[bdjohnson]

OK, I bought my first bb on Thursday and I love this thing. I pulled it out this morning to answer a call while there was a slight drizzle. The phone got a little wet but nothing I that would have alarmed me. It didn't get dunked in the sink or anything.

Anyway, worked just fine for a few hours after that then the keyboard locked up. I have tried pulling the battery. It reboots the screen looks fine but none of my keys work. I know the phone works -I just tried to reboot it and could hear my text message chime go off and the led flashed.

The water damage sticker on the battery is fine. I know there are other water damage stickers but I don't know where. But looking at the back of my phone with out the battery in I don't see any red anywhere.

Is this just a bad phone. I want to know if I should be prepared to hear "water damage" from Verizon if I take it back tomorrow. I can't get any rice today -just learned that trick. I will let it sit with the battery out over night by a fan and see what happens.

Any advice?? And can some one tell me the location of water damage indicators that are not on the battery. I read they are by the sim card -but I don't know where that is....

[Motorcycle Mama]

Blackberries (especially the keyboards) are very sensitive to even a little moisture. Try drying it out with the rice and see what happens. Be sure you don't turn it on at all while you are drying it out.

If there's corrosion under the keyboard from moisture, the techs (but not necessarily the store staff) will be able to tell that there has been moisture exposure.

[thepaintedpony]

As Motocycle... suggests, I would let the phone dry out. Often, if you give it a chance, it will dry out with no problems.

It sounds like you got very little moisture into it - so you have a good chance of it just drying out and being fine!

[bdjohnson]

I have let it sit for most of the day. It encountered such little moisture that I thought it would be good now. Can't get rice until tomorrow. I will let it sit over night by a fan I guess.

[Roxy6921]

most blackberry's have the sensors in the keyboard and on the motherboard I like to take phones apart

[joe003]

Welcome to CB!

Enjoy your addiction

[xxJERZEExx]

by the way if your phone is from verizon you dont have an actual sim card to pull out, theres a built in thingamajig :-)

[hlmmurphy]

I'm going through the same thing right now! = ( Except for mine took a ride in the washing machine.

The rice thing seems to be working (and by working I mean the tons of water that was in the screen is now little condensation droplets) I dont actually know if the phone works.

Someone else suggested to me dehumidfying crystals from the hardware store too. Apprently they are even better.

Also, just thought id mention Ive been on my phone lots of time in the rain/drizzle and havent had an issue. So it's possible that you just have a bad phone!

Either way best of luck with it! Ill cross my fingers for you!!

[bdjohnson]

Well, it sat in front of a fan all night with the batter out and no change. I forgot to mention that the trackball works. Anyway I will put it in some rice today as soon as the store opens and go from there. But I am thinking of taking it back today -this was not a soaking. A little bit of rain thats all. I can't believe there is still any moisture in there after almost a 24 hours.

[Pete6]

This is not water damage. This is a faulty phone. Take it back to the store - do not tell them about any water and, smile. You should get a new phone.

There are two water sensors on a Curve (that I know of). One is on the battery and the other is in the hole beside the battery. Normally this is a whiyte square. It goes red on contact with liquid. If this is while then Verizon will exchange the phone without comment about water damage.

I am confised about Motorcycle Mama's comment about the Curve beong sensitive to water on the keyboard. Why? The keyboard (the part you touch that has the legends on it) is a single piece of plastic - it is waterproof. Under this is the motherboard and this is water sensitive but not in the quantities you describe which is why I said at the top of my post that this is not a water problem.

Whilst I know that the rice cure is widely used I do not like it because if the amount of rice dust that gets into the electronics and combines with the water to form a hard residue. There is also the same dust that gets into the electronics. I prefer a gentle heat such as that from a radiator or a lamp bulb to dry out damp electronics.

[Motorcycle Mama]

Many, many people have reported keyboard issues such as this after exposing the phone to high humidity situations such as a steamy bathroom, in a pants pocket while sweating heavily, talking on the phone with wet hair, using the phone in a humid, tropical setting, exposing the phone to use in the rain, etc. None of the reports indicated immersion of any kind. Seems to indicate that the keyboard is extremely sensitive to even a small amount of moisture. Most of the time, the situation cleared up once the phone was dried out.

