1. Get it out of the water!
First things first. Get the phone out of the water right away – if the phone is plugged in already, unplug it (very carefully). Don’t be tempted to turn it on as this can cause short circuits and potentially ruin the phone even further.
2. Remove the Battery Immediately
Removing the battery immediately will ensure that there is no power source for the mobile phone and can hopefully prevent damage to circuitry. Not only will removing the battery reduce the chances of your phone’s circuits experiencing an early demise, it also allows the insides of the phone to air dry and hopefully get any hidden water out from any little nooks and crannies.
3. Let the Components Air Dry
Open up your phone as much as possible (without chances of voiding the warranty) as this will help your phone to air dry. Most modern phones will only have the battery to remove, but if by chance yours has other pieces that be removed (such as SIM or SD cards), remove them and lay them out.
4. Use Rice to Absorb the Moisture
Some swear by placing a water logged cell phone in a sealed bag with dry rice where the moisture will be drawn out from the phone and absorbed by the surrounding rice. It’s not a speedy fix: you may need to leave the phone in the rice overnight to give it enough time to absorb moisture. You may also want to try using silica gel (you’ll usually find them in the pockets of new clothes), however it’s highly unlikely you’ll have enough for such an event.
5. Be Patient
When something is wet, it seems logical that heat would dry it however, that rule doesn’t apply to electronics so keep the hair dryer away from your mobile! The oven or dryer are not good options either, just in case you were thinking of those alternatives. Heat damages electronics – end of story!
6. Put it Back Together & Give it a Try
If you’ve tried any or all of the above tips for drying out your water damaged phone, put the components back together and give it a try. Remember to out the phone’s functions through a range of tests: just because it’s turned on, doesn’t mean it’s fully operational.
7. Find Replacement Parts
If only parts of the phone have suffered water damage your phone provider might be able to identify and sell the parts required to get the mobile work again – if not we are always happy to help out!
8. Bring it in to us
If you’ve tried everything else and your phone still just won’t work, bring it in to us and we’ll see what we can do! Laptop or/and phones sent for repair within 24-48 hours have the highest success rate of being repaired for major water/liquid damage. Call us call us on 09 4448823, send us an email at enquiries@advancedcomputers.co.nz or bring your phone in to one of our branches.
Our premium services
- Urgent service for water damaged items, 1 hour express and after hour onsite service are available
- Help on insurance claims if you have house contents insurance cover, prepare inspection report
- Data recovery of the water damaged item, Advanced Computers is an authorised Seagate data recovery centre