Wet phone (real wet)

[bolddoodieS9]

Don't laugh --  my phone went through the washing machine (left in a pants pocket) cycle. Took it apart and dried everything. Waited a day and tried to start it -- it did! Fired up right away, but two problems immediately appeared: 1) it did not recognize the PM sim card, and 2) I couldn't get past the opening screen -- it's a swipe screen and won't recognize my swipe attempts.

My questions are:

1) Could my sim card have been totally ruined? Think it will work in another phone? If it is damaged, will it cause damage to another device if I test it?

2) Could water have gotten under the opening screen and desensitized it to a swipe?

If you have a suggestion, I would be happy to hear it. Thank you in advance for assistance.

[softech]

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@Korth wrote:

Thread necro, I'm sure the OP has found a solution sometime over the last half year, lol.

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Probably OP enjoying his/her new phone now  🙂

There was another post around 2 months ago.  That OP wasn't that lucky... he/she confirmed that the rice trick didn't work.  😞

[Korth]

Thread necro, I'm sure the OP has found a solution sometime over the last half year, lol.

But I've recently drowned a phone (fell off a moving car, bounced off the road, landed in the adjacent slimy watery mosquito ditch). Fully functional after an ultrasonic cleaning.

Any decent electronics repair shop (which can do soldering and component-level work) will have one of these cleaning devices. Pull out your device battery and any connected hardware (like SIM cards and flash storage cards) as soon as possible - stick it in a box with rice or powdered chalk (or, better yet, a bunch of those silica dessicant pouches) - take it to the shop and pay $25(ish) to ensure it's completely cleaned out. The process basically scrubs things until they're chemically clean, it removes corrosion and oxidation and residue. There's a chance it'll damage certain delicate parts (gyroscopes/accelerometers, speakers/mics, camera optics, touchscreen mesh) but these can be protected or removed during the cleaning process. (And, since they've already gutted and prepped your device anyhow, any other repairs it might need in the shop could be done cheaply.)

This is absolutely the best way to do such cleaning and repair. There's just no substitute which can approach it for consistency and efficiency and results. I recommend this approach above all others ... normally I'm all gung-ho about pushing people to DIY repair, but if you don't have one of these electronics wash stations at home/work then take your drowned device to the professionals.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrasonic_cleaning

[pankajjoshi]

Really .

[pankajjoshi]

Please get a new phone and PM sim.

[bolddoodieS9]

Old sim still works . . . I'm surprised (actually shocked), but it's still doing the job.

[darlicious]

@bolddoodieS9 

Patience.....all too often we are too anxious to wait for a result. When it comes to electronics and water later is always better. At a very minimum you must allow it to dry for 48 hours resisting the urge to turn it on as electricity and water always ends badly. I only recently learned about the dissecant  packet hack but rice can be iffy because the small particulate can get in openings like the jack etc...but certain feminine products can be very absorbant or any product with a silicon absorbing gel.

Happy to hear you had success.

[hairbag1]

@bolddoodieS9....

[Korth]

Backup all the data from that phone. Contacts, numbers, emails, login passwords, photos, everything. Use the cloud or USB file copy or just write stuff down.

The phone might be fine, you might be lucky. But you've gotta assume it's unreliable, that it could fail hard without warning, until enough time has passed that you can be confident it suffered no real damage.

It's always good to have a backup anyhow. Too many people lose everything when their phone becomes lost, stolen, broken, drowned, or expired.

[will13am]

@bolddoodieS9 , lucky you!  If you have any dessicant packs kicking around, I would suggest storing the phone in a plastic bag with dessicant over the night time for a few nights to make sure the phone is completely dry.  

[softech]

@bolddoodieS9   glad it work.. a  true field test.. now you have a "clean" phone without the need of wiping the phone LoL

you didn't need to buy a new SIM, right?  the old Sim still works?

[HALIMACS]

Awesome of you to update us as to the result,  @bolddoodieS9 

[bolddoodieS9]

This is a thank you to those who gave me some good info regarding my phone. You may recall I accidentally put it through the washing machine (the phone was on). Several corrective suggestions were made. I punted. Once I got it out of the washer I took out the battery and sim card, dried them thoroughly, dried the phone, blew air into all the openings and then let it rest for 24 hours. I then tried to fire it up and it came alive, but the opening screen would not recognize my swipe. I couldn't get past that screen. The battery was at 11%. I turned it off and charged it. After six hours, the charge was up to 13%. I figured this phone is history, but I decided to pull out the charger cable and try again. I reinserted the cable, left the phone overnight. The next morning it showed a full charge. I fired up the phone and magically it started again, and this time recognized my swipe. It is now functioning just fine. It's a Samsung Galaxy J3. I don't believe it is supposed to be water-resistant, but apparently this one was. I don't recommend putting it through the washer, but if that happens all is not necessarily lost. Thanks again for the good advice.

[bolddoodieS9]

Good to know, but I think it's too late to resuscitate the little xxxxxxxx. Thank you.

edited by computergeek541: terms of service (language)

[bolddoodieS9 · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the comment. I fear the phone is history.

