The Official "I spilled liquid in my MacBook, what do I do now?" Thread

We don't know if anything was shorted out on the logic board or, if any damage was done by the water. However, if you go through all the spill threads you'll see that water damage can show up later on. Right now, half the keys are not working. In the future.....?

chscag said:

We don't know if anything was shorted out on the logic board or, if any damage was done by the water. However, if you go through all the spill threads you'll see that water damage can show up later on. Right now, half the keys are not working. In the future.....?

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Then I definitely feel obliged to buy a new one tomorrow, wouldnt risk sitting at an exam and suddenly have the computer throw a hissy fit!

Well, there you go... now you have an excuse to buy a new machine. Also, I might suggest buying a notebook stand. Not only does it help keep the machine cool, it provides some protection against those nasty spills.

Keyboard Issue

Hi there!
Today, I spilled some cleaning liquid on my MacBook (2009). After the usual measures, the laptop is still working as it should (yay!). However, I'm having some keyboard issues, which are quite similar to the person that posted right before me..
At first the "special keys" seemed to be stuck (not physically, but they did act like they were stuck). The shift, cmd and option key were turned on, either one of them or a combination. If I opened the onscreen keyboard however, it did not always show these keys were activated. I could also not use the onscreen keyboard by clicking the onscreen keys, it did nothing.
So I shut down the laptop and cleaned the keyboard thoroughly. I lifted the keys, used compressed air to blow away dirt, let it dry. I replaced the keys and they look and feel as before.
When restarted, none of the keys was acting like it was stuck, the online keyboard was working again (a step forward, surely), but the actual keys of the internal keyboard are now not responding at all!
I'm using my laptop now with an external bluetooth keyboard, and that works perfectly fine. So I guess the million dollar question is: Have I ruined my keyboard?
So, as I said, similar problem to the person before me, but also slightly different. Would experts make the same diagnosis on my keyboard (aka give it up, its ruined, or is there something else I can try)?

Edit: Is is possible to just have the keyboard replaced?

It is possible to have the entire keyboard replaced and maybe that will be all there is to it. But if you've read through or at least scanned through this entire Sticky Thread, you'll see that troubles can turn up in the future. Cleaning fluid generally contains a lot of alcohol which tends to evaporate quickly, but there are also other ingredients that are very volatile and can damage your computer. Keep your fingers crossed.

Thanks! Yes, I have read the other posts and it did not make me very hopeful. But so far everything is working fine, except the keyboard.
Does anyone know how much it will cost to replace the keyboard?
My laptop is quite old (for a laptop anyway, almost 4 years), so if it is very expensive I might not bother getting it replaced and just get a new one in a while. I have the wireless keyboard to tie me over in any case.

EmmaVdW said:

Does anyone know how much it will cost to replace the keyboard?

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Who's doing the replacing...Apple or you?

- Nick

You might want to check on eBay for a used or even new keyboard for your Mac. Have your exact model number on hand when you do. Also, assuming you can do the work yourself, it may not be expensive. Having someone else do it for you always involves paying labor costs.

A new keyboard can be purchased from several places:

iFixit: The free repair manual

Mac Repair - Mac Parts and Service for Apple Macbook, iPhone, iPad

Apple Parts.com

Thank you for the links chscag!
I guess if I make Apple do it, it will possible cost me my firstborn child...
But I am no computer expert (though I know how to put together Ikea furniture, this might take a higher skill at screwing and fitting things together), so I don't know if I could handle it myself. I might buy a replace keyboard and take it to a regular computer shop as a middle ground though. It will all depend on how fed up I get with the problem .

Edit: A quick search yielded results. Replacement keyboards (or rather complete upper casing) range between 150 (refurbished) and 250 (new) dollars. It is also said not to be very difficult to replace (especially if you have the complete upper casing), but it mostly takes patience and time. So if anybody has the same issue, those are the facts...

A "true second hand" one may be even cheaper (though I haven't found any yet), but the refurbished ones do come with a 6 month warranty, so that's nice.

EmmaVdW said:

Edit: A quick search yielded results. Replacement keyboards (or rather complete upper casing) range between 150 (refurbished) and 250 (new) dollars. It is also said not to be very difficult to replace (especially if you have the complete upper casing), but it mostly takes patience and time. So if anybody has the same issue, those are the facts...

A "true second hand" one may be even cheaper (though I haven't found any yet), but the refurbished ones do come with a 6 month warranty, so that's nice.

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So to those prices add the cost of labor for the install if Apple was to do it...and then you have a better idea of what it would cost to have Apple do it.

I think that you'll find that the value of your 4 year-old Apple computer is probably such that spending that sort of money wouldn't make a whole lot of sense. Leaving you with the least expensive option of doing it yourself.

Be aware. It's very possible that something else could have been effected. So if you replace the keyboard...something else could pop up now or in the future. That's the problem with liquid spills.

Good luck,

- Nick

p.s. I just double checked...and saw that you have a 2009 MacBook. Rough estimate on it's current value...about $400 bucks. So you really want to be careful how much $$$ you invest getting it repaired.

