How to fix a water damaged laptop

Spilled water on your laptop? Here’s how to fix it

If you’ve just spilled a liquid on your best laptop, time is of the essence. You absolutely must turn your computer off immediately and unplug it. If you have a removable battery, remove it immediately. Press that Power button until your machine shuts down. Do that now! Every second is vital in this situation.

OK, are you back with us? Here’s a more in-depth guide on how to handle this emergency.

Difficulty

Duration

What You Need

Appropriate screwdriver for case screws

Fan (not blow-dryer)

In case of a wet laptop emergency

When you spill liquid on your laptop, time is of the essence. Here are some immediate steps you can take to help avoid catastrophe.

Step 1: Remove all easily detachable components. Unplug your mouse and any cables, and remove any flash drives and DVDs. Leave your laptop bare.

Step 2: Dry the outside of your machine. Open your laptop as far as it goes, hold it upside down to let any accumulated liquid drain out, and use an absorbent towel or a lint-free absorbent fabric to wipe wet surfaces until they’re dry. Do not try to dry the computer with forced hot air from a heat gun or hair-dryer.

Step 3: At this point, we recommend that you take advantage of the warranty if it’s still applicable or take your machine to a repair shop. If your brand has a designated repair store (like Apple), give them a call or take it in. Otherwise, look for local repair stores that specialize in your laptop brand.

Step 4: The type of liquid that was spilled matters. Water is the least acidic, while sugary and alcoholic fluids are more conductive and more corrosive. They can quickly cause permanent damage to your internal components. Either way, the goal is to mitigate their effects as much as possible by drying the computer immediately. If you don’t want to have a professional take a look at it for you, though, there are more steps you can take to try and dry your machine out. However, please take note that neither Digital Trends nor the author is responsible for any damage caused to your PC by taking it apart.

Break it down

While opening up and removing components from earlier laptops was easy, that’s not the case with modern-day laptops. We don’t recommend trying to take anything apart unless you have an older laptop model that’s not mainly glued together. That said, here are some steps you can attempt if your laptop allows it.

Step 1: If you haven’t already, and your laptop allows it, remove the battery. Battery removal is typically accomplished by pressing a switch or button on the underside of your computer.

Step 2: If you’re concerned about liquid leaking through to the entire system — to components like your memory and storage drive — you can remove those, too. On some laptops, you’ll find panels that allow for their removal on the underside. However, in most cases, you must use a Phillips or Torx screwdriver to remove them. For the memory, press the side clips to eject each stick. With the solid-state drive or hard drive, you likely must undo more screws to free it from the frame. Be sure to detach it from the power and data connection ports or cables with care.

Step 3: Examine each component you’ve removed to check for any sign of wetness or corrosion. Any wet parts should be dried, but if the liquid is anything other than water, wipe it off using a clean toothbrush dipped in 99% isopropyl alcohol — this will dissolve gunk without causing liquid damage and evaporate without leaving a sticky residue.

Step 4: Once everything is clean and examined, and you’re sure you’ve brushed away any signs of corrosion, leave everything alone to air-dry for two to three days in a warm, dry area. A fan will hasten the drying process. Do not use a hair-dryer, as this could cause static problems. Once you’ve picked your machine apart and given the components time to dry, you can follow the instructions in reverse to put your laptop back together and see if it works.

Hopefully, all will be well, but if not, take it to a repair center.

Luke Larsen / Digital Trends

If your laptop cannot be taken apart

What if you have a Surface Book 3, MacBook, or any other laptop that you cannot take apart or even remove the battery? This situation drastically reduces your options, so you must take it to a repair center ASAP.

Between the time that liquid spilled on your laptop keyboard and the time that you take it to the store, here’s what you can do: Hold your machine upside down and use a towel to wipe dry any visible wetness. Then, lay it down on a dry surface, and give your laptop as much ventilation as possible — it may not help much, but it’s better than nothing while you wait for a water damage repair appointment.

