How much water can EVO (or any other cell) sustain?

[Existence]

Yep...Was playing angry birds and all the sudden slipped right out of my hands into the toilet . Pulled it out asap. Dried it off. Now the phone turns on, sound works, but no lcd. After about 5 reboots the screen worked for a bit then went blank. The led buttons light up but not the screen. I have now taken it apart and hoping that will do something after a while. If not ill have to spend $100 and get another one. Doh!!!

 

[akazabam]

Yikes! The last thing you want to do after doing that is turn it back on. Hopefully nothing got permanently destroyed. There are two things you can do - soak it in 90% rubbing alcohol and let it dry and/or submerge it in dry rice. Sometimes it can take several days of this for it to fully dry out, and you shouldn't turn it on during that time. Once it's fully dry, you can turn it on, and if there is no permanent damage, it should turn on with none of the issues you just described. Good luck!

EDIT: And, of course, keep the battery out of the phone the whole time.

 

[toomuchgame441]

Yea, the dry rice idea might do it... I hope it works out for you.

 

[Existence]

Yikes! The last thing you want to do after doing that is turn it back on. Hopefully nothing got permanently destroyed. There are two things you can do - soak it in 90% rubbing alcohol and let it dry and/or submerge it in dry rice. Sometimes it can take several days of this for it to fully dry out, and you shouldn't turn it on during that time. Once it's fully dry, you can turn it on, and if there is no permanent damage, it should turn on with none of the issues you just described. Good luck!

EDIT: And, of course, keep the battery out of the phone the whole time.

Well i have turned it on a few times. I think i probably did damage the LCD. I already went ahead and ordered a replacement. Just told them i lose the phone and it was $100 even. Should be here in a few days. Now if water damage one starts to work ill sell the one i get in the mail and continue to use mine. Other than that you said to go submerge it into rubbing alcohol? I have the phone completely apart and using a hair dryer to dry it. Not to close to melt it but enough to have it warm.

 

[akazabam]

Well i have turned it on a few times. I think i probably did damage the LCD. I already went ahead and ordered a replacement. Just told them i lose the phone and it was $100 even. Should be here in a few days. Now if water damage one starts to work ill sell the one i get in the mail and continue to use mine. Other than that you said to go submerge it into rubbing alcohol? I have the phone completely apart and using a hair dryer to dry it. Not to close to melt it but enough to have it warm.

1) Just because you turned it on doesn't mean it's fried. It's more likely that it is than if you'd turned it off immediately, but it's not possible to know for sure yet.

2) Once you get your replacement through insurance, don't expect to ever be able to use the old one again. In the case of a phone marked as lost or stolen, they make sure it's not usable.

3) Yeah, alcohol will basically draw out all the water leaving just alcohol, which evaporates quickly leaving your phone fully dry. That and/or rice should get your phone sufficiently dry.

4) Be careful using a hair dryer. You'll do worse damage to the phone if it gets too hot. A hairdryer with a setting to just turn off the heat is best.

 

[Existence]

So i wont be able to use it again? Maybe ill use it for spare parts or sell it for parts.

 

[akazabam]

So i wont be able to use it again? Maybe ill use it for spare parts or sell it for parts.

If you're already getting a new phone through insurance, you won't be able to connect the old one to the network anymore.

 

[Existence]

Well put everything back together and still no LCD display. I prob fried it cause i remember when it was on it kept flickering sometimes and getting really dim.

 

[Existence]

If you're already getting a new phone through insurance, you won't be able to connect the old one to the network anymore.

Im assuming if later down the road i tell them someone returned it to me they would want one of them back and i wont get a refund huh?

 

[akazabam]

Well put everything back together and still no LCD display. I prob fried it cause i remember when it was on it kept flickering sometimes and getting really dim.

Unless you did this a few days ago, you still haven't given it nearly enough time, but could very well have fried it by now.

Im assuming if later down the road i tell them someone returned it to me they would want one of them back and i wont get a refund huh?