My advise will be to disconnect the power and the battery to start with. Then, if you are feeling brave, disconnect as many of the components inside the machine as possible and try to get rid of the liquid.

The quicker you clean it the better because the liquid will start corrosion and this will damage the components irreversibly.

I use canisters with compressed air to blow the liquid away from under tiny chips and everywhere else. Then, if there are any traces of damage like green foam and corrosion, i use a brush and electronic solvent cleaner to clean the damage and then I leave it to dry out.

This is a gamble but I save about 40% of the machines this way without replacing components.

Of course, if the liquid is thick and sticky your keyboard might stop working and you will need to replace it.


Ivaylo
capitalupgrades.com

Hi,

I have a question about water spillage and Energy saving mode for Better Battery performance that I hope the experts here can help me with my problem.

To start, I have two rambunctious cats that spilled a bunch of water on the right side of my Macbook Pro. Luckily, most of it went under the laptop stand but a bunch went into the slot of the superdrive. I immediately turned off the computer and turned the computer on it's side to get any water out (a but went out). I then unscrewed the lower casing and removed the battery. Then I unscrewed the superdrive, hard drive and cooling fan to see the extent of the water damage. Superdrive is shot, not too much water damage in the hard drive bay and a couple of drops ended up in the cooling fan area. I didn't think it was that bad but I still left the laptop to dry for 3 days.

This morning I put it back together and turned it on. Superdrive sounded really bad and screen was blank. However, I could hear the hard drive whirring away which I thought was a positive sign. I turned it off and left the laptop for another day to dry off. I tried it again but plugged in an external monitor. Screen on the laptop still wasn't working but the external monitor started working and running through the start screen.

The keyboard, trackpad, sound and USB ports work fine and the laptop is charging. I also tried the iSight camera and it works perfect. But the laptop screen was still working. So I tried to change the Energy Saver Preferences from Better Battery Life to Higher Performance and voila! The laptop screen started working and also recognizing the external monitor.

However, when I changed the profile back to Better Battery Life, the screen goes blue and keeps flickering until I have to do a hard reset. It flickered for a good minute or so before I did the reset.

Is it possible that the integrated graphics card would have water damage? Just wondering as I would like to get more battery life but I'm just a bit glad the screen is working again!

Thanks,

Vinh

vdao1972 said:

Is it possible that the integrated graphics card would have water damage? Just wondering as I would like to get more battery life but I'm just a bit glad the screen is working again!

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As I was reading this...this is exactly the conclusion I was coming to as well. It sounds like the integrated graphics was somehow affected...without affecting the dedicated graphics.

Just in case...one thing you could try is an SMC reset:

Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)

When you removed the battery...you sort of did an SMC reset. But you could try it again just in case.

HTH,

- Nick

p.s. Just in case you didn't know. If the integrated graphics on the computer has been damaged...the only way to repair it is a new logic board. This is going to cost you in the neighborhood of $500. Which in many cases is not worth it...compared to the value of the computer.

Here's my spiel:
I have a 2010 mbp

Spilled water near the Mac, and I think some went to the left side on the hinge. Originally, didn't think any hit my Mac so continued to use. After about 10 minutes red and orange lines started to fill the screen and got worse until I could reach the computer and power down. I don't think a large amount of water got in, and the next day I took it apart and tried to clean all areas with a q tip. I had disconnected all lines that were part of the monitor and checked for any damage but saw none on either the connections or motherboard. I have not powered on anything since and had been drying for around 24 hours.

I couldn't find any posts that had a similar outcome with the screen. Have any had any experience with this? Besides waiting as long as possible for any liquid to dry, can anyone provide any type of conclusion besides the wait and see approach? Computer is my life (I'm a graphic designer) and don't have the fund to replace parts or buy a new computer.

Thanks in advance.

Waff said:

I couldn't find any posts that had a similar outcome with the screen. Have any had any experience with this? Besides waiting as long as possible for any liquid to dry, can anyone provide any type of conclusion besides the wait and see approach?

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I'm sorry to say that your situation is not special.

How the spill occurred...what side effects that caused...really results in one unfortunate situation...Water + Electronics = Problems!

All one can do is "wait & see". There is no magic crystal ball to predict how long one should wait. Even if the waiting is done...there is absolutely no guarantees that a positive outcome will result.

Liquids near laptops is so much riskier than 99% of folks think. But when a liquid spill occurs...many times expensive lessons are learnt & not soon forgotten.

Good Luck,

- Nick

HI

Right, my question is mostly about AppleCare really, but I'd still appreciate some guidance on what may happen to my MacBook Pro (13 inch, late 2011).

Last night about half a glass of coke went over the left side of my keyboard mostly, and as soon as this happened the laptop immediately shut down (which I assumed was a very bad sign). I was in such a panic that I didn't read anything about what to do, so I cleaned up the liquid from the top of the MacBook, and tried to turn it on - it didn't work. I then spent about half an hour lightly hairdrying it, after which it did turn on. The laptop has continued to work perfectly all day, you wouldn't even know that I spilled coke on it last night (it perhaps takes slightly longer to start-up, but this might just be me looking for any potential changes).

