Spilled water on my keyboard and speakers.

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I posted this on the official spill thread, and I realized that no one has really posted on it recently so I made a new thread and I'm going to try to delete my post on the other thread just so it doesn't look like I'm spamming up the forum. But this is what I posted late last night:

So tonight I got home from work, and I turned on my Macbook Pro 15 inch, late 2011 model I believe. I went to the kitchen to get a 3/4 full glass of ice cold water, and while walking back to the table where my computer was I tripped over my dang dog and spilled water all over my keyboard and speakers. I instantly turned my computer on its side to drain the water and it took me about a minute to remember to power off the computer (it wasn't plugged in thank God). So I tipped it on its side and dried the keyboard and keys as best as I could. I now have it upside down and a little water has leaked out of a few of the keys. Its been about 30 minutes since some water has trickled out (and not a lot trickled out overall).

I'm currently spazzing out because this thing is my baby. I know I shouldn't turn it on for a good 48-72 hours. And I don't think I have a big enough bag of rice to throw it in. What should I do for now to help it dry? Its a unibody, so I don't know how to take the battery out and I don't feel comfortable unscrewing the whole thing.

Should I call Apple tomorrow and talk to them and see if they will look at it and can determine if there is any damage? I have Applecare and sadly I didn't know it didn't cover accidental damage.

Any tips?

edit: so I unscrewed the bottom of the laptop but didn't take out the battery (how no idea how to do that lol.) But I did see that some water was on top of the battery, and around the fans and a few drops elsewhere. i just dabbed/dried them and put the bottom back on. I guess I'll just wait a few days. I might call the computer repair place around my house tomorrow and see what they have to say about my whole situation before I call Apple, since my call will probably go on record. Ugh. I would have preferred my phone to have taken a swim.
 

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What wasn't 100% clear (at least to me)...just so I'm 100% understanding...was your computer fully powered on (via the battery) when the spill occurred? I know that you said it wasn't plugged in?...you did mention that it took you about a minute to power it off after the spill.

Also...for more info on how to disassemble your MacBook Pro...go to iFixit.com...identify your exact computer model...and there should be some disassembly instructions for it.

You need to get this thing 100% dry before you attempt to power it on.

- Nick
 
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Whoops forgot about that.
My computer was on, showing my desktop, but it was not connected to the charger.

Before I turned it off the screen didn't flicker blue or black and it didn't shut down on its own accord.
 

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Whoops forgot about that.
My computer was on, showing my desktop, but it was not connected to the charger.

Before I turned it off the screen didn't flicker blue or black and it didn't shut down on its own accord.

Thanks for the info. WOW...given the extent of the spill (at least the way it sounds)...if it took you about a minute to power your computer off...you got REALLY REALLY lucky that it didn't immediately shut down (due to the spill).

Basically you got to disassemble this thing...dry it out completely...and then do a lot of praying that when you attempt to power it back on that it actually works!

Go to the iFixit.com website...get some disassembly instructions...dry things out 100%...and cross your fingers!!!

Good luck,:)

- Nick
 
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Thanks. I've been praying since last night. And I'm not sure how much actually spilled on my computer, it looked like a lot, but later on after I dried up my computer I realized there was some water still left in the cup and it was on the table and floor too. I don't know if it was from me immediately dumping my computer upside down and running to get towels, or if some of it did just end up on the table/floor also.

Hopefully my eyes played tricks on me and it wasn't as bad as it looked.

One more question:
So its been drying upside down for the past 10-12 hours. Do you think I can close the computer now or should I just leave it upside down for another day or two?
 

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Thanks. I've been praying since last night. And I'm not sure how much actually spilled on my computer, it looked like a lot, but later on after I dried up my computer I realized there was some water still left in the cup and it was on the table and floor too.

It only takes one drop in the wrong place to "fry" a computer!:( The less quantity of liquid that is spilled is better...but it doesn't take much at all to cause problems.

I don't know if it was from me immediately dumping my computer upside down and running to get towels...

Believe me it had nothing to do with how fast you dumped the computer or got paper-towels!!! The damage liquid does to a powered on computer (if the liquid comes in contact with a sensitive area)...is measured in nano or pico seconds.

In case you don't know...this is a picosecond: 0.000000000001 seconds...BELIEVE me...you can't react that quickly!!!;)


So its been drying upside down for the past 10-12 hours. Do you think I can close the computer now or should I just leave it upside down for another day or two?

