[Lotus99]

Wow... never thought it would happen to me. Stupid me, I left a cup of unsweetened tea unattended on the counter, next to my beloved electronics, and the wifey decides to knock it over. So tea goes right on top of the BB keypad, my bluetooth headset, AND the electronic key fob for the car... I can't believe the laptop was there too, but managed to escape unharmed.

After I stopped to I then took out the BB battery (don't have the tools or patience to take it apart fully at this point in time) and as others had suggested here, I'm going to put it under the heat of a 50W lamp for a few days and cross my fingers when I turn it back on. They're about 6 inches from the bulb.

As you can see from the temp & humidity guage, it's showing a nice low 14% humidity and around 40 C celsius or just over 100 Farenheit.

So how many days like this would you leave them all under the light non-stop? Any other ideas? Maybe I'll flip the BB over after a day to tan his backside too!

I'm not going to bother with rice, as this should do it hopefully, if anything will.

Thanks for the advice.

And I guess, my next question would be, if this doesn't work, is it worth trying to repair it? Or do most people just get a new one? Electronics these days just ain't worth repairing usually I find....
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[Naked Wife]

Wirelessly posted (NakedBerry)

2 days.

[Willie115]

Honestly I don't really think it'll work that much due to the fact it's tea, I'd actually try an alcohol rinse to get rid of all the impurities and then let it softly dry, not put it into direct heat but like a TV vent, you don't want to force it.

As for the rice... I never heard of that part of the technique.

[JSanders]

Placing a BB in a box or bag of rice has been mentioned hundreds of times, and in our FAQ here as well. It works well to withdraw the moisture from the device.

The alcohol bath with a high purity isopropyl alcohol could be helpful too.

For now, your lamp is good. Placing it on top of any heat emtting electonic component, like a stereo cabinet or cable box converter works well also.

[Lotus99]

Originally Posted by JSanders

The alcohol bath with a high purity isopropyl alcohol could be helpful too.

Thx for the replies everyone. I increased the height of the lamp so it`s not so close.

Couple more questions for you Sanders. As far as the alcohol goes,

1. Has anyone actually tried to dunk their BB in alcohol after it was wet, and had success after getting it to work again, or is it just theory so far? I'm hesitant to put it in a liquid again and I'm thinking maybe I should wait a few days, and if it doesn't work, then try that, since I'll have nothing to lose at that point.
2. Isopropyl alcohol - that's just rubbing alcohol, right? I wiki'd it, and it seemed to indicate. I've got 70% at home, is that high enough purity?

[JSanders]

1. Yes, many have used alcohol and it is a working solution, especially for liquids that have salts and/or minerals (which can dry and leave residues and/or sugary liquids that can gum up the insides. If you are not ready to do so, don't.
2. Isopropyl = rubbing, yes. 70% is fine, and you can get higher.

[Lotus99]

Originally Posted by JSanders

1. Yes, many have used alcohol and it is a working solution, especially for liquids that have salts and/or minerals (which can dry and leave residues and/or sugary liquids that can gum up the insides. If you are not ready to do so, don't.

That was fast! Well, that's great to hear others have had success with it. It does make sense... just never intentionally put it into liquid before so I'm a bit chicken!

Sorry, a few more questions. In your opinion:

1. So the alcohol, can it have any negative side effects? It can't actually make things worse, can it?
2. Will the alcohol really remove deposits by having phone simply soak in it, or must one swab the phone insides with alcohol?
3. My tea didn't have sugar in it at least, but what do you think about my plan of trying it first in a few days and if it doesn't work, then dunking it? Could that be more harmful / riskier than just putting it in alcohol first? I will try whatever method you guys would suggest at this point. I don't have any experience in this issue nor with electronics in general to know how about this alcohol technique.
4. Should I try the alcohol on the headset and my car fob too? I'm not sure how much tea spilled on them, but the car key didn't seem too wet inside when i popped the battery cover. I just don't want to make them worse, in case they are fine (hence my first question too).

