Database Users

permanent water damage?

This question was just asked to me by avery close friend.
Has anyone dealt with the phone recovering from being completely submmerged under water?
Below is the procedure followed on my friends phone after it fell in the toilet. ( I don't know how he managed that)
He took out the battery and left the phone open and face down, to let it air dry. Thiis happened around 9:15 pm est (02/24/09)
I told him to give the phone a few days to dry, I will post to see what happens.
Any suggestions from the community?
Thanks in advanced.

Tell him to put it in rice.

first things first, is the little sticker in the battery compartment still white? if not then keep reading, if it is then call t-mo when the phone stops working and get warranty exchange.
if the sticker is no longer white then it is out of warranty and the fun stuff begins, go here to see how others have fixed it

I washed my G1 on accident. Finicky on starting up, but I took the battery out immediately, took the blowdryer and did that for about half an hour (on cold), and then let it sit out for a few days. It sometimes will just display a blue LED and do nothing else. I've noticed holding the trackball and pressing the power button multiple times it started up more often, not sure why. Touchscreen kinda doesn't work and the home key goes bananas once in awhile.

Thanks
Ok so it is now in rice after I blow dried it from about a foot away on cold for about 10 minutes. My friend said he will pay me $50 to get it working again.
he doesnt have the time to do it and just took is sim card out and put it in a different phone...
i guess i will leave it in the rice for a couple of days. I hope the rice doesnt puff up and get stuck in the swivel compartment... LOL
Anyways- - off topic and all but I am also making a theme for the competition. Maybe I will test it on his phone (cant get any worse in case there is a problem)
Thanks all for the help.

cheap way to fix it
buy a new battery
switch them
tell Tmo that your phone doesnt work anymore
and there you go

roguestatuskat said:
cheap way to fix it
buy a new battery
switch them
tell Tmo that your phone doesnt work anymore
and there you go
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and how is that gonna fix the fact that the water damage indicator is no longer white???

you will have a completely new battery that already has untouched battery indicator

Dry
Put it in front of blow dry cold for an hour. I had two iphones one fell in bathtub and other in the toilet. I even washed the one hat fell in toilet 3-4 times. To my surprise the indicator of the headphone didn't change colour. Blow dry does a good job. Remove everything from sim to cattery and SD card

roguestatuskat said:
you will have a completely new battery that already has untouched battery indicator
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you are an idiot the sticker is on the phone NOT on the battery, take your battery out right now and look on the side wall of the battery compartment in the lower right hand corner, that is the battery indicatot. maybe you should read before you look dumb. i tried to be nice with my other post in hinting that you were wrong but you didn't get that hint

wet g1?

okay, I put my phone in my coat pocket when it (the coat)was slightly damp for at least 2 hours and later, I found that my phone kept showing the option to power off and my keys werent responding...the keys didnt seem to be stuck...I then wiped then reflashed, which in itself took a good while since my keys werent responding fast enough...but even the reflash didnt work...so did I ruin my phone because of the damp coat? And if so, anybody know how I can fix it? I'm thinking about blow drying my phone...good idea or not?

Don't try to turn the phone on anymore. Remove the battery, battery cover, memory card and SIM card. Place your phone in a bowl of rice to absorb moisture. Sometimes there's just a bit of water left in the system. Let it dry off, phones come back to life most of the time.

SolemnWishing said:
Don't try to turn the phone on anymore. Remove the battery, battery cover, memory card and SIM card. Place your phone in a bowl of rice to absorb moisture. Sometimes there's just a bit of water left in the system. Let it dry off, phones come back to life most of the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im going to try this, but just in case anybody else has any ideas, here's a few more details on my phone...it'll turn on, touch screen works, but it's when i use the hard keyboard and press the keys that the option to turn off shows up on the screen...and the phone's green and end keys are flashing on and off like the phone is turning itself on and off, on and off...never seen anything like this on the forums...weird...

naars90 said:
Im going to try this, but just in case anybody else has any ideas, here's a few more details on my phone...it'll turn on, touch screen works, but it's when i use the hard keyboard and press the keys that the option to turn off shows up on the screen...and the phone's green and end keys are flashing on and off like the phone is turning itself on and off, on and off...never seen anything like this on the forums...weird...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh and thanks for the quick response...