I wouldn't move it...it could cause any water in it to move around. But eventually you need to disassemble it to dry it out properly.

- Nick
 
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thanks. I'm going to call the computer repair place by house when they open and see if they will disassemble my computer and do the work since they have the knowledge and the tools.

I could cry.
 

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thanks. I'm going to call the computer repair place by house when they open and see if they will disassemble my computer and do the work since they have the knowledge and the tools.

Well...good luck with that!:( I think that you're going to end up paying a LOT MORE for this repair than you think if you cannot do the work yourself.

It would only cost you about $10-$20 to purchase the screwdriver set you need...then follow the iFixit.com instructions. I understand if you feel that you cannot do it. But a standard disassembly, inspection, drying it out, and reassembly may cost you $100-$200 bucks...AND the computer may not even work!!!:(

If it doesn't work (which happens MANY times with liquid spills)...a new logic board & labor will cost you in the neighborhood of $700 bucks (maybe more if it needs more parts). If you read the Mac-Forums "Spill Thread" then you should be vaguely aware of this. Since this is a 2011 model MacBook Pro...even this cost may still be worth getting it repaired (if it needs new parts)...but if it was an older computer...the repair costs could have exceeded the value of the computer (or been close).

Liquid spill stories (in many cases) do not have a happy ending!:( Just being honest. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best!:)

- Nick
 
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I'm preparing for the worst but I am so hoping for the best. Okay one last question about iFixit.com will it be too late once I order the screwdriver set and it gets here to disassemble it and dry it out?
 

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I'm preparing for the worst but I am so hoping for the best. Okay one last question about iFixit.com will it be too late once I order the screwdriver set and it gets here to disassemble it and dry it out?

What do you mean by too late?...why would it be too late? You could let your laptop sit where it is for 6 months and it wouldn't be too late.;) Of course you wouldn't be waiting this long...so no problems!:)

- Nick

p.s. The charge of the batteries in your laptop (if fully charged & the laptop shut down)...can last a long long long time before they are fully discharged from just sitting (easily months & months without causing a problem).
 
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What do you mean by too late?...why would it be too late? You could let your laptop sit where it is for 6 months and it wouldn't be too late.;)

- Nick

p.s. The charge of the batteries in your laptop (if fully charged & the laptop shut down)...can last a long long long time before they are fully discharged from just sitting (easily months & months without causing a problem).

woo thanks! I guess I'll look into ordering the screwdrivers and such. and then when I disassemble it do I just dry whatever I see wet. Or is there a certain procedure for drying it out. And for example if I take out one of the fans and dry whatevers wet can I just put it back? Or should I take out everything at once?
 

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woo thanks! I guess I'll look into ordering the screwdrivers and such. and then when I disassemble it do I just dry whatever I see wet. Or is there a certain procedure for drying it out. And for example if I take out one of the fans and dry whatevers wet can I just put it back? Or should I take out everything at once?

What I would do is:

- The VERY first thing is get the batteries disconnected & removed (iFixit.com procedure)...so any electrical source is removed from the "damage equation".
- Then I would take the computer apart (piece by piece) following the iFixit.com instructions...hand drying each piece as I go (this really is not as many parts as you might think)...bit there are a lot of screws to keep track of. So don't loose any, and don't forget where they go.
- Once everything is apart (at least as far as possible) I would use a hair dryer on a low/cool setting to dry any areas that are hard to access or cannot be seen.

FYI...this spill did not affect the display area (I'm assuming) so DON'T take the display area apart. It's also VERY easy to damage "things/cables" in the display area. I would highly recommend NOT messing around with the display.

HTH,

- Nick

p.s. Here's a photo of an Apple laptop disassembly I did a while ago (not the same model as yours. You see the sheets of paper on the left side of the photo? The sheets of paper have been divided up into sections with a marker...and a number placed in each section/box (probably hard to see in the photo). This number corresponds to each step in the iFixit.com procedure...and in each box I have placed the screws & other small parts so they don't get lost & so I don't forget where they go:

DSCN1425.jpg
 
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Great idea Nick. We used plastic pill boxes, available at WalMart or your pharmacy to dose out pills over a week. If we didn't have those, we used an empty egg carton for the same thing. As you're removing a set of screws, drop them into one of the compartments. Next set of screws, next compartment. In reassembling, you work your way backwards. The plastic boxes had the advantage of having lids. Few things are more disconcerting than having your paper or your egg carton go flying in a sudden gust of wind or someone bumping your workbench (or kitchen table).
 