[bdjohnson]

Thanks for all the help first of all. The phone went in a bag of rice about 5 minutes ago. How long should I wait? I will be able to hit a verizon store in maybe 4 hours. Tempted to just take it back if the phone is not working by then.

[ScandaLeX]

Thanks for all the help first of all. The phone went in a bag of rice about 5 minutes ago. How long should I wait? I will be able to hit a verizon store in maybe 4 hours. Tempted to just take it back if the phone is not working by then.

Instead of doing that, just take it back & get an exchange. Take a lesson & not use the next one when its drizzling outside. Personally, I dont talk on my phone in the rain- nothings that important that cant wait.

[benzworm]

i agree, get an exchange

[ScandaLeX]

Pete, I'm sure you know that the best advice will be ignored. That damn rice has become the holy grail of water damage fixes and as soon as someone suggest it, thats all that seems to matter.

I'm with you on the dust thats accumulated from the rice itself. So you fix one problem with it just to create another. Dust is right up there with sand- both being a phones worst enemy.

This is not water damage. This is a faulty phone. Take it back to the store - do not tell them about any water and, smile. You should get a new phone.

There are two water sensors on a Curve (that I know of). One is on the battery and the other is in the hole beside the battery. Normally this is a whiyte square. It goes red on contact with liquid. If this is while then Verizon will exchange the phone without comment about water damage.

I am confised about Motorcycle Mama's comment about the Curve beong sensitive to water on the keyboard. Why? The keyboard (the part you touch that has the legends on it) is a single piece of plastic - it is waterproof. Under this is the motherboard and this is water sensitive but not in the quantities you describe which is why I said at the top of my post that this is not a water problem.

Whilst I know that the rice cure is widely used I do not like it because if the amount of rice dust that gets into the electronics and combines with the water to form a hard residue. There is also the same dust that gets into the electronics. I prefer a gentle heat such as that from a radiator or a lamp bulb to dry out damp electronics.

[ScandaLeX]

Many, many people have reported keyboard issues such as this after exposing the phone to high humidity situations such as a steamy bathroom, in a pants pocket while sweating heavily, talking on the phone with wet hair, using the phone in a humid, tropical setting, exposing the phone to use in the rain, etc. None of the reports indicated immersion of any kind. Seems to indicate that the keyboard is extremely sensitive to even a small amount of moisture. Most of the time, the situation cleared up once the phone was dried out.

I dont believe its the keyboard thats sensitive but whats underneath it.

[Pete6]

Many, many people have reported keyboard issues such as this after exposing the phone to high humidity situations such as a steamy bathroom, in a pants pocket while sweating heavily, talking on the phone with wet hair, using the phone in a humid, tropical setting, exposing the phone to use in the rain, etc. None of the reports indicated immersion of any kind. Seems to indicate that the keyboard is extremely sensitive to even a small amount of moisture. Most of the time, the situation cleared up once the phone was dried out.

I'm sure that you ar right but look at this pic
The keyboard is a single piece of plastic. Using the phone as described by the OP would, imo, be unlikely to penetrate this barrier. Your point about steam or water vapor is well taken though. The size of the droplets here would mean that they could ingress whilst airborne or worse, condense within (far more likely) and cause damage that way.

You are right, it definitely seems that Blackberrys are highly sensitive to liquid damage. I have dismantled several and I cannot see why this should be. I can see why mics and speakers and various RF parts will be water sensitive but how can a device that is encased in plastic stop working when you use it with wet hair? I am at a loss to explain this. Mind you, I am bald as a coot so what do I know.... I am not arguing with you at all. This particular phenomenon defies my many decades of working with some highly sensitive electronics (down to component level). It is a puzzle indeed.

[GearheadGeek]

I have successfully used a rather involved method for rescuing a soaked phone. (not a crackberry, a Samsung Sprint phone a few years ago.) My partner washed his phone, all the way through rinse and spin. The phone was about a month old, and he didn't have the "insurance plan" from Sprint so it was in our best interest to try to resurrect it.

