Please Help! My MBP Was Soaked in Water!

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:Grimmace:
My MBP was inside a messenger bag and the (tap) water bottle cap got loose and guess what, water flooded the 1/3 bottom of my bag (and yes, the MBP was in it).

The MBP was closed in standby mode, it was kept inside a foam-thingy case which got soaked as well. I have an iSkin ProTouch Keyboard cover so I think water didn't get intside the keyboard.

I immediately took out the battery and drained water out of my MBP. I also pressed the power button for 8 seconds after taking the battery out (as t his turns off all the electiric circuit???) The water got inside the vents (below the screen hinge). The top part of the laptop (DVD drive) and keyboard was dry and not affected by this accident.

I called AppleCare and they told me there's nothing they can do but advise me the nearest Apple Store where I have to take my MBP in. Now, I don't want to do this yet as I've heard successful stories from people who spilled water on their laptops and wait a few days for it to dry.

It's not just the laptop that got soaked but the power adapter as well. Now my MBP is sitting on my desk with the battery out and the power adapter separated (unplugged, ofcourse).

I really am not in the position to buy a new laptop or cover the cost of motherboard replacement etc. Is there anything else that I can do to make sure that my MBP will come back to life without any further issues?

I am going to let the MBP dry for 3 days (is this long enough?).

Thank you for any help. I am in absolute shock at the moment.
 
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I immediately took out the battery and drained water out of my MBP. I also pressed the power button for 8 seconds after taking the battery out (as t his turns off all the electiric circuit???)
Oh boy. I wouldn't have touched the power button, just pulling the battery would have shut things down completely. You simply can't know what damage has happened until you try to power it back up. But that means several days of warm, dry air, prayers, more warm dry air and try to take it apart as much as you can.
Go here:
http://ifixit.com for great take down directions.
Oh, and more prayers!
 
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Yeah, I was running with a backpack full of beers with my macbook, I tripped and they broke SOAKING my macbook. I even turned it on to see if it would work, it did, but only for a few seconds. My macbook wouldn't turn on for months, around the third month I was curious if the charger light was still flashing green, to my surprise it turned orange, I didn't waist over a thousand dollars after all. I was just working on a school project about an hour ago, and I dropped a full bottle of Gatorade which leaked all over macbook. I didn't turn my macbook off, I just grabbed a hair dryer and it works great now. SO.. if you have half my luck your MBP will be fine.
 
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Thank you for the lucks, I really need them.

It's been 30 hours (one day and a half) since the accident and I have left it on my desk near the window (very sunny day today). Do you guys think this is long enough or should I wait until Thursday then try turning it on?
 
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I've taken the battery out (ofcourse) and the RAM compartment*. The water just got through the screen hinge area though. I had an iSkin Protouch Keyboard silicone thingy and when I inspected it after the accident the keyboard seems to be dry.

Do you think waiting until Thursday afternoon is long enough? The spill happend on Monday at 1pm.


* Water did not get anywhere near the battery or the RAM compartment

The following diagram shows where the water has been on the laptop

__________________________
: Super Drive HD :
: :
: :
: :
: :
: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx :
: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx :
------------------------------
SCREEN HINGE

x = water
 
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That Crystals kitty litter is made of that stuff that soaks up moisture. I forget what it's called but it comes with new shoes and clothes. Buy some of that and store the two in a sealed box. It could suck out any excess water.

Three days seems ok but if it was mine, I'd wait a week.
 
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That Crystals kitty litter is made of that stuff that soaks up moisture. I forget what it's called but it comes with new shoes and clothes.

Silicon desiccant.

I hope you took it apart, and there's no way I'd turn it back on in only 3 days.
 
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how long do u reckon i should leave it to dry? i am now thinking one week.

here's the weather condition at my location: Accuweather Report

the weather has been perfect lately (around 20c sunny all day long).
 

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Silicon desiccant.

I hope you took it apart, and there's no way I'd turn it back on in only 3 days.

Agreed - the longer you wait, the better. Your patience will pay off.
 
