How to Deal with a BlackBerry thats Gotten Wet--THE RIGHT WAY

[McCracken]

DISCLAIMER: YOUR PHONE MIGHT ALREADY BE GORKED. THIS IS JUST AN ATTEMPT TO GIVE YOU THE BEST ADVICE POSSIBLE TO FIX YOUR PHONE. IF THIS DOES NOT FIX YOUR PHONE, IT ISN'T MY FAULT. YOU'RE THE ONE WHO PIDDLED ON IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. NO, I DON'T NEED YOUR STORY ABOUT HOW RICE SAVED YOUR LIFE. I DON'T CARE THAT SOME COINCIDENCE HELPED. THIS IS THE PROPER PROCEDURE. LIVE WITH IT.

Many of us have experienced the dreaded moment where our BlackBerry has met H2O up close and personal. Many of us have managed to salvage our devices too, sometimes with luck, sometimes with skill, sometimes purely on accident.

There are many ideas out there on what to do: rice, water, alcohol, desiccant, etc. But the trouble is we don't know why those reasons have worked for people, or if they have at all.

Many here and all over the internet swear by using rice to draw out the moisture. While people have claimed to have great success with this method, there is no proof it is actually saving their device. How do we know that the phone didn't just dry out on its own, given the proper time? The prinicipal behind rice is that it "draws" out the moisture. While yes, rice does absorb a great deal of moisture, its drawing power is very limited. There are no rice gnomes that sneak out of the rice and bring the moisture back for the rice gods.

This leads us to Silica Desiccant. These are the little packets found in your shoe boxes, pill bottles, and many other packing materials. Obviously that tiny pack isn't going to help, but you can get desiccant pouches at gun shops and craft stores sell loose desiccant used to dry flowers(it may just be labeled for such, not as desiccant). Silica desiccants do draw out moisture with great success. Far superior to rice, and best of all can be recharged in the oven on low-slow heat. Trouble is they only adsorb the water--not the crap the water brought with it.

Often I have found that many people recommend rinsing with distilled water. The idea being that you are rinsing the impurities. While this is a good "idea", you could just force more water into places we don't want it! I think we forget that even though the phone was submerged water may not have made its way all the way into the phone and main board. You have then made a situation that would have dried out all on its own far worse.

So... It takes a little thought on how to do this best. Despite all of the "this is what worked for me" stories, not ALL situations are the same. This might take a little critical thinking, and if you aren't capable, just go ahead and call up Assurion and file your insurance claim. (PS, there is no guarantee you CAN salvage your phone, but these steps are your best bet).

Step ONE:
Expose your phone to water/liquid. Could be pee, could be a bottle of beer, could be both.


Step TWO:
Immediately remove battery. Do not pass go. Do not collect two hundred dollars. Do yourself a favor, take the battery, put it in a drawer and forget about it for a few days. The battery door can go with it, too.

Step THREE:
Using a soft towel pat the phone face down onto it. The keyboard is the major source for water entry into the phone. Allow gravity to work. Don't try to turn it on now. Whatever you do, do NOT TRY TO TURN IT ON!

Step FOUR:
Go to the drug store and buy 100% rubbing alcohol(likely 91% might be the best you can find). Go to a well ventilated area with no spark risk. Away from your computer and tv too. Fill a bowl with enough alcohol(do not use liquor. do not use anything with coloring. THink about this... 80 proof liquor is only 40% alc, and has loads of other "stuff" in it. The very stuff we are trying to remove.) Take your phone, place gently in bowl, and lightly swish. Very gently . Remove from the bowl and repeat step THREE. Here it is in case your up arrow is broken:

Step THREE:
Using a soft towel pat the phone face down onto it. The keyboard is the major source for water entry into the phone. Allow gravity to work. Don't try to turn it on now. Whatever you do, do NOT TRY TO TURN IT ON!

Step FIVE:
This is the tough one. Wait. Wait until you think it is dry, then wait 2 more days. The alcohol that you rinsed your phone with displaced the water, now it must evaporate. There are risks to long term alcohol exposure for your phone--it can break seals(just like in people...) and break glue bonds. I've done this to 5 phones(not all mine, but for family/friends) and never experienced any alcohol related failures(the same can't be said for their owners). I recommend waiting at least 4 days. 5 is better. I know, you can't live without your phone for that long... but this is an attempt to save you some cash. Live with it.

Step FIVE 1/2:
Drying location. Some swear by rice. I wouldn't put my phone it it. Short of a vacuum rice isn't going to draw from the phone any more than it would the air. I find the best location is NEXT to an air conditioning vent or dehumidifier. Not on top of, not directly in line. We don't want any forced air action, but the passive effects are great. If you must, you can use desiccant pouches. If you use loose, put it in a sock, and the phone in a sock, then put in the same close ziplock with the air sucked out. I would still allow the phone 24 hours to dry open air before giving it the desiccant treatment.


Step SIX!!!!

Put battery in. Watch closely to see if anything is different that before. Flashing, smoking, flames, and booms are all bad things. Normal is good. If it turns on completely, check EVERY button so you don't have a surprise. If there is moisture under the screen, use DESICCANT from the gun shop/sporting goods store/craft store to draw it out. Follow instructions in Step Five using a ziplock bag--make sure to suck air out(or even better, a vaccuum packing machine). Test out your salvaged phone. If it works, rejoice!
Alcohol is particularly helpful when the liquid was NOT water. It removes the sticky icky from your phone. That sticky icky really kills your keyboard. There is no guarantee you will save your phone this way, but this is the way I have saved 5 so far. This is also what we used in electronics assembly to clean delicate electronics for THESE signs. Some phones are beyond saving. This is a risk you take when you decide to attempt to save your piddle paddle phone. Live with it.