[bolddoodieS9]

Thank you.

[bolddoodieS9]

Thank you. The suggestion is much appreciated. I will try it all.

[CFPartDeux]

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@softech wrote:

For the phone, some people suggests after you try your very best to dry it.. leave it in bag of rice for a week and then try.. I never try this.. but some people said the rice would capture the moisture... but usually people needs to do this before try powering up.  Since you already tried to power it up.. not sure if it still work

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We did that with my wife's phone(although IIRC, it was left in the rice overnight), after I'd accidentally left it sitting on the car trunk lid overnight, and it rained. It's been working fine since then, but then the amount of water getting inside the phone from rain(if any) would DEFINITELY be different than actually going through a washer.

Supposedly, the go-to suggestion, at least if you don't want to take the phone apart, is putting the phone in a bag of desiccant pouches(you know, those little packets labeled "DO NOT EAT", that come in electronics packaging), which is apparently similar, or maybe better 🤔, than using rice.

[popping]

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@popping wrote:

@bolddoodieS9 

Water/liquid will short any electronics with power connected.  It may be already damaged  when your phone was in the washing machine.  If it survives after in the washing machine for 30 minutes, residue lift over after liquid was evaporated may cause problem.

What did you used to clean the circuit board?

The cheapest way to remove the residue is submerge the circuit board in 99% rubbing alcohol and clean the board with a new tooth brush.   Dry it completely by leaving it on top of a heat vent for a few day.

Costco sells 3 bottles of 99% rubbing alcohol for around $10.

Depending on the phone, you can buy a replacement LCD screen with the digitizer mounted.  It is hard to remove the old digitizer and apply a new digitizer.

There is no guarantee you can get it working again.  If it is an older phone, it may be time to look got a new phone.

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@bolddoodieS9 

Since something is showing on the display, the power supply voltage rails circuit may be working fine.  The CPU must be working.  Otherwise, you will not see anything.  

The circuit which read the SIM card may be damaged.   Insert any old SIM card to determine whether it detects a working SIM card.

Replace the LCD display with digitizer may work.  But if the circuit reading digitizer output circuit is damaged, replacing the digitizer will not fix your mouse input issue.

When my clients bring in a liquid damaged Roomba, Neato or Roborock, if I cannot fix it within 1 hour, I always tell my client to change the motherboard instead of paying me hourly rate to fix the motherboard.

[popping]

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@softech wrote:

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@srlawren wrote:

 but how do you miss your phone when loading the washer?  They usually have some bulk and heft.

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I am going to invent a new washer with a build-in electronic detector.  It will cut the power .. and most importantly the water, off if it detects anything suspicious.

 (no offense.. just a joke 🙂  ) 

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Pretty simple.  Install a short range blue tooth receiver inside the washing machine.

[softech]

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@srlawren wrote:

 but how do you miss your phone when loading the washer?  They usually have some bulk and heft.

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I am going to invent a new washer with a build-in electronic detector.  It will cut the power .. and most importantly the water, off if it detects anything suspicious.

 (no offense.. just a joke 🙂  ) 

[srlawren]

I managed to destroy two Plantronics Voyager 3200's in two washing loads by forgetting them in my jeans pocket! The second of course was a replacement for the first one I ruined.  After the second, I decided to go in a different direction and switched to neckband buds, which ended up being better in pretty much every way.  But I digress.  I can see forgetting something tiny like true wireless buds or your car key (yes washed one of those too, an integrated unit with the door locks, trunk pop, and emergency alarm built in--and it survived just fine somehow)... but how do you miss your phone when loading the washer?  They usually have some bulk and heft.

[popping]

@bolddoodieS9 

Water/liquid will short any electronics with power connected.  It may be already damaged  when your phone was in the washing machine.  If it survives after in the washing machine for 30 minutes, residue lift over after liquid was evaporated may cause problem.

What did you used to clean the circuit board?

The cheapest way to remove the residue is submerge the circuit board in 99% rubbing alcohol and clean the board with a new tooth brush.   Dry it completely by leaving it on top of a heat vent for a few day.

Costco sells 3 bottles of 99% rubbing alcohol for around $10.

Depending on the phone, you can buy a replacement LCD screen with the digitizer mounted.  It is hard to remove the old digitizer and apply a new digitizer.

There is no guarantee you can get it working again.  If it is an older phone, it may be time to look got a new phone.

[bolddoodieS9]

Thank you. I appreciate your reply, but I've already done those things and they did not solve the problem. Looks like cell phone repair or new cell phone is in my future.

[softech]

you SIM should be good.. just wipe it dry..  then leave it for another hour and try.. should be no problem.  Did you try to put it on another phone?  If you have try, it is possible your phone internal still wet and hence not reading the SIM properly

For the phone, some people suggests after you try your very best to dry it.. leave it in bag of rice for a week and then try.. I never try this.. but some people said the rice would capture the moisture... but usually people needs to do this before try powering up.  Since you already tried to power it up.. not sure if it still work