[Willie115]

What doesn't kill eletronics isn't the liquid, it's the fact that most people turn their device on right away after it's been wet, causing a short somewhere. Another problem is when it drys it leaves some sort of residue, whether it be suragry stuff or something else, using alcohol works well because it washes it off and because the alcohol evaporates into the air really well, 70% isopropyl works although if you're really paranoid you can go as high as the 90's.

[jerry12]

Originally Posted by Amiro

Wow... never thought it would happen to me. Stupid me, I left a cup of tea unattended on the counter, next to my beloved electronics, and the wifey decides to knock it over. So tea goes right on top of the BB keypad, my bluetooth headset, AND the electronic key fob for the car... I can't believe the laptop was there too, but managed to escape unharmed.

After I stopped to I then took out the BB battery (don't have the tools or patience to take it apart fully at this point in time) and as others had suggested here, I'm going to put it under the heat of a 50W lamp for a few days and cross my fingers when I turn it back on. They're about 6 inches from the bulb.

As you can see from the temp & humidity guage, it's showing a nice low 14% humidity and around 40 C celsius or just over 100 Farenheit.

So how many days like this would you leave them all under the light non-stop? Any other ideas? Maybe I'll flip the BB over after a day to tan his backside too!

I'm not going to bother with rice, as this should do it hopefully, if anything will.

Thanks for the advice.

And I guess, my next question would be, if this doesn't work, is it worth trying to repair it? Or do most people just get a new one? Electronics these days just ain't worth repairing usually I find....
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http://members.shaw.ca/amiro/PoorBB.JPG

i am afraid the sugar in the tea will do it in i had tea turn over into a scanner one time and the keys all ways were sticking after that.

[Lotus99]

Originally Posted by jerry12

i am afraid the sugar in the tea will do it in i had tea turn over into a scanner one time and the keys all ways were sticking after that.

I edited my original post to clarify, luckily it was unsweetened.

[strike2tamu]

Originally Posted by Amiro

I edited my original post to clarify, luckily it was unsweetened.

Gotta love just straight tea.

[The BlackBerry Kid]

wow, those BMW keys are really expensive, i hope that atleast works in the end, that is more time and money wasted when it needs to be replaced than the bberry or bluetooth

[Lotus99]

Originally Posted by The BlackBerry Kid

wow, those BMW keys are really expensive, i hope that atleast works in the end, that is more time and money wasted when it needs to be replaced than the bberry or bluetooth

Good eye! Yeah, I was worried what a PITA it would be for the key, as I think they need to come from Germany... I tried the key and the headset this morning (never put them in alcohol) and luckily they both work. I don't think much got on them.

So now I'll wait it out another day or two for the BB and try that.

[Bu11d0z3r]

Originally Posted by JSanders

1. Yes, many have used alcohol and it is a working solution, especially for liquids that have salts and/or minerals (which can dry and leave residues and/or sugary liquids that can gum up the insides. If you are not ready to do so, don't.
2. Isopropyl = rubbing, yes. 70% is fine, and you can get higher.

So, my phone jumped out of my pocket and into a 16oz cup of beer at a party... how long do I soak it in the alcohol?

[Lotus99]

Originally Posted by Bu11d0z3r

So, my phone jumped out of my pocket and into a 16oz cup of beer at a party... how long do I soak it in the alcohol?

Oh no... it was in your shirt pocket, and you bent over and it popped out, right?

[NickfromIL]

Wow, you don;t want to SOAK it, just a nice dunk. A rinse if you will, then wait at least 2 days...

[JSanders]

haha, yea, give it a bath and out, not like a total soak for days on end. You want to fix it, not embalm it.

[Lotus99]

OK, so tomorrow's going to be the day I'll test it! Luckily, the headset and car fob both worked just fine after two days under the lamp.

I've heard either the battery might have fried when it got soaked or the phone. Do you think it's ok to try the old battery in it to see if it powers up, or it's safer to put in a new battery first and see? Didn't want the battery to somehow cause a short or something when I put it in if it's become defective after the soak.

[JSanders]

If you have a spare battery, that would be a good idea.

[shammond]

everyone beat me to it. Rice FTW!!! best thing ever for removing liquid damage.