No problem. The lights on the buttons going on and off is the water interfering with the circuitry. I highly recommend you leave your phone off, or you run the risk of shorting it out.

If water is making it run wrong, it **IS** shorting out.

my G1 was completely submerged in a lake for 5 minutes while powered on. as soon as it came out of the water i powered off, and blew it dry with an air compressor. left battery out for 24 hours and, worked 95% ever since. only had some random touch screen sensitivity loss.

if you are ok with taking the phone apart and the rice solution doesn't fix it then send me a PM and i'll let you know how to make absolutely sure nothing MORE goes wrong. right now though you probably messed up the phone cause you turned it on and off repeatedly

ok...did the rice solution...didnt work, so does anybody know any good, reliable cellphone repair shops in chicago that does the g1? Googled , found a place called CPR(cellphone repair) but the yelp reviews werent really convincing...so I thought I'd ask the people on here... you guys seem very reliable and I thought I'd rather ask you guys' opinions than go to a repair shop with poor to average reviews...pretty please?

oh, tubaking...ty for the reply...but I looked up the service manual and taking apart the g1 seems to take a lot more skill and experience working with electronics than I have, so that solution's out....thanks a lot anyways....peace, bro

there is no fix for permanant water damage, any shop is just gonna do the same thing i said unless they have access to the main board and all proper pieces to the phone. usually at times like this i go on ebay and buy a real cheap G1 with a broken screen or some other defect that the seller wants to get rid of the phone quickly and cheaply

I left my phone in the rain for a couple of hours and had the same issue. I know this is not the best solution (due to heat) but it fixed mine completely. I removed sdcard, battery, and bback. Then placed it on an egg carton and put in my toaster oven at 150 degrees for an hour or so. Didn't touch it for another day then powered it on. Power button glitched the first time I pressed it but has worked great ever since (been about 3 months)

dumfuq said:
I left my phone in the rain for a couple of hours and had the same issue. I know this is not the best solution (due to heat) but it fixed mine completely. I removed sdcard, battery, and bback. Then placed it on an egg carton and put in my toaster oven at 150 degrees for an hour or so. Didn't touch it for another day then powered it on. Power button glitched the first time I pressed it but has worked great ever since (been about 3 months)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is awesome.

G1 at bottom of lake revived!
I think we should have a sticky to this Thread! Or maybe a a wet willie.
This weekend I dropped my G1 to the bottom of Lake Conroe and was able to fish it out within 5 minutes. Fortunately I was docked in about 6 feet of water. I totally took everything apart and when I got home placed the phone and parts in the direct sun wrapped in a white cloth. I suppose this is equivalent to the egg carton and toaster oven method.
That night, I put the pieces in a box of rice and put it back together in the morning and voila it worked!! For a few hours I had issues with the backlight coming in and out but after about 8 hours of use it works perfectly. I didn't even have to wipe or flash anything - everything like new.
Whew!!!

well, if people stopped playing with there phones and fingering it, it wouldn't get so wet, maybe you should try a personal lube if you can't keep your hands off

gridlock32404 said:
well, if people stopped playing with there phones and fingering it, it wouldn't get so wet, maybe you should try a personal lube if you can't keep your hands off
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Damn it you beat me to it. I saw the title and said damn this is to easy, wet g1. haahaha.

I dropped my phone in boiled hot dog water and here's what worked for me. I took my phone completely apart and wrapped it up in tin foil. I then put it in the microwave on med-hi for 1:32. Once that is done you take it out and put the phone (disassembled of course) in a bag of bbq potatoe chips (yes it has to be bbq or it won't work) over night. In the mean time you need to feed your dog a snickers bar (this is a must). The next day you need to take magic fairy dust (found a good deal on ebay) and sprinkle it over your g1. Then put your phone back together and slap your momma. Push the power button and bam a perfectly working g1 again. I can write a detailed "how to for dummies" on this if it will get stickied.

supreme, you forgot they need to eat the bbq chips while powering the phone on.

crpercodani said:
supreme, you forgot they need to eat the bbq chips while powering the phone on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yea, I also forgot to mention with a tall glass of chocolate milk.

I'd bump your guide, if I would have had this then I wouldn't have spank the neighbor's wife's ass instead of my momma's, no wonder I still have a wet g1. Wait. What are we talking about, something about crickets and penut butter, I'm confuddle. Oh well back to spanking his wife's ass, mmmm cottage cheese thighs

Wife's Focus - Dropped in water...