If I'm not mistaken, the gist of it is if you report a phone lost or stolen, and they send you a new one, the old one becomes their property, and if you find it, you are obligated to send it back with no refund.

 

[Ivansandroid]

I know somebody that dropped theirs (EVO) in the toilet and its still running fine today.

 

[sitlet]

I know somebody that dropped theirs (EVO) in the toilet and its still running fine today.

Very possible. As long as you quickly take the battery out, and let the phone COMPLETELY dry, for at LEAST a few days, before turning it back on, the phone will likely be fine. The big problem comes when people drop it in water, then quickly turn it back on to see if it works. This is the worst thing you can do, as there is still water on the boards, and when you try to turn it on and push electricity through it, it shorts stuff out and will never work again. I would say 80% of the time, if you FULLY dry the phone before turning it back on, the phone will work fine.

 

[mdizzle99]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ll_PkjeAgU

This is NOT my video but thought you all might find it interesting and quite pertinent to the topic at hand...enjoy

 

[wilfried]

Well, I might as well tell my story. My companion in Cambodia somehow managed to drop his cell phone down a well. Seeing as folks there are not rich, the phone was a precious commodity, and he was besides himself. It wasn't a deep well, so someone else climbed down and managed to retrieve it. I had the sense to tell him not to turn it and pull the battery, and let it dry for a good long time. A couple of days later it worked again.

 

[JMac202]

I dropped my Evo into a glass of crystal light lemonade. It fell top down. (I have an Otterbox Communter case on it). Pulled it out. Screen was still working. Pulled the battery. Let it dry overnight. Worked fine the next morning. I had some condensation under the lens but it dried up and went away. Streak free. My screen had some wash out on the top left corner. Went away after a few days as well. Works just like it did before it was dropped.

 

[mcl1981]

Why do people take their phones in the shower with them. Is it too much to leave it sitting in the bedroom for 10 minutes?

 

[icereignblack]

Well, you know when you wake up in the morning you make a b line to the toilet and you begin to read your favorite messages boards. Once you are down you place you phone on what ever can hold it without it falling in said toilet. you then take you shower, dry off then pick up your phone and continue reading as you walk out of your bathroom. I am sure i am not the only one who does this right. right?

 

[Dingus]

I used to work in a repair center and still have nightmares about having to tell people that their brand new $300 phone can't be fixed or swapped because there's just enough corrosion on the board that it can't be sent back to the manufacturer.

You never know with these things, sometimes they get submerged and work for years, sometimes they get used once in the rain and get ruined....and sometimes I put it in my car's cupholder after having an iced coffee in there on a summer day and the condensation that pooled gets into the charging port and kills it. Definitely watch out for this with the EVO.

I've heard that if it gets soaked, pulling the battery and submerging it in alcohol will prevent corrosion on the board but I'm not going to test the theory.


Bottom line is be careful and get insurance.

 

[TehBigCarp]

My GF dropped her Evo into a fully submerged sink for a split second. Tore it apart, tried to air it out and everything, but after a few hours, sounds started sounding muffled and fuzzy. Luckily Sprint overnighted one hehe, she cant have mine!!

PS. Water damage deductible of $100

 

[Panchoevo]

If your phone gets submerged leave it in a bag of rice (uncooked) for a few days...your phone won't be perfect but usable.

Rice! I hate rice. Maybe french fries, but rice, no way. I'll leave it in a bag of french fries...no, onion rings, yah, onion rings. Problem solved. Onion rings, mmm, onion rings.

 

[Panchoevo]

I know somebody that dropped theirs (EVO) in the toilet and its still running fine today.

Yep, same here. Dropped an EVO in the toilet, and the toilet works just fine.

 

[sitlet]

but after a few hours, sounds started sounding muffled and fuzzy.

Did you not read anything on here? You need to let it completely dry for DAYS, not hours.

 

[sitlet]

Rice! I hate rice. Maybe french fries, but rice, no way. I'll leave it in a bag of french fries...no, onion rings, yah, onion rings. Problem solved. Onion rings, mmm, onion rings.

Wow, thanks for contributing to this thread...