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thanks guys! I called the shop by my house and they had me take it down and they took out my memory, battery, and hard drive for no charge. He told me to put the laptop on top of some paper towels for the next couple of days and let whatever water drains out of the computer, and then try and turn the computer on and bring it back down and he will go through the computer and tell me what needs to be replaced and the cost.

Unfortunately the memory was damp when he took them out, so he said its more than likely that will have to be replaced.

I will go research more of that iFixit site now though. I'll let you know the damages of my lovely spill in a few days.

I really appreciate the fast input and guidance! :)
 

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Great idea Nick. We used plastic pill boxes, available at WalMart or your pharmacy to dose out pills over a week. If we didn't have those, we used an empty egg carton for the same thing. As you're removing a set of screws, drop them into one of the compartments. Next set of screws, next compartment. In reassembling, you work your way backwards. The plastic boxes had the advantage of having lids. Few things are more disconcerting than having your paper or your egg carton go flying in a sudden gust of wind or someone bumping your workbench (or kitchen table).

Thanks!:) You're right...the advantage of the pill boxes is they have lids.:)

What I like about the paper method (although susceptible to bumps of the table or an accidental swipe of a person's arm or hand)...is when I divide the paper up into "boxes" (usually 6-8 boxes/page with a marker) I number each box with the exact iFixit.com disassembly/assembly step #.

When I place each screw on the paper (in each box)...I place the screw in the same position where it came from relative to the position on the laptop. For example if the screw came from the upper right corner of the laptop bottom...then I place the screw in the upper right corner in the box on the paper. If it came from the lower left corner, then I place it in the lower left corner of the box on the paper...etc.

The older iBooks & Powerbook G3's & G4's sometimes have 8-10 screws that need to be removed before the logic board can be removed (maybe the same with newer laptops)...and they can be of different lengths & diameters. So because of this I like the paper method (then there's no confusion where the screws came from if they're all positioned carefully on the paper (and the number on the paper corresponds to the exact iFixit.com procedure step.

Otherwise I do prefer to use the pill box or egg carton method...since there's a lot less chance of the screws getting mixed up, or knocked & lost on the floor or into the carpet.:)

- Nick
 

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thanks guys! I called the shop by my house and they had me take it down and they took out my memory, battery, and hard drive for no charge. He told me to put the laptop on top of some paper towels for the next couple of days and let whatever water drains out of the computer, and then try and turn the computer on and bring it back down and he will go through the computer and tell me what needs to be replaced and the cost.

Unfortunately the memory was damp when he took them out, so he said its more than likely that will have to be replaced.

I will go research more of that iFixit site now though. I'll let you know the damages of my lovely spill in a few days.

I really appreciate the fast input and guidance! :)

WOW...that was very nice of them to do that much disassembly at no charge.:)

I really don't like to be...or want to be pessimistic...but the ram being damp is not a very good thing. That certainly means other stuff got wet...very possibly the logic board.

I hope that I am wrong:)...I for one...would be VERY interested what the repair guys discover after they try to power it back on to see if it operates properly.:)

Good luck,

- Nick
 
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I know! I was like no charge?! And he was like no worries. I was very happy about that, gave me a little break.

And I'm preparing for the worst now, but hoping for the best. Hopefully the logic board and the keyboard aren't damaged. I would prefer to have only one. lol.

Thursday morning I will power it on and test the board and see if it works and then I'll bring it down for him to go through it completely.
 

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Thursday morning I will power it on and test the board and see if it works and then I'll bring it down for him to go through it completely.

I guess I'm confused what's going on. You said that the repair guys removed the ram, HD, and battery...but you didn't say what happened from there.

In your last post (quoted above)...you said that YOU will be powering it on. I guess I'm thinking that if the repair guy removed the ram, HD, and battery...that these parts need to be put back in before powering things back on (you didn't say if this was done).

AND...didn't we talk about completely disassembling things to get all the liquid dried up & removed...using a hair dryer as well to get at the parts/crevices that cannot be seen? If only the ram, battery, and HD were removed...there could still be liquid in there. If you power things up...and there's liquid still in there...guess what...a very good chance of a trashed laptop (assuming that it's not a goner already).

Do what you want...but it doesn't sound like you're following the advice that was recommended earlier in this thread!

- Nick
 

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