My wife dropped her phone.....in the toilet.
I tried turning it on today, and it sits at a screen that has a picture of the phone pointing at a laptop. I tried running the Windows Phone Support Tool, and I get this:
Update device 055ec22b - 332fe4fd - a812e651 - 640069c7 Complete with error code: 801812C0, error message: The update failed because your phone started improperly (in the main OS instead of the SLDR, or system loader).
Is there any way to get the phone reloaded with the default OS, or is her phone toast?

The best way to fix it....... Drop it again in the toilet and buy new phone
Sent from my Xperia Arc using XDA App

maybe try a factory reset by using volume up+camera+ power button to boot..if not you can always try flashing one of the stock firmware available in these forums..assuming your hardware isn't toast these things will work
Sent from my SGH-i917 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App

wilcoholic5 said:
maybe try a factory reset by using volume up+camera+ power button to boot..if not you can always try flashing one of the stock firmware available in these forums..assuming your hardware isn't toast these things will work
Sent from my SGH-i917 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried a factory reset, as well as trying to flash the stock firmware on the phone. However, I end up at the same spot with the picture of the phone tethered to the laptop. I have a feeling it's a lost cause at this point. Thanks for the advice.

/ignore background noise
Quick questions:
1. Was the phone on when it was dropped?
2. Was the battery removed immediately?
3. How was it dried and for how long?

It could be worse - mine just took a magical trip through the washing machine in my pants pocket. :/ Anyone know of a good parts supplier that stocks the mainboard? That's the one component I can't find for sale, but I want to make sure I CAN get it before I take apart my other Samsung Focus to troubleshoot the broken part(s).

from my experince with a samsung jet,
I dropped it also in water too, i tried t oturn it after few days, strange things happned too me!!! so decided to get a new phone.
I didn't through my jet, and after few months, I charged the phone, and test it found it working without problems
I believe was just a matter of when al lthe electronics inside the phone gets really dry
try it out

I heard pulling out the battery, and putting everything buried underneath dry rice helps. Probably for a couple of days, then see what happens.

Dieabolical said:
I heard pulling out the battery, and putting everything buried underneath dry rice helps. Probably for a couple of days, then see what happens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a proven method.
Sent from my LG-P500 using Tapatalk

My Focus is VERY sensitive to any dampness at all. If it gets damp in my pocket (sweating, lawn sprinkler, etc.), it will ding constantly with the sound when you connect the USB cable to it. I have to take a hair dryer to the micro-USB port.
A method I heard, but have never tried, is to wrap the phone in a full sized thick bath towel and bind it closed (duct tape, bungee, whatever) and then put it in the clothes dryer on low heat for an hour.

Thanks for all the info. I will be trying it again tomorrow once I get my USB cable back. I know the cable for my Inspire will work on it as well but I forgot that at work today. Thanks again all.

lekhwani said:
This is a proven method.
Sent from my LG-P500 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no its not... Its a myth. The liquid evaporates unless you took it all apart and the rice actually touched the liquid and absorbed it. Taking the battery out and leaving the door off and placing the unit in front of a fan will do 1000 times more for the process than rice... Moving air is the perfect evaporator. Plus rice dust gunks up ports... Sorry to burst the experts bubble around here but facts are facts...

Drowned S2 Revived but...

So, i drowned my S2 white into the lake. Don´t ask how)
I kept it for 3 days into rice...and after some battery tweaks VOILA! The phone got back to life...i managed to start it 3 times and working perfectly, but i´m having some sort of problems that i don´t manage to understand. It goes like this:
Once the phone is up and running, at the first shutdown/reboot or whatever it´t won´t come back on only if i pull out the battery for about 4-5 hours, plug the charger and once the charging icon appears i can turn it on.
I tried flashing a new firmware, only the PDA file, without luck, on the first reboot needed the phone just died. I mean, even if plug back in the charger it won´t turn on. Now i gotta leave it with the battery out for another 4-5 hours and it´ll come back to life.
Anyone has an idea of what could it be? Thank you!