I dismantled it as much as possible without risking cracking the case and got out as much water as I could manage with canned compressed air. My clothes dryer has a rack you can put in for drying shoes and such, it suspends the items in the middle of the drum so that only the warmed air moves around them, they don't go bouncing around the perimeter of the drum. I set the dryer on the low (delicate) heat setting and ran it for a long while, then let the phone sit overnight.

There was a slight effect of water on the LCD display that went away over a few days, but other than that the bloody phone worked like a champ for 3 years. I have NEVER had a phone last as long trouble-free as that washed Samsung did... perhaps he washed off their magic planned-obsolescence coating?

[Pete6]

The above conforms to my training and experinnce of wet electronics. Of course it helps if the thing is switched off or has a flat battery but even so, you should be able to (mostly) recover the device via a careful dryout process.

The BlackBerry seems not to conform to this way of thinking or treatment. If you get 'em wet at all they just seem to curl up and die.

Your comment about the display is also consistent with what I know about the manufacturing process of these components and they are not too watertight around the edges. This can allow a water stain to permanetnly mark any part of the screen after immersion.

[GearheadGeek]

Also, a bit of advice for people who just HAVE to answer the phone in the rain... isn't this one of the things for which a bluetooth headset is perfect? There's no need to expose your crackberry to the elements, just push the button on your headset and talk.

(I realize this offers nothing to text-message/email addicts who can't wait until they're under cover to read an incoming message, but you can't please everyone.)

[Blkbear]

Pete, I'm sure you know that the best advice will be ignored. That damn rice has become the holy grail of water damage fixes and as soon as someone suggest it, thats all that seems to matter.

Yup I suppose rice should only be used for a dunking in water. And then mainly for trying to save info that's on the phone, if the phone is saved, that's a plus. Of course most people don't buy the tools need to take the phone apart so they can dry it out properly, nor are most people willing to wait the needed time for it to actually get dry, their only thinking about the "cost" of replacing the phone, but of course don't want to pay upfront cost for insurance, cases, lanyards to cover/prevent the possible loss. "What ruin the look of my phone with a case?" as it high dives into the nearest puddle.

I'm with you on the dust thats accumulated from the rice itself. So you fix one problem with it just to create another. Dust is right up there with sand- both being a phones worst enemy.

I suppose that can be a problem, but for the electronic items I have saved with rice and desiccant/dehumidifying crystals, dust inside the devices really wasn't an issue. But I'm sure it was there, but for me, drying a phone is mainly for saving the data.

I will agree on the sand, having taken more than a few cameras and other electronics to sandy places, and sand has a way of getting into everything, not matter how careful you are. Dust and lint, seem to be a real problem for pocket/bag pets (phones).

Hummm I suppose the important things people should ask themselves is this.
"Is the look of my phone, more important than making sure it can't be damaged from more than normal wear and tear"

"What am I going to do, if this phone takes a bath?"
"How do I get it replaced?"
"Will my renters or homeowners cover it?"
"Will the carrier's offered insurance cover, theft, loss and liquid damage, if not is there coverage that will cover liquid damage?"
"What tools do I need if I ever need to take my phone apart?"

[Blkbear]

The above conforms to my training and experinnce of wet electronics. Of course it helps if the thing is switched off or has a flat battery but even so, you should be able to (mostly) recover the device via a careful dryout process.

Yup best way to do it, but the avg Joe does not want to do that or pay a PDA/Laptop center to do it for him either. Hey Pete, you hang out your sign "Cell Phone CPR, you soak'em we dry'em" and you'll be rich by the end of the rainy season!

The BlackBerry seems not to conform to this way of thinking or treatment. If you get 'em wet at all they just seem to curl up and die.

Which may be why most cell carrier's offered insurance plans do not cover liquid damage. And if I remember, didn't read a lot about older cell phones being so sensitive to getting wet, let alone damp. But the older Nokias I had pre-sim cards, had seals between the case halves or around the LCD lens. And there was no reason to take most of them apart, seeing as how the cases only came in black.