Some people recommend putting your laptop in a big bag of rice, but that famous piece of advice has many substantial problems. First, a hygroscopic material like rice isn’t nearly as useful when dealing with liquids that have sugars, alcohols, or other substances besides water. Second, rice doesn’t efficiently absorb moisture trapped deep in your laptop, where problems happen. Third, rice can come with debris that can get inside your laptop and create even more issues.

Sometimes, it’s impossible to get to a repair store; emergencies never seem to happen during convenient moments. If that’s the case, then it’s crucial that you let your water-damaged laptop ventilate and air dry for at least 24 to 48 hours before trying to turn it back on again. If you try to power on your PC before it’s ready, you’re asking for trouble. That can cause a massive short in your system and absolutely wreck your laptop.

Waterproofing options

To protect your laptop from a possible liquid spill in the future, we suggest buying a keyboard cover ( like this one from KeyCover ) for your device. Or take things a step further and get a full shell for the top and bottom exteriors of your laptop. One more layer of protection is to carry your device around in a great laptop bag. Always be sure that your cover doesn’t block any ventilation holes on your laptop. If it does, use scissors to cut the cover’s skin to leave the ventilation space open.

For the folks who work in a workspace where laptop spills and moisture are commonplace, consider a ruggedized laptop. It can be tough to avoid spills completely, and this device comes with a sealed keyboard and added features to protect against that. Check out Dell’s Latitude Rugged Extreme Laptop for an example.

How to Fix a Computer That Has Water Damage

A computer that has water damage will likely not be in proper working condition. Even after the computer is dried out, there is no guarantee that the hard drive, battery, RAM, and other parts will function as intended. However, before writing off the water-damaged computer or taking it to a costly repairman, try the following steps to fix it.

If the computer is connected to the power outlet, remove it immediately. If it is a laptop, remove the battery from its casing at the bottom. You will need to release the tab that comes along with the battery pack according to the instructions in the manufacturer’s manual. This will prevent you from getting a shock while working with a water-damaged laptop.

If the computer is a laptop, remove all the screws underneath it. After this, take out the two screws that connect the laptop screen. If the computer is a desktop, then unscrew the cover that protects the CPU.

Remove the hard drive from the computer. Take note of the way that it is removed so that when putting it back there is no problem. Preferably, take photos or make a video with your mobile phone. Check the drive for any water or moisture. Press down with a soft cloth to absorb the moisture. Do not make swiping motions with the cloth to mop up the water as this may spread the water around instead of absorbing and removing it. Dry out any remaining moisture with the help of a blow dryer set to cool, or a fan. If some of its content is important, take it to a repair shop ASAP to get the content backed up, just in case.

In the case of a desktop computer, unplug the keyboard from the CPU. Turn the keyboard upside down and shake the water loose. Unplug the screws at the bottom and blow-dry. Keep it out under the sun for some time without allowing it to get excessively hot.

Disconnect and take out all the other components including the motherboard that lies within the computer. Ensure that snapshots are taken of all the components that are taken out of the computer so that a frame of reference is there while putting back the components.

Dry all the components one by one by using a soft cloth to absorb the moisture. Then, use a dryer to dehumidify them. Let the components sit overnight so that they get naturally dried in the air. After drying out, there may be some calcium deposits on the components from the dried water. This can cause problems with the computer. You can clean the components with a solution of 90 percent alcohol.

After a few days, reinstall the computer. While keeping the photos as a reference point, reinstall all the components back in the reverse order of their removal. Reconnect the keyboard. In case of a laptop, put in the battery pack and restore power. If there was no damage of a permanent nature, your computer should now be in working order.

How to Repair a Water Damaged Laptop

Home » Blog » How to Repair a Water Damaged Laptop

Getting water or any other liquids spilled over your laptop is quite common since we use it very often everywhere from homes to offices. Situations such as coffee getting spilled over your laptop in the office and juice in a while doing homework, etc. are uncertain.

Water or any other liquids cause damage to your device only when they sink in. The variations of damage depend on the type and intensity of the liquid such as water is least dangerous while alcohol and other liquids may cause long-lasting damage to your device.

