That's right. You heard. Not on my computer. IN. :blink:
It's not looking good. The water went straight through the fan on top. There is water is on everything.
Now that power in the house is back on (after 20 minutes running around in a rage on the phone to Blunt trying to find the fuse box in my shared house), I'm in the process of deciding how to tackle this beast.
The computer is 4 years old so isn't very valuable, all important files are backed up. This is just a case of what can I salvage, and how I go about testing and seeing what is OK and what has been smoked.
Where do I start? The plan was to take it apart and dry everything out until next week. Re-assemble as it was and see what happens (which would probably be nothing...). Then go through the process of trying different spare parts to see what works.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
Clarification question: Was the PC on during the spill or was it turned off?
Quote from: Gorion;381880Clarification question: Was the PC on during the spill or was it turned off?
It was on.
This (http://superuser.com/questions/340225/what-happens-when-water-is-spilled-in-a-powered-on-pc) talks about a similar issue to yours. Unfortunately I do not have first hand knowledge to provide.
Some other members might have more info.
leave it for a few days. let it dry out. then pull it appart, make sure there's no water stuck in any of the ide slots (turn MB upside down when drying?).
I've had far worse spilled into my audio amp (Vodka + OJ!) and it survived.
The important thing is to turn it off immediately and let it air dry. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.
I warned you about drinking water:rolleyes:
Quote from: Ninja_Freak;381892leave it for a few days. let it dry out. then pull it appart, make sure there's no water stuck in any of the ide slots (turn MB upside down when drying?).
I've had far worse spilled into my audio amp (Vodka + OJ!) and it survived.
The important thing is to turn it off immediately and let it air dry. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.
I pulled out the RAM and graphics card to dry off, didn't fancy pulling the whole thing apart just yet. I'm away this weekend so I'll be leaving it to dry until Monday.
I didn't have a chance to turn it off, it just shut off almost instantly. Which I think is not a good sign?
Quote from: Toxteth;381898I pulled out the RAM and graphics card to dry off, didn't fancy pulling the whole thing apart just yet. I'm away this weekend so I'll be leaving it to dry until Monday.
I didn't have a chance to turn it off, it just shut off almost instantly. Which I think is not a good sign?
Take the side off and lie it on its side (or at least leaning 45deg) so any water runs away from the MB etc.
Was there much water visible? did much run out when you opened it?
If it turned off instantly, something will probably have shorted out and died.
If you're lucky, it's something small and easily replaced. If it's the motherboard then you have an expensive repair bill ahead....
The only thing you can do is take everything apart, and get it TOTALLY dry. Then start putting things back in a component at a time to try and find the faulty bit.
Some MBs have short protection, so that could be the reason for the instant shut-off.
I have done this mate exactly like that I tested all I could but in the end I built a new machine so there was no issue of faulty bits. Expensive yes but was piece of mind for me.
Sent from my Nexus 4
Quote from: BrotherTobious;381902I have done this mate exactly like that I tested all I could but in the end I built a new machine so there was no issue of faulty bits. Expensive yes but was piece of mind for me.
Sent from my Nexus 4
It's 4 years old so I'm not going to be looking to spend much money on saving it. If it works - great! If not - I'm going to salvage what I can and see if I can make something out of it.
Testing:
Is it best to start with a bare bones test and then keep adding from there or should I just see if it all works straight off, then strip is back and test individual bits?
Quote from: Toxteth;381905Testing:
Is it best to start with a bare bones test and then keep adding from there or should I just see if it all works straight off, then strip is back and test individual bits?
I would start with the bare minimum. If it POST's and you can get to the BIOS, turn it off and add the next component. Rinse and repeat until you hit a problem, or you get everything in successfully.
It takes time, but it's worth it.
Quote from: Toxteth;381905Testing:
Is it best to start with a bare bones test and then keep adding from there or should I just see if it all works straight off, then strip is back and test individual bits?
Bare bones sounds like a good plan. I've known a PC to recover from a dousing in beer, and it was on when the spillage occurred. Leave it off and unplugged to dry thoroughly as ninja suggests - if you have time take out the larger bits and pour away any water pooling in the slots etc.
Ninja and Blunt said something real important, about rotating the case (and components as they dry). Water (or any liquid) has a nasty habit of sticky in small puddles in the creases of components and not drying out properly, net result is a potential short circuit again when you power it up again. So do what was said, strip out the components and heat dry them for a few days in an airing cupboard, rotating through all three axis periodically to ensure the water moves from the corners and has a chances to dry out.
Don't underestimate how tricky water is to get out of the case, which is why you need to breal the build down to component level for drying. For example, a slug of water will sit quite happily in the case screw hole into which you have placed a screw to hold your motherboard to the case. The water won't move as it has a nice screw holding it there and it won't dry properly either (because the screw limits the surface area for evaporation). Despite a couple of days of drying, that screw hole will most likely remain wet and have the potential to cause a later short unless you strip the components out and the case down to let them air dry on their own.
Next step is then to follow what Tutonic said, bare bones build and power up and add components one at a time to find the failures (and minimise damage to anything that is not yet damaged).
Good luck!
A hair dryer will also be your friend to get rid of the pooled water, if you think that when the components have dried out, give them a blast with the dryer for a few minutes to be sure, to be sure. That would be most important for the power supply, if that got doused as well.
Quote from: Toxteth;381879That's right. You heard. Not on my computer. IN. :blink:
It's not looking good. The water went straight through the fan on top. There is water is on everything.
How's the patient Toxteth? Still got a pulse?
Tox is on his way to Rotterdam atm, so I'd imagine his rig is gently drying.
Quote from: TeaLeaf;381979How's the patient Toxteth? Still got a pulse?
Well, after 2 weeks of drying and putting it off, I've found a couple of hours to try it out.
The patient has a pulse.
Plug in and I get a green light on the mobo, turn on and PSU fires up nicely. Nothing coming on the screen. Red light glowing inside coming from 'CPU LED'.
Initial diagnosis - Suspected fried CPU.
Did you try re-seating the cpu?
Do you hear any post beeps, and which type?
If the cpu is fried, you generally will only hear fans with no beeps at all.
Quote from: Gorion;382372Did you try re-seating the cpu?
Do you hear any post beeps, and which type?
If the cpu is fried, you generally will only hear fans with no beeps at all.
Re-seating the CPU is my next step. If I recall correctly I heard no beeps, but we'll see what happens after re-seating.
fingers crossed!
Quote from: Browne;381975A hair dryer will also be your friend to get rid of the pooled water, if you think that when the components have dried out, give them a blast with the dryer for a few minutes to be sure, to be sure. That would be most important for the power supply, if that got doused as well.
Not the best idea, as the smd components doesnt require much heat before they fall off ;)
Little sister learned the hard way
A Can of air..blows the water away. Tipping..I feel for yah, I have been really drunk, and never done that. It's like a MEATLOAF song, hey I heard bags of rice work.
:boxing: