Spilled water onto my macbook pro... is there hope for me?

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I just spilled water onto my MacBook pro (yes I know I shouldn't have had water near there in the first place - it was accident). After sifting through lots of forums and doing as advised, I'm now waiting for it to dry but I'm really worried it's already fried because:

1. I didn't turn the power off right away - was too caught up in the "oh ****" moment

2.There was enough water to seep into the keyboard

3. I can't take the battery out because that involves getting help from my dad who I know wil be so angry when I tell him

4. I only let it stand inverted for 5-10 mins. It's upright now on my desk because again, I can't hav it standing inverted on my desk because it'll draw attention

I'm trying my best to be patient and wait at least 24 hrs before trying to power on again. But does anyone have any advice or any miracle stories that would make me feel better at the moment?
 
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Yes, i've done as much as i could according to that. I just wanted feedback based on my situation what my chances are of my macbook still functioning.
 

pigoo3

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I just wanted feedback based on my situation what my chances are of my macbook still functioning.

Based on the many many many situations I have seen & heard of here on Mac-Forums...80-90% of laptops that have had liquid spilled on them will no longer operate properly (if at all) without expensive replacement parts. In many cases the expensive part that needs to be replaced is the logic board. And due to the cost of a replacement logic board...in many cases...this means getting a new computer.

I'm actually thinking that 80-90% is pretty liberal...it may actually be more like 95%. Sorry to be so negative...I'm simply being realistic. You can hope for the best...but also prepare for the worst.

Two very very important things we always advise folks here on Mac-Forums are:

1. Always have a backup.
2. Never consume or place liquids near a laptop computer.

Thus what I am saying is...if the computer does miracuously return to 100% normal operation...consider yourself very very very very very lucky!!!:)

- Nick
 
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Three words alas.

Time will tell. It can happen logic board failures takes some days/weeks to materialize.
 

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Does it matter then if i wait 24 hrs vs. 72 to test it out?

How long does it take for the moisture to evaporate in an inclosed space such as inside a laptop computer?...who knows. Unless you can open up the computer to verify 100% that all moisture is gone...it's really a guessing game.

Without being able to verify that all moisture is gone...all that can be said is...the longer the better. But as I already mentioned...the chances that it is ok are seriously against you. If this is the case...you could wait 6 months and it wouldn't matter.

Water + electricity don't mix. And in complex electronic devices like computers...damage can happen in milliseconds. Far faster than you can blink your eyes. So permanent damage could have occurred milliseconds after the spill.

Good luck,

- Nick
 
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Nick,

It's been about 24 hrs and i just turned my macbook on and everything seemed fine although i only left it on for about 20 seconds or so. Does that mean that i just got really lucky or might there be damage that will surface later on?

Thanks.
 

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It's been about 24 hrs and i just turned my macbook on and everything seemed fine although i only left it on for about 20 seconds or so. Does that mean that i just got really lucky or might there be damage that will surface later on?

Longer than a 20 second test might give us a better idea. There are all sorts of things that may or may not work properly:

- Individual keyboard keys may not work
- airport may not work,
- optical drive may not work,
- individual ports may not work
- etc.

You never really mentioned how much liquid or what sort of liquid it was. If it was a lot of liquid...there's always the chance that some of the liquid pooled up somewhere inside...and if the computer is moved around...the remaining liquid may come onto contact with something energized.

But powering up ok for 20 seconds is a positive sign.:)

- Nick
 
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I'm typing this post from my macbook now so my keyboard looks okay. Airport is good too although I feel like my connection is a bit slower than usual - maybe that's just me being paranoid? Screen/optics look fine too. I'm pretty sure my ports aren't damaged because I didn't spill anything near there.

It was just regular water and maybe like half a cup or so?

I'm still going to leave it off for a few more days or even a week just to be safe.
 

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It was just regular water and maybe like half a cup or so?

1/2 a cup of water is not a small amount...especially if most of it got onto or inside the computer. If your computer ends up working fine 100%...again...consider yourself very very very very very lucky!!!;)

But (again) from the limited testing so far...some very positive signs!:)

- Nick
 
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Yeah definitely - i'm really surprised that everything seems intact... I'm almost waiting for something to malfunction. When the spill happened I tried my best to get all of the water out as best I could but I figured some must've gotten inside?
 

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