If water gets spilled over your laptop, first you need to make sure that you stay contained and don’t panic. The possibility is that you can fix the laptop with simple damage prevention steps.

There may be some effects of water on your laptop that might not be fixed at home. You may need some experts to help to figure it out, then get it to a repair shop.

Some steps to repair your water damaged laptop:

If your laptop allows you to detach its internals:

If your laptop doesn’t allow you to detach its internal components:

Even after removing moisture from the laptop, the liquid may have harmed several circuitry such as the keyboard won’t work properly or the touchpad would not respond. In such situations, you must opt for expert repair to get reliable results.

In some cases, changing the hardware might be suggested, but it completely depends on the damage caused by the spill.

To prevent such situations in the future, you can apply transparent silicon or plastic keyboard cover on your laptop to keep your device protected from external threats such as water or dust. However, you must not cover the ventilation holes as they may heat up the internal hardware that will cause serious errors.

Contact us today to learn about Bleuwire™ services and solutions in how we can help your business.

How to Fix a Water Damaged Keyboard

It’s possible to do, including laptops

Have you spilled water on your laptop or desktop keyboard and need help getting it fixed? In this article, we take a look at the best solution for getting yourself out of such a frustrating situation.

It’s common knowledge that water and electronics do not mix well. In many cases, water can completely fry electronic equipment and stop it from working entirely. Thankfully, for keyboards, it’s very possible to fix them by removing the moisture.

It’s also possible, although more difficult, to repair a laptop keyboard after it has been water damaged.

How to Fix a Water Damaged Keyboard for Desktop PCs

Fixing a water damaged keyboard is usually quite easy so long as you take the necessary steps and you are cautious during the repair.

The first step is to unplug your keyboard from your PC so that power no longer gets to it. On most keyboards, especially cheaper membrane ones, a little water won’t necessarily harm your keyboard at all.

For more complicated mechanical and gaming keyboards that often have extra circuitry, there’s the potential for long-lasting damage, and the repair process is a little more complex, but the general concept is the same.

For this guide, we’ll be using a standard office membrane keyboard as an example. You can follow the same steps with your own keyboard, but if you get stuck somewhere along the way, you may need to look up a step by step disassembly guide online for your specific keyboard.

The overall goal is to disassemble the keyboard piece by piece so that we can remove any moisture.

To start, take a picture of your keyboard – you’ll need this for reference later.

Next, start by pulling out all of the keys. Almost every keyboard has keys that can pop in and out without causing any damage. You may need a small lever to pull the keys out. Consider using a screwdriver or penny. Make sure to put the keys somewhere safe so that they do not get lost.

With all of the keys out, the next step is to move onto the back.

Flip over your keyboard and remove the screws one by one. Eventually, you’ll be able to remove the top layer of the keyboard to get to the underlying layer. If this is a membrane keyboard, you’ll find one or two thin membrane layers that cover the entirety of the keyboard.

The next goal is to remove the membrane layers – they should just slide out. Sometimes there will also be a metal frame that can also be unscrewed or pulled out.

After that, all of your components will be separated. Your next goal will be to carefully wipe down all components with a dry towel. You need to ensure all moisture is soaked up.

If you have spilled juice or soda and your keyboard is now sticky, you may need to buy some alcohol swabs to wipe off the residue.

Once all of the moisture has been removed, you can re-assemble the keyboard. Simply follow the steps you took to disassemble the keyboard, but in reverse. It’s also a good idea to leave the keyboard disassembled for 12 to 24 hours so that any hidden moisture can evaporate off.

Refer to the original photo you took for placing the keys back in their original position.

In almost all cases, this will fix your desktop keyboard. Keep in mind that more complex keyboards with LEDs or extra functionality may require more disassembly and there is also the chance that your keyboard may be broken beyond repair.

In this case, you should contact the manufacturer to see if they offer repairs or replacements.

How to Fix a Water Damaged Laptop Keyboard

Fixing a laptop keyboard is more difficult because there’s the chance the moisture could get in contact with other important circuitry in the laptop and cause further damage.

