion of the sound, the display is noisy, or your laptop won’t start. At this time, bring your computer to the repair centre to fix the error in time.
Step 13: Remove residues if necessary
Greasy liquids are often residual. To remove them altogether, gently wipe the residue with a damp cloth. Then wipe clean with a lint-free dry cloth.
Drying laptop parts
Inspect each part and use a towel to remove the liquid. You should be careful, don’t let anything damage the circuit board. Once a part is dry, use canned air to remove any remaining dust or fibres from the towel.
Then, leave these components in a warm and dry place, do not overheat, as high heat can damage these components just as much as water.
It is ideal for placing in a room with the heater on low. Or you can try drying gently with a hair dryer on a low setting, holding each part firmly in your hand and at least two feet away from the blower.
Leave the computer components outside for at least a couple of hours to let the moisture out. You may expedite this process in a few different ways using silica gel moisture-proof packets.
(small paper bags marked “DO NOT EAT” in electronics and luggage), which you can carefully spread over.
This part is for dehumidification. Suppose you don’t have a silica gel desiccant pack. In that case, you can make your dehumidifier by letting the rice dry in a mesh bag, thin pillowcase, or any other material that’s breathable enough to let air through (but won’t let the rice in).
. After a few hours, check all parts for moisture. If it persists, repeat the steps above.
Assemble the parts into the computer
Now you will do step three in the opposite direction. Again, it’s a good idea to work in a non-conductive location, using the service manual, photos, or notes you made during disassembly.
You miss some steps if you see any screws or computer components left behind when the laptop is installed. Take it apart and start over.
Power On and hope
Once the installation is complete, insert the battery, plug it into an electrical outlet and press the power button.
As mentioned above, your computer may have died when it got wet, but if the computer turns on, you have “saved” it; make a backup of your computer data just in case. Similar cases happen, and you may not be as lucky this time.
Tips to protect the laptop from water damage
Your laptop can hold many important data, so it is very worrying for the computer to get wet. So how to protect the laptop from water? The following tips can help you avoid this situation.
- Keep your laptop away from liquids.
- Invest in accessories such as silicone or clear plastic keyboard covers and waterproof laptop cases for the top and bottom half of the waterproof laptop screen protector.
- Place your computer inside a waterproof case to prevent it from raining or accidentally spilling water.
- The cost of repairing a laptop with water in it is relatively high. Therefore, the most important thing to protect your computer from water is to be careful.
Is It Possible to Repair a Water Damaged Computer That Won’t Turn On?
Is the laptop water damage repairable? It is among the most frequent queries we receive. It depends on the response to this query.
Sure, spills might be simpler to clean up than others, and specific computer models can withstand minor water damage better than others.
Even if it is hard to revive your computer, we can usually always recover the data from wet laptops. This guarantees that none of your priceless files will be lost. However, you will need to transfer them to a new computer. For spill avoidance in the future, get a waterproof keyboard.
When Must You Contact a Computer Repair Professional?
You’ve completed the above procedures, waited a day or more, and put everything back together. But how can you determine when to consult a professional?
There are several circumstances where seeking expert assistance is the best action.
If your gadget, like a Mac, prevents you from opening it to allow for air drying, you might want to have a professional disassemble it before turning it back on. Additionally, a professional can assist you if you’ve followed the preceding instructions and still can’t get your computer to turn on.
Additionally, suppose all you want to do is ensure that your water-damaged laptop is in the most caring hands possible. In that case, it’s impossible to argue against the benefits of working with a knowledgeable professional!
If, when disassembling your computer, you discover any indications of rust, you ought to consult a professional.
Naturally, this brings up one more important factor: rust itself. It’s a good idea to let a professional take a look since rust can begin at any moment after your computer comes into contact with moisture. The last thing you want to do is turn your gadget back on and continue using it as usual without recognizing that you’re enabling concealed water to worsen the short-circuiting damage.
Waterproof for laptops from the beginning
Many products can help you protect your laptop from liquids, the most popular of which are silicone keyboard covers.
You can also purchase skins for the top and bottom of the body and a screen protector. Buy waterproof laptop bags.
Note that you should avoid blocking the heatsink vents: use scissors to cut holes to open the heatsink slot for the computer.
What Takes Place If Water Is Spilled on a Computer?
All water damage has to do with rusting. The copper wiring connections on your gadget may corrode if you spill something.
The problematic aspect is that rust doesn’t follow a strict schedule. You could see that your computer immediately shorts out after spilling water.
As an alternative, you could see many mistakes that happen over time. Before abruptly and for no apparent reason short-circuiting, the computer may function normally for a day or more.
This is why, whether or not you have seen any evident symptoms of corrosion, it is crucial to take action immediately to prevent water damage. Therefore, taking quick action is necessary to protect your laptop or tower.
However, if you have a computer tower, you could be in luck because splashing water on a keyboard would likely damage the keyboard; you should still take the computer tower apart.
Additionally, the plastic console’s spillage on the top of the building won’t frequently damage your expensive devices. As a result, getting moisture within the tower is challenging but not impossible.
Final thought
We need to note that do not let the water fall on the keyboard, even a drop, because the keyboard is usually made of nylon layers pressed together.
In which conductive circuits, just a drop of water penetrating the laptop, will cause these nylon layers to expand, causing an open course, very easy to short-circuit, and paralysis.
In the worst case, when water is spilled, the battery should be removed immediately and brought to a reputable laptop repair centre to dry and clean the device.
It is not recommended to dry yourself at home with a personal dryer because self-drying cannot completely dry the components inside, gradually oxidizing components and causing damage to the machine.
Above I have shared with you my experiences in handling when a laptop is wet with water and my knowledge about laptops. I’m sure they will be of help to you.
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