I am worried however that it is only a matter of time before something goes wrong. Considering I only left it about half an hour/40 minutes in total, I haven't opened it up, and considering my laptop immediately shut down when the coke was spilled on it. Surely there can't be NO damage internally?

Now, I'm aware that AppleCare will not cover any repairs, but if I take my MacBook to the nearest Apple store would they at least open it up and check for any damage that may be there? As much as it works perfectly now, this surely can't last forever.

Also, in cases similar to mine where the Mac has seemed to continue to work perfectly, does that continue to happen? Or am I justified in thinking it's basically just a matter of time before it breaks?

Thanks for any help or guidance in advance.

Also, in cases similar to mine where the Mac has seemed to continue to work perfectly, does that continue to happen? Or am I justified in thinking it's basically just a matter of time before it breaks?

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If you read through this entire thread, you'll quickly come to the conclusion that your thinking may be right. Coke is especially damaging because of the sugary liquid and corrosive nature of the solution. It's best to take your machine apart and clean it up internally. The take apart instructions at iFixit: The free repair manual are comprehensive and easy to follow.

If you do take your machine to Apple, I do not know for sure if they'll charge you for taking it apart and diagnosing any problems. However, I do know as soon as they see the liquid detectors have been activated, they will stop diagnosing it and tell you that you need a new logic board. (Very expensive repair.)

Try cleaning it up yourself would be my advice. It's not as difficult as you may think. Good luck with it and let us know how it goes.

Alright, I'll open it up tomorrow I think, thanks for the response. If I do open it up and clean it, and there's no obvious Coke stains, or signs of damage should I think I'm in the clear? Or (from your experiences) could I still be potentially looking at problems a few months down the line?

Even if you find no sign of coke or stains, I would still undertake cleaning it. Use denatured alcohol sparingly on a clean cloth or swabs if they're handy. Just make sure that you keep very close track of all the various screws and fasteners and where they go. The ifixit instructions are very good but keeping track of screws may be the difficult part. If the coke got beneath the logic board, it will have to be completely removed in order to clean it on both sides.

Only time will tell, but if you do a good cleanup job, your MBP should be OK for future use. Also... and I almost forgot, pay attention to your keyboard. If any coke got between the keys that will definitely spell trouble in the future and may mean replacing the entire keyboard.

warman42 said:

HI

Right, my question is mostly about AppleCare really, but I'd still appreciate some guidance on what may happen to my MacBook Pro (13 inch, late 2011).

Now, I'm aware that AppleCare will not cover any repairs, but if I take my MacBook to the nearest Apple store would they at least open it up and check for any damage that may be there? As much as it works perfectly now, this surely can't last forever.

Click to expand...

I think that the first question the Apple folks are going to ask is..."Why do you want us to take your computer apart/open it up?" And of course you're going to have to tell them because you spilled half a glass of Coke on it.

As soon as you say this...the Apple folks are going to throw their hands up in the air...and say something like..."Sure we'll open it up & check...but it's going to cost you...since the work/labor will not be covered with Applecare." Nobody works for free...and the Apple tech folks are very busy.

You must also realize...the liquid that was spilt was probably spilt onto the keyboard area...then it seeped inside the computer. The ONLY way to access the inside of the computer is to take the bottom cover off.

When this bottom cover is removed...guess what we're going to find??:

- Lots & lots of sticky liquid Coke (since the Coke was just spilled last night).
- What you're also going to see (when the bottom cover is removed)...is the bottom of the logic board...not the top of the logic board where a lot of the liquid coke/sticky coke is going to be (which is directly underneath the keyboard)
- Also...the keyboard itself will also be gunked up with Coke.

The ONLY way to inspect the top side of the logic board...is to remove the logic board...and this is not a quick or simple thing to do (another reason why the Apple folks aren't going to do it for free).

Lastly. One thing you REALLY don't want to do at this point is (since the spill just happened last night...AND since the computer still seems to be working)...is flipping the computer over 180° degrees to open it up to inspect. Unless you aren't planning on using the computer again until the computer is mostly disassembled to inspect & clean it.

As soon as you start flipping the computer over 180°...you're going to "slosh" whatever liquid Coke is still inside...causing that liquid Coke to be relocated from a place where it currently is doing no harm...to a place that it may do GREAT HARM!!!

i.e....destroying your computer (the result most folks with liquids spills in this thread have experienced)!

The bottom line is. This computer needs to be powered down ASAP AND the internal battery disconnected/removed..until such time that the computer is disassembled, inspected, and cleaned.

If you are currently using this computer (AFTER a half glass of Coke was spilled on it)...and most likely still has liquid Coke sloshing around in side of it...you are playing with a ticking time bomb!!! It may continue working one second...and permanently shut down the next second. Then what you will be left with is a $1000+ doorstop/paperweight (just like many folks in this thread).

Sorry to be so blunt...but that's the honest truth. Sometimes the only way to convey a warning message strongly enough...is to be blunt!

Good luck,

- Nick