What to Do After a Liquid Spill on Your Device
Updated: Oct 27
Step-by-Step Guide on What to Do Following a Liquid Spill
NB: If the device has been left for a long time after a liquid mishap and if you have attempted to turn it on multiple times, it may not be repairable. Please follow the steps below carefully to avoid further damage and minimize repair cost:-
HARD SWITCH OFF YOUR DEVICE IMMEDIATELY. IF YOU CAN, (IF YOUR MACHINE HAS A REMOVABLE BATTERY), REMOVE THE BATTERY AND CHARGER AND/OR HOLD THE POWER BUTTON DOWN FOR 10 SECONDS, TO ENSURE IT IS OFF AS SWIFTLY AS POSSIBLE. PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO TURN IT ON AGAIN UNTIL IT HAS BEEN LOOKED AT AND ALL LIQUID REMOVED FROM INSIDE THE MACHINE, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!
GET SOME KITCHEN ROLL AND LIGHTLY, BUT QUICKLY ABSORB ANY LIQUID THAT YOU CAN SEE, YOU COULD TRY TO HOLD YOUR MACHINE UPSIDE DOWN WHILST DOING THIS. THIS WILL ASSIST GRAVITY WITH PULLING THE LIQUID AWAY FROM THE INTERNAL COMPONENTS. YOU MUST BE SUPER CAREFUL NOT TO TURN THE MACHINE BACK ON THOUGH!
3. POSITION THE DEVICE CORRECTLY -
FOR MACBOOKS 2016 ONWARDS - IMMEDIATELY TURN YOUR LIQUID DAMAGED MACHINE THE OPPOSITE WAY TO THE WAY THE LIQUID HIT AND PLACE IT IN AS LOW A PYRAMID SHAPE AS YOU CAN, SO THE LIQUID CAN RUN DOWN AND AWAY FROM THE KEYBOARD, IT'S LAYERS AND THE INTERNAL COMPONENTS. IF YOU CAN DO SO WITHOUT PRESSING THE KEYS, LAY IT ON SEVERAL SHEETS OF THE KITCHEN ROLL, BEING CAREFUL NOT TO ACTUALLY PRESS THE KEYS, AS THIS WILL TURN THE MACHINE BACK ON. DO NOT OPEN AND CLOSE THE LID, AS THIS WILL ALSO POWER THE MACHINE BACK ON. CLEAN ANY LIQUID YOU CAN VISIBLY SEE FROM UNDERNEATH AND THE SIDES OF THE MACHINE, ALSO FROM THE VENTS AT THE BACK AND WHERE THE USB CONNECTORS, ETC, ARE.
FOR LAPTOPS - IF IT'S A LAPTOP THAT DOESN'T TURN ON (AND I DON'T MEAN WAKING FROM SLEEP), WHEN YOU TOUCH ANY KEY OR BY SIMPLY OPENING THE LID, THEN THIS OPTION IS FOR YOU. GET SOME SHEETS OF KITCHEN ROLL, PLACE IT ON A DESK WITH THE KEYBOARD FACE DOWN ON THE KITCHEN ROLL AND OPEN THE LID AND LET IT HANG OVER A DESK OR SIDE SURFACE WHERE IT IS SAFE AND WILL NOT GET KNOCKED.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WHATSOEVER, SHOULD YOU ATTEMPT TO TURN IT ON UNTIL IT IS LOOKED AT BY A PROFESSIONAL!
NOW YOU HAVE DONE ALL THE ABOVE, IT IS TIME TO GET YOUR MACHINE DISASSEMBLED, CLEANED UP, REASSEMBLED AND TESTED. WE HAVE PERFORMED MANY LIQUID SPILL REPAIRS. AS WE HAVE ALREADY STATED ABOVE, LIQUID IS CONDUCTIVE AND CORROSIVE AND SO IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOUR MACHINE IS STRIPPED DOWN, CLEANED AND DRIED OUT AND THEN REASSEMBLED. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TURN YOUR MACHINE ON AGAIN AFTER HARD SWITCHING IT OFF! BE CAUTIOUS OF ANYONE WHO IMMEDIATELY TELLS YOU TO TURN IT ON AND SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING. DO NOT DO THIS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!
We have been successfully dealing with liquid spills now for over 18 years, so after doing all the above, CLICK HERE TO GIVE US A CALL OR FILL OUT AN APPOINTMENT FORM and we will get back to you ASAP to discuss your next steps to getting your liquid damage repaired.
The Importance of Quick Action
Taking quick action after a liquid spill can significantly affect the outcome for a successful repair and help minimize the risk and potentially save your device and your data.
Understanding the Risks -
Liquid damage is not just about the immediate effects. Over time, liquid can cause corrosion, which leads to component level failures. Whilst these may still be replaceable, in extreme cases, it could result in data loss, hardware malfunctions, and more costly repairs.later on down the line.
Prevention Tips -
Obvious after the fact, but please keep liquid away from your precious devices.
What to Expect During the Repair Process -
A repair of this nature can take anything from between 4-48 hrs. However, for more serious spillages where the liquid has been left for a significant amount of time, or the machine repeatedly switched on and off, up to 10 days may be needed to recover your machine. If you have followed the above steps and have not left it too long or not repeatedly tried to turn your device back on, the likelihood of an efficient and economical repair is more achievable.
A repair of this nature is impossible to quote for at this stage unfortunately, but you can call us with more details of your spillage, along with the serial number and/or make and model for your machine and we will put together an estimate for you.
If you observe the above steps, then the repair is more likely to be more economical and the turnaround more efficient. Continuous switching on and off of the machine following liquid damage could cause a more expensive and difficult repair. By doing so, you can increase your chances of recovering your data and getting your device back to working condition. For instance, if the T2, CPU or GPU chips themselves sustain damage, then the machine could be irreparable and the only thing that can be done is to replace the motherboard or logic board. Now, in some cases where he storage is integrated with the motherboard or logic board, that could well mean data loss.
If you ever find yourself in this situation, remember that professional help is just a call away. Don’t hesitate to reach out for assistance. Our contact details are in the footer of every page on our website.
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