An electronic device’s worst nightmare: water. Of course, more and more devices are adopting waterproof tech, there are still plenty of cell phones out there that lack any kind of water protection. Water can leave your cell phone as a useless paperweight, in the worst case scenario. It can damage the circuitry in a number of ways: by shorting, corrosion, and rust.
If you somehow managed to drop your cell phone into a toil bowl, pool, or even a glass full of liquid (trust us, this happens more than you would think, see: food selfies), then you could be looking at a brief moment of time before you can official save your cell phone from irreparable damage.
What you need to do once your cell phone has been damaged by water
There are a few things that you can try on your own to salvage your cell phone, of course. This is what you should and should not do immediately following a dunk in water:
Get it out of the water (duh) as soon as you can, then open it up and take out the battery. The battery holds a live charge that will constantly try to feed the phone juice, which increases the likelihood of comprehensive damage throughout the phone if left on its own.
Try not to hit any buttons on the phone while you are trying to get it open, this could spread the water into the phone if you have physical buttons.
Modern smartphones will actually show you an indicator light that will turn red if it detects water damage. While you’re at it, you should take out the SIM and memory cards, to prevent damage and corrosion from affecting them.
As far as drying your phone out by yourself goes, there are a few DIY recommendations online that you’ll probably find, but none of them are very promising. What you should definitely avoid are the more aggressive tips, like using a blow-dryer to get the water out of the phone. This will likely just end up pushing the water deeper in the phone and possibly damage it if you allow the heat to focus on any sensitive spots on the phone.
Even if you suspect that your phone is dry and you don’t see any more moisture, don’t try turning the phone back on yet. Wait at least a full day to be safe before attempting to turn it back on. Water can stay trapped in the smallest of spaces and it would be a shame if the phone was actually okay, but reactivating it sparked a surge in electricity due to hidden water.
The Rice Myth for repairing water damaged cell phones
Believing that rice is some magical water-extractor is what gets a lot of cell phone owners in trouble when they are desperate to dry out their phones. The idea is that dry, uncooked rice is so dry that it draws all the moisture in the space that it occupies, thus extracting all of the water that was inside the housing of the phone. This is false, and, in fact, rice has been proven to be less absorbent than oatmeal and cat litter by various independent tests online. The truth is, you are better off leaving your cell phone in an open space, especially a place outside where it is dry, sunny, windy, but not overly hot. The moral of the story is don’t believe everything you read online, sometimes a little fresh air is all you need.
Don’t lose faith in your smart phone
We know that the prospect of losing all your precious data and contacts could be devastating, so it is important to stay positive throughout the whole ordeal of getting water into your phone. If you have the ability to physically unscrew your phone’s case and expose its circuits to open air, then you’ll want to do it as soon as possible for the best chance at limiting damage. Ignore the warranty concerns, water damage takes precedent over that, so you’re on your own unless you take it to get it repaired by a professional.
There are varying degrees of water damage that can be repaired by professional cell phone repair in Augusta, GA. If you happen to only experience water damage to the battery, ports, or the LCD screen, these parts are fairly inexpensive to replace and will not affect your data or functionality of the phone.
If any part of the motherboard’s circuitry gets shorted and shows signs of damage, there is likely nothing that can be done to revive it and you will essentially need to say goodbye to all of your data. If it is just corrosion, however, the motherboard can be cleaned up and at least give you the opportunity to save all of your data before replacing the cell phone.
Getting your cell phone repaired
Our cell phone professionals will bend over backwards to rescue your water-logged telephone or other gadget. In any case, if the device is destroyed, they have the innovation to recover any data put away on your telephone and exchange them to another one. Stroll into a neighborhood store for a free consultation, you never know how bad it is until you get a second look.
Our phone repair shops in Augusta, GA will use one of 3 models to settle (or endeavor to alter) your situation. We will never do what most shops do and charge a non-refundable demonstrative expense to take a close look at the problem. In the event that they want to settle it, then they’ll let you know what it will cost (which will be an extra charge). In the event that they can’t, they simply take the $30-$40 expense despite everything, leaving you with a broken telephone and a bill. Don’t deal with this nonsense and call us today at (706) 303-8693.
How are we different from other cell phone repair shops?
Other phone repair shops will cite a settled water repair cost, yet it will exclude any segments that may be required – that will be an additional charge. So a promoted $49 water repair service may wind up being $149 after another screen and new battery are placed in it. This is just something to be aware of, so you’re not left sitting with a surprised look on your face or worse: not being able to afford the repairs that could save your phone. We promise never to do anything crazy like this. We will always repair your phone at an affordable price and then give you a free warranty on repairs because we know what we do works.
Shop smart
A fair repair cost would ideally be that is just charged if the telephone is repaired and free of water damage. On the off chance that it can’t be saved, then there is no charge. Another minor departure from this is a totally free analytic service where they give you a set cost in the wake of analyzing your phone. You can do the repair or not by then. This is what we like to call an “informed decision” in the retail world, which is a good idea for both parties.
All that said, no one but you can choose that you ought to or shouldn’t get a professional repairman to repair your phone. It might work for you or it might be a waste of money. How important are those pictures and stored information to you? Alternately perhaps you couldn’t care less if the telephone is completely busted, but the data can be recovered, so the repair bill still ends up being worth it anyways. Then again perhaps you simply have a couple more weeks until you can get a replacement on your contract and wind up with a newer model phone.
Things find a way of working out, the key here is to never panic and never freak out. Don’t rely on rice and don’t be impatient when it comes to water damage. If you follow these steps, you’ll put yourself in a good position to recover your cell phone, or at least the important data you have stored on it.