Maybe there is still moisture or something. It is recommended that you leave that in a bowl of rice for a month.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

ephraim033 said:
Maybe there is still moisture or something. It is recommended that you leave that in a bowl of rice for a month.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking about that. But when i turn it on, i can keep it running for always without problems if i don´t turn it off. If there would be still some moisture inside...it would turn off or something right?

xSurgery said:
I was thinking about that. But when i turn it on, i can keep it running for always without problems if i don´t turn it off. If there would be still some moisture inside...it would turn off or something right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know buddy but it definitely has a little moisture inside of it that's playing a trick on your circuitry. 3 days is a very short time for that. Try leaving it for a month, because if you don't, sooner or later it will die on you suddenly. Just a friendly advice
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

A lake huh? Did you wash the phone under clean water before the drying regime, without battery attached of course? Because if you did not, there may be some conductive residues left over on your phone parts after the water dries off.
Besides rice you could try other absorbent materials. For example silica gel that photographers use in dry cabinets. In South East Asia we have this thing called thirsty hippo to keep clothes cabinets dry.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app

The battery might be damaged, and todays batteries + water doesn't mix well.
It's recommended that if you water damage a battery, you should change it, in worst case it will blow up.

This morning i mananged to turn it on. With the stock firmware and all and still nothing. After the first reboot dies and for about 4-5 hours i can´t do nothing. Well...i´ll take it to a service store, maybe they´ll know what to do better. Thanks guys

i ever read somewhere that said must leave the phone in the rice for 2 weeks and the container must be closed tight

Rice for two weeks in a sealed container. Plastic containers work well

Remove battery and throw it away. Buy a new one.
Drop the entire phone without battery into pure Isopropanol Alcohol for a couple hours, then stick it in rice overnight, in a warm cupboard.
Change the rice and leave it in the cupboard for at LEAST a week and up to a month. (DO NOT EAT OR SNIFF THE OLD RICE)
Maybe, MAYBE then it should be okay.
Isopropanol can be purchased cheaply from a bunch of places. Drugstores/computer supply places. Make sure and get 100% pure stuff, not the pre-diluted crap.

xSurgery said:
So, i drowned my S2 white into the lake. Don´t ask how)
I kept it for 3 days into rice...and after some battery tweaks VOILA! The phone got back to life...i managed to start it 3 times and working perfectly, but i´m having some sort of problems that i don´t manage to understand. It goes like this:
Once the phone is up and running, at the first shutdown/reboot or whatever it´t won´t come back on only if i pull out the battery for about 4-5 hours, plug the charger and once the charging icon appears i can turn it on.
I tried flashing a new firmware, only the PDA file, without luck, on the first reboot needed the phone just died. I mean, even if plug back in the charger it won´t turn on. Now i gotta leave it with the battery out for another 4-5 hours and it´ll come back to life.
Anyone has an idea of what could it be? Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if the phone was in it can be hardware that taken a good damage (it takes more damaged when its on) and then your phone can have som problems like this. i wish you good luck, and as stated above use rice ! :good: its some good stuff,

I removed the battery, opened the case of the phone, and sealed it into a plastic bag full of rice.
New battery is on the way...i heard about that Isopropanol, and with your advice too i´ll do it. But still...why does he turn on if moisture is still inside? If i don´t turn it off for like, never......it´s working great))))

Hmm open your phone up its really easy to do. Search youtube vids on how to.
Clean your phone with a soft brush and alchohol.
My phone was water damage so I replaced the charging port mic flex which cost about £5 on ebay.
Phone finally charges and connects to the computer after this.
NO RICE WAS HARMED OR USED IN THIS PROCEDURE :laugh:

Don't ask me how but. I managed to revive my old iPhone 4 that fell into the toilet while I was taking a dump, by doing this:
(SGS2 ModeN)
removing the back panel to expose the motherboard and the other goods.
(taking out the 7 screws)
and laying it.
Grab a fan you know.. the hair dryer thingie..
Place it like... 20 cm away from the exposed phone. Turn it on on max, and leave it be for 30 minutes.
My phone was completely okay.. Untill I traded it in for a SGS2 that I happen to own now. Give it a try!
Oh
Leave these parts behind.
Battery
SD Card
SIM

Not sure if leaving it in for hours is wise. Washing to get rid of residues is fine, but soaking too long might dissolve stuff you don't want it to dissolve.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app

the rice thing is interesting.
while it gets moisture out and around the edges, what does it do to moisture inside?
honestly, I sometimes think sticking it near my window where there's plenty of active airflow does a better job. i've done this for a camera and various electronics that i've dropped. rice first, but honestly let it air out afterward. airflow does a lot more to get through the small crevices.