Good luck. There are a million stories on the web about how to do this, but I promise you I have researched and have the electronics experience to do this the right way.

Good Luck!


Other Important TIPS:

1Backup your data/3rd party apps, and do it OFTEN.
http://forums.crackberry.com/f3/upda...updated-53201/
2 Keep your phone in a case such as the Seido Innocase or better yet and Otterbox to protect it from drops and such.
3 BACK UP YOUR DATA/3RD PARTY APPS. OFTEN.

[JustinD2473]

good write up.....and yes 4-5 days would KILL me without my BB, lol. I'd have to use an LG Chocolate as a back up .. OUCH!

[Zach7]

This is a great piece of information. I have seen many tricks and tips, but this is very complete. Thank you!

[Black Ice]

I would not use rice but instead wood dried pulp along and maybe with your alcohol idea.
There is another chemical known as tuner cleaner it used to be used for TV tuners the old kind ya turn that would probably work better it evaporates very very rapid.

[Fandysilalahi]

Thank you for the write up, it's very informative

[McCracken]

Originally Posted by Black Ice

I would not use rice but instead wood dried pulp along and maybe with your alcohol idea.
There is another chemical known as tuner cleaner it used to be used for TV tuners the old kind ya turn that would probably work better it evaporates very very rapid.

TV tuner that I know of is a spray. It won't work to displace like submerging would. It is well designed for the purpose of cleaning parts, so it is worth a shot. The only place I have seen it lately is Walmart. I would use silica desiccant, not wood pulp...

[Radius]

Personally I'll take the housing off and just use alcohol and a brush, but I have the facilities and tools for this. If you take the housing off and use the alcohol you can have it powered back on a couple minutes after cleaning it. But letting it sit as you suggest works too.

Depending on the circumstances though it may be best to take it apart. Fully submerged is one of those times for sure. And I think it's worth pointing out that if the moisture is salt water, it will almost certainly require being taken apart and thoroughly cleaned.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Card Storm]

But I like leaking on my BB. Especially .230. Good right up though.

[barbwyr]

Good write up. I think something else to point out is while spilling water on or dropping your phone in a puddle can result in damage, it's much less likely provided you pull the battery ASAP. There was a video posted of a Blackberry being placed in water and actually being operated periodically over a 2 minute period. So a quick dip is very saveable.
However, if you leave your BB in your pocket or bathing suit top and go swimming for half an hour as my sister did..lol...don't expect any advise to work. Just be pleasantly surprised if it does.

[gmkahuna]

So more water to wash the other water out is a bad thing I guess lol.

Good write up. I haven't been faced with this but if I am I was already on the dessicant and alcohol bandwagon.

[JoeyMoose]

My Wife's BB fell into a stream, took about 2 minutes to get it out. Pulled the battery, left it on my nightstand for 2 days and everything worked perfect after that.

And yes the BB was fully submerged.

Rice is corrosive to electronics so don't use it.

[McCracken]

Originally Posted by JoeyMoose

My Wife's BB fell into a stream, took about 2 minutes to get it out. Pulled the battery, left it on my nightstand for 2 days and everything worked perfect after that.

And yes the BB was fully submerged.

Rice is corrosive to electronics so don't use it.

Glad you had good luck. The trouble is when all we do is let it dry out, we are going purely on luck. Then again, if you save your phone from the drink, luck must be on your side.

[Hankster]

Detailed write up. Or, someone could do this:

1. Remove battery and all removable parts.
2. Dry off any excess wet areas with paper towel.
3. Place on dry surface at room temperature for 4-5 days.
4. Put back together and start BB.
5. Try alcohol as a last resort, most times you won't need it.

Simple. To the point Also, agree that rice is a bad idea. Room temperature is fine.

[McCracken]

Originally Posted by Hankster

Detailed write up. Or, someone could do this:

1. Remove battery and all removable parts.
2. Dry off any excess wet areas with paper towel.
3. Place on dry surface at room temperature for 4-5 days.
4. Put back together and start BB.
5. Try alcohol as a last resort, most times you won't need it.

Simple. To the point Also, agree that rice is a bad idea. Room temperature is fine.

While I agree, the trouble is people will always say "this (insert stupid thing worked) for me, it has to be right". This Gives a little information on each step and why some methods aren't preferred.

[barbwyr]

Originally Posted by Hankster

Detailed write up. Or, someone could do this:

1. Remove battery and all removable parts.
2. Dry off any excess wet areas with paper towel.
3. Place on dry surface at room temperature for 4-5 days.
4. Put back together and start BB.
5. Try alcohol as a last resort, most times you won't need it.

Simple. To the point Also, agree that rice is a bad idea. Room temperature is fine.

The problem with this simple method is that the percentage of phones dropped in a mountain spring is rare. Most water damage comes from toilets, pools, muddy rain puddles, drinks and the dreaded salt water. In these cases simply drying the device will leave behind residue that will adversly affect the companants of your device. Tap water alone contains enough minerals that when left behind can create a conductive bridge allowing for a short circuit. Salt water will carrode parts, and drinks can just gum the heck out of your buttons. And then there are the things in the toilet that we won't discuss. So, I think this write up is a great tutorial for water damaged phones.