The first step is to power off your laptop and remove the battery immediately. Next, hold the power button down to ensure there is no remaining charge in the laptop components. The sooner you power down your laptop, the less chance there will be for damage.

The next step will be for you to disassemble your laptop and wipe it down. The disassembly process will depend on the laptop model you own.

Thankfully, there are disassembly guides for virtually every laptop model on the planet (search on YouTube) and most laptops are built specifically for easy disassembly.

Some laptops are harder to disassemble than others, however. For some, you’ll get by on just a screwdriver. For others, you may need specific tools that are usually found in laptop repair kits.

Another great online resource for DIY repairs is iFixit. They have an entire section on repairing various types of keyboards with step by step instructions, screenshots and sometimes even videos.

The end goal once again is to remove all moisture from inside the laptop. This process can be lengthy and will require patience and caution, but with the right guide, you should be fine.

If your laptop worked before you shut it down for the repair process, chances are it’ll work again once you clean up all of the moisture.

Summary

In summary, if your keyboard still works after water damage, but acts erratically, usually cleaning the keyboard and removing moisture will fix it and return usage back to normal.

However, if the laptop or desktop keyboard stops functioning entirely, there’s a chance that it may be broken beyond repair.

Either way, the only method for a potential fix is to carefully disassemble the desktop keyboard or laptop and remove all moisture.

Did this guide help? Let us know your thoughts. If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to ask us for advice.

Ollie stumbled upon writing online whilst participating in a mobile network forum back in 2011. Since then, he has developed an incredible passion for writing about all sorts of tech from smartphones, PC hardware, software, and everything in between. Read Ollie’s Full Bio

Immediate Steps to Water Damaged Laptop

Having a water damaged laptop? It is quite huge issue needed to get immediate attention.

When this happens to someone, usually they have two thoughts in mind. Whether the problem can be fixed with laptop water damaged repair or it has gone forever. Still, many people think the laptop is dead and would not be used in the future as they spilled water on the keyboard, but in some cases this is not the only outcome. It is possible that some damage is done, but with steps for Liquid Damage Repairs that are mentioned here can work wonders in favour of you.

WHAT TO DO

When water spills on a laptop, it is likely that major damage will have been done. However, if immediate attention is given, the laptop can be saved from the water damage.

Possibly, laptop liquid damage repair is not that easy as it sounds and this tricky work requires some experience with electronics disassembling.

For basic steps that can be performed at home, you don’t need much. First of all grab a DRY TOWEL and microfiber cloth. These are the most important items when dealing with liquid spillage on your laptop.

1. IMMEDIATELLY
TURN OFF THE LAPTOP

The laptop should be turned off and disconnected from the power source as soon as possible. Press the power button until the laptop turns off.

Save any important documents immediately, then hold down the power key for around five seconds to shut down the computer.

Quickly remove the charger cable from the laptop to disconnect it from a power source. Laptop must not get any power to save internal components from shortage.

Remove all easily detachable components. Unplug your mouse dongle, any cables and remove any flash drives. Leave your laptop bare.

2. REMOVE EXCESS LIQUID

If there is any residual liquid on the laptop, remove it.

As a result, you will decrease the risk of an electrical shock as well as minimize your laptop’s exposure to more liquid.

You can use dry towel for this or just turn the laptop upside-down to get rid of residual liquid.

Make sure your laptop is facing down while you cleaning excess liquid. This way liquid won’t get into the internal components.

3. REMOVE BATTERY

Remove the battery from the laptop. By doing so, liquid will be prevented from reaching the battery unit and posing an electrical hazard to internal components.

Remove battery only after you’ll disconnect the laptop from power adapter. Unplug laptop first!

You can remove battery by turning your laptop upside-down, sliding a battery lock to the side and gently tugging on the battery.

It is not possible to easy remove battery on some laptops. On Macbooks and most ultrabooks the battery is inside. You need to unscrew bottom casing of the laptop to access the battery connector.