I heard that blowing hot air could really damage the phone. It‘s still in rice since my first post. I opened the whole case. Tommorow my battery will arrive. I’ll keep you posted with the results. Thanks for your help anyway. Isopropyl has to way for the moment

Sooooooo....3 weeks of rice, no isopropyl, new firmware flashed, new battery and no change. It started on itself when the new battery was inserted but after the first restart, no response for a couple of hours
Any ideas left?

Technically, what you have is kinda like a Tethered iPhone Jailbreak.
I lived with a tethered Jailbreak for MONTHS, so its not that hard to do...?

xSurgery said:
Sooooooo....3 weeks of rice, no isopropyl, new firmware flashed, new battery and no change. It started on itself when the new battery was inserted but after the first restart, no response for a couple of hours
Any ideas left?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could just be dead.
I don't mean to sound negative, but if the phone was powered on and used while wet/moist a short circuit could've occurred. This may have damaged part of the phone which is why you're having these weird issues.
Even if this isn't the case, corrosion could set in from the water damage. This means that even if your phone does recover, after time more issues could occur. Could take a week, could take a month, could take a year.
I'd try the alcohol suggested earlier, then place back into the rice for a solid month.
Like I said, sorry for sounding negative but it sounds like your phone's had it.

[Q] Help plzz

I admit I was really sttupid, but my Galaxy Y came in the water path of a garden watering hose, for a couple of seconds. I immediately retrieved it, and rubbed it dry(The outsides that is),and since it seemed to work fine at that moment, I dint think of taking any further action. After 2 hours however, I noticed that it had gone OFF, and I wasnt able to switch it on acain. I then removed the Sim card, SD card, and battery, and held it in mild heat(from a laptop heat vent) for a few minutes. After that, the phone started, and worked normally for a couple of minutes, though there were evident water patches on the screen. Then it went OFF again. I googled it, and now, trying to make amends, ive put the phone in a bowl of uncooked rice. I feel really stupid. What my next ste should be, as I need to get this phone into working order (wont be able to afford a new phone as of now) Kindly advice.

Pack a phone into air tight bag with uncooked rice I knw it sounds stupid but my friend did n aftr that his phone was like before
Try if it works
If I have helped you hit the thanx button
sent from HTC sensation using XDA PREMIUM APP

I confirm that inserting it in a small food container full of uncooked rice works as it helps it dry out faster. Mine was dropped in a bowl of water and after 5 days in the container, it's working perfectly fine today as nothing ever happened.
And remember:
NEVER turn a phone on while its wet, it could short circuit.
Sent from my Quad-core 1.5GHz 512MB RAM GT-S5360 using xda premium

sirius1071 said:
I admit I was really sttupid, but my Galaxy Y came in the water path of a garden watering hose, for a couple of seconds. I immediately retrieved it, and rubbed it dry(The outsides that is),and since it seemed to work fine at that moment, I dint think of taking any further action. After 2 hours however, I noticed that it had gone OFF, and I wasnt able to switch it on acain. I then removed the Sim card, SD card, and battery, and held it in mild heat(from a laptop heat vent) for a few minutes. After that, the phone started, and worked normally for a couple of minutes, though there were evident water patches on the screen. Then it went OFF again. I googled it, and now, trying to make amends, ive put the phone in a bowl of uncooked rice. I feel really stupid. What my next ste should be, as I need to get this phone into working order (wont be able to afford a new phone as of now) Kindly advice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes u revert stupid eople
Jk it ould happen to anyone
Actually there is no solution for this it all depends on luck
Just keep doing whatever u revert doing now
If it doesn't work and if all traces of water are removed
Just go to Samsung service center ans only say
"Sirhone is not booting up, night it was OK morning its not booting"
Lol
And try to get it repaired using Warrenty (it its still there)
don't mension anything about water

Remove the battery..connect it to charger...if it works..change battery..
My previous phone got wet in a water ride i was having...believe me..this worked...my battery was dead..nt phone..
** rooting is new for me,
nd i am a noob to root....**

Shouldnt have turned it on but simply disassemble and place in rice DONT USE HAIR DRYER and leave for a while the rice will absorb the water