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Yeah, I was running with a backpack full of beers with my macbook, I tripped and they broke SOAKING my macbook. I even turned it on to see if it would work, it did, but only for a few seconds. My macbook wouldn't turn on for months, around the third month I was curious if the charger light was still flashing green, to my surprise it turned orange, I didn't waist over a thousand dollars after all. I was just working on a school project about an hour ago, and I dropped a full bottle of Gatorade which leaked all over macbook. I didn't turn my macbook off, I just grabbed a hair dryer and it works great now. SO.. if you have half my luck your MBP will be fine.

Thank you! Your quote lifted me up. I've been so depressed lately without my MBP. I shall try my best not to touch it until next Monday (exactly one week after the accident) and ............................... hopefully it'll come back to life. :Oops:
 
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By the way is it safe if I use a product like WD40 and spray it inside my MBP to displace water and dislodge water deposits etc.? Will it smell bad and cause any problem etc?
 

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By the way is it safe if I use a product like WD40 and spray it inside my MBP to displace water and dislodge water deposits etc.? Will it smell bad and cause any problem etc?

I don't know whether WD40 is conductive, but I would certain not spray it on or around any electronics. Oil and electronics generally don't get along :)

Just let it dry out, I'd wait until Friday at the earliest and then give it a shot.
 
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Thanks cwa107. I'll try my best not to touch my MBP until Monday to give it a full week to dry. The humidity here is like 60-70% and temperature 20-23c though, very fortunate for this situation - lol.
 
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I have been down this path a few times. I recommend taking it apart as much as possible (def keyboard, and idealy case) and let a hairdryer on low heat run directly into different parts of the the case for several hours each. The dryer air is much dryer than your house air and the force gets into crannies better. better than waiting for days.

You are probably ok.
 
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the same exact thing happened to me that happened to you. i was sitting at a table and a friend knocked over a glass of water which got into the vent under the screen. the screen flickered then went black within a second. i immediately pulled the power cord and battery out and let it sit for about a day over the heater duct in my house (it was winter). after a day of this it turned on like nothing happened. hope the same goes with you. good luck with it.
 
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Thank you everyone for your positive inputs. It has been about four days since the spillage and I have tried turning my MBP on today. Here's what happend:

1. heard the Apple start-up chime
2. Screen turned on (very dark), saw the Apple logo
3. screen went blank
4. screen appeared white bright
5. screen started flashing
6. i saw trace of water

so i tried connecting it to an external monitor, to my surprise it worked.

i guess the screen is messed up but the machine itself is okay.

I called AppleCare UK and they estimated the cost of repair to be an outrageous £750 (US$1,500) and will take TWO weeks to repair.

I can't justify myself paying that much to replace the screen and can't wait two weeks (i have important work to do). I am just going to keep my current MBP and connect it to an external screen when I get home or get it cleaned up at some computer repair shop.

So........ after begging my parents... they are willing to give me one last chance to buy a new MBP at their costs.

I have decided for the mid-range model 2.5GHz 15". Apple UK offer an academic price at about £1,400 (US$2,800) including AppleCare. I will surely buy additional accidental damage insurance.

What do you guys think about this particular MBP? Is it nearly the end of its cycle (i.e. new MBP coming out soon (within a week or two???)?? I really need to new laptop right now.
 
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Do NOT spray any WD40 on it. The oils will contaminate your system and cause eventual corrosion of the motherboard.

At this point, what I would do is this: Get a box fan - like the type we used to use in our windows before air conditioning became the norm, and a couple of books or other items that can be used to prop it up off the floor.

Lay the props on the floor, so that they will keep the box fan off the floor and allow air to flow up. Lay the box fan on the props so that it blows the air UP, and then set the fan on medium or high speed, depending on how much of the noise it makes you can tolerate. Then, open the MBP as wide as you can. Perhaps you can find some supports to use, to keep the lid and case in a stable position. If you can, open it up and lay it across the top of the box fan, so that the screen and keyboard are facing down (imagine a tent).

This way, air is getting into the MBP via the superdrive slot, and the keyboard and speaker grills. Let air flow through that setup, for as long as you can tolerate -2 days, at least.

After you've spent 48 hours drying it, Keep your fingers crossed. Pray if you believe. Power it up first on battery only, then on power supply.

Disclaimer: I've never done this to an MBP. But I've done it to other wet electronics with about a 75% success rate.
 

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