4. PLACE LAPTOP
ON THE TOWEL

Place a dry towel on a flat surface in example table.

Open your laptop as a book and lay it face down on the towel. The best form is tent shaped laptop laying upside down. This will speed up the drying process.

You can use a warm fan to help evaporate the liquid faster.

This is how you’ll keep the laptop for at least few days, so make sure you choose a dry, warm and unobtrusive area.

5. REMOVE HARDWARE

Remove as possible hardware as you can. Take off bottom cover and remove all possible hardware.

Take out and wipe water from hard or ssd drive, RAM modules, wifi module and motherboard parts.

If you don’t know how to remove RAM or other detachable internal components, better take your laptop into a professional repair service. You can learn about or laptop liquid damage repair service here.

If there is and excess water inside your laptop, carefully drain it with microfiber cloth.

If you have a Surface, MacBook, ultrabook or any other laptop that you cannot take apart or even remove the battery, place the laptop upside down and take it to a repair center ASAP.

6. REMOVE KEYBOARD

When you have spilled water, tea, coffee or any of the liquid to the laptop, it may reach into the internal parts via keyboard. One of the most important step is to disconnect the keyboard after turning off the laptop.

When you would have got done the process, then also you can check whether the water or liquid touches the motherboard or not. Simply clean the keyboard using dry, lint free cloth and If any stickiness is there, then clean with alcohol.

Place keyboard upside down on the towel near the laptop.

7. LET IT DRY

Leave your laptop to dry for at least 24 hours. The best solution is to leave it for two days.

Store your computer in the warm dry place. You can use dehumidifier or warm fan to help it dry quicker.

8. WASH THE MOTHERBOARD

If you are tech savvy, you can wash your motherboard to remove any residue sticky liquid to prevent motherboard against oxidizing.

You’ll need special ultrasonic bath and special liquid. They are expensive to buy and it is usually cheaper to bring laptop motherboard to qualified computer repair shop for washing / cleaning.

9. REASSEMBLE THE LAPTOP

When two days have passed, return the components to the laptop. Put them back in the same order you take parts out. Connect the battery last, to prevent static damage.

Hopefully these steps have been enough to save your equipment and your laptop if working fine. If laptop is turning on, test everything – sound, screen, usb ports ect.

If it does not boot up or you notice distortion in the display or sound, or any of usb port or wifi is not working, you’ll need to take your laptop to a professional laptop liquid damage repair service.

WHAT NOT TO DO

1. DON’T TURN ON

Don’t turn on your laptop in the middle of the drying process. Give it at least 24 hours to dry. Be patient!

Turning laptop with liquid inside can cause more damage and ignite a dodgy circuit, putting your files and hardware at risk.

2. AVOID CLOTH WITH LINT

To dry excess liquid never use any cloths containing lint. Using clothes with lint can cause further damage to your laptop and make things even worse.

Use microfibre cloths to remove liquid from your laptop. To dry small, hard to get to areas in your laptop use cotton earbuds.

3. FORGET HAIR DRYER

Very important rule is to never use hot air from hair-dryer. The heat can and will cause damage to the laptop. Strong wind forces liquid to go deeper inside the laptop reaching more internal components. Very hot air usually makes keyboards to melt, making you laptop unusable.

If you really want to use air to dry laptop quickly then make sure it’s low pressure, not hot and won’t cause further damage to your device. Use dehumidifier or low speed fan to speed up laptop drying.

4. DO NOT SHAKE

Never shake your laptop to get rid of excess liquid. Shaking will allow water to get deeper into laptop, reaching and damaging more inside components.

Put you laptop upside down, open it like a book and let the gravity work.

5. DON’T USE RICE

We do not recommend to put your liquid damaged laptop in a bag or bowl of rice. We tested – it just does not work.

Rice doesn’t do much in the way of fixing a spill. What will happen – you have to do more work in cleaning out rice, which could damage some of the internal laptop components. It really doesn’t work, and if anything, it could harm the computer in the future.

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