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

[chscag]

Position it so that the water if any remains, will drain out. Do not turn on your MacBook Pro until all the water is gone! Leave it off for several days at least. Keep your fingers crossed and hope that no water got onto the logic board while the machine was on.

And for goodness sake, use a notebook stand at home which will protect your machine from nasty spills while it also helps in the cooling process.

 

[wizi]

Yesterday night I spilled some beer on my macbook white(on the keyboard). I unplugged the cable 2 seconds after and the laptop turned off automatically(since I'm using it without a battery).

I placed it upside-down in a sealed plastic bag with a lot of rice inside. I wanted to leave it like that for 2-3 days.

However today I decided to open it to see how it looks inside.

A lot of dust+beer = a total mess. The notebook is still wet inside(on the motherboard and on the fan etc)

What do you recommend me to do now? I'm thinking to gently clean the dust, leave it another 24-48 hours to dry and finally to splash the keyboard and motherboard with some isopropylic alcohol.

Is this a good approach?

Any advices?

Thanks

 

[Ttaylor394]

I've never spilled anything but H20 on my MBP.. one time i hit my old Inspiron with a lacrosse ball.. but generally speaking-what you've done & are planning on doing is the accepted steps. It is also generally accepted that things that leave residue (anything but water.. and some ppl will say water will leave residue) never get fully cleaned off. You just wont be able to get to everything with a cue tip and the alcohol. Some ppl think compressed air is bad since that may move whats in there further into a deep dark crevasse.

What you should do is save up some money and buy a new computer, it probably wont work anymore. I hope you reply and say otherwise, but it appears that you have the plastic white Mac Book. So the newest it may be is '09 or '10 if you bought it refurb.

Good luck.. report back and prove me wrong.

 

[pigoo3]

Yesterday night I spilled some beer on my macbook white(on the keyboard). I unplugged the cable 2 seconds after and the laptop turned off automatically(since I'm using it without a battery).

A lot of dust+beer = a total mess. The notebook is still wet inside(on the motherboard and on the fan etc)

What do you recommend me to do now?

Honestly...have you read this thread at all?? The MacBook is a total disaster. Please read the thread...and I think that you will get an idea what to do...and what your chances are of this computer ever working again.

One thing I can recommend. STOP drinking beer (or any beverages) around laptop computers!

Sorry,

- Nick

 

[silmer]

Retrieving info

Yet another "little" liquid damage! I'v now accepted that I can't repair it. I'm told the logic board(whatever that is!) is damaged, and it will cost almost as much as a new laptop to repair. I'm just wondering if I can recover anything from it. i.e. photos, music, contacts?

 

[pigoo3]

Yet another "little" liquid damage! I'v now accepted that I can't repair it. I'm told the logic board(whatever that is!) is damaged, and it will cost almost as much as a new laptop to repair. I'm just wondering if I can recover anything from it. i.e. photos, music, contacts?

There's a very good chance you can. What you need to do is remove the internal hard drive...place it into an external HD case...then plug the HD into another computer to extract/copy the files you want to recover/save.

- Nick

 

[silmer]

Yesterday night I spilled some beer on my macbook white(on the keyboard). I unplugged the cable 2 seconds after and the laptop turned off automatically(since I'm using it without a battery).

I placed it upside-down in a sealed plastic bag with a lot of rice inside. I wanted to leave it like that for 2-3 days.

However today I decided to open it to see how it looks inside.

A lot of dust+beer = a total mess. The notebook is still wet inside(on the motherboard and on the fan etc)

What a terrible waste of beer!

 

[silmer]

Thanks Nick. I will try that.

 

[adityavirmani]

"Hey Guys
I know you are going to hate me and send me all kinds of sarcastic comments but please help me out here. I had a liquid spill on my Brand new Retina Display 15" macbook pro. I immediately did shut it down and all of this happened within less than 5 seconds. The macbook did shutdown completely and let it to dry so I am guessing nothing must have had shorted. Anyways I let it dry in putting it upside down putting a towel to soak all the liquid and silica gel around it. The next morning i rushed it to the apple care people and they opened it up for me to only find even more liquid lying in there. They took some pictures which I am putting up here. They said they will put it to dry for a week before turning it on again to see if it still works.

My only guess is that since I was fast enough and shut it down nothing must have had shorted and it mite come back to life. At least that is what I am hoping. Could you please look at the pictures and from the look of them tell me your thoughts. I am quite concerned as this is primarily my work laptop and this was the only time I opened it up just to edit a few documents at home. Now my warranty is void and All i can hope for is that in a week it does function.

Please note I didn't try switching it on after the spill. So I am really hopeful some of the things are intact. Although I did hear kind of a sizzle as soon the liquid hit computer."

Please tell me if you see any visible damage done already

 

[adityavirmani]

More pics

Nick Directed me to post this stuff here instead of creating a new one which I already created.

 

[cwa107]

The only thing you're going to see is corrosion - and that won't appear for quite a while after the liquid exposure. With micro-circuitry like this, it's very difficult to see anything burnt.

Given the amount of liquid still in that thing, even after a period of drying, I'd say it's extremely unlikely that something didn't short. But you won't know for sure until it's dried. So, as anxious as you are, the best thing to do would be to sit tight and wait.

Good luck.

 

[adityavirmani]

But wouldn't a short only happen if i try turning the machine on? im sure it couldn't happen with the machine switched off? They say they are going to let it dry for a week. Does that seem reasonable enough?

 

[cwa107]

But wouldn't a short only happen if i try turning the machine on? im sure it couldn't happen with the machine switched off?

Right. A short would only happen with the power on, but remember a few things...

1. The battery was still attached - and just because the machine isn't booted up, doesn't mean there isn't any electricity running through the various circuits. For example, your computer has low level operations to maintain the date/time settings and also to listen for 'wake on LAN' amongst other things.

2. The machine was on at the time of the initial exposure. You mentioned hearing a "sizzle". Once the damage is done, it doesn't heal itself.

3. Shorts are not the only failure condition that liquid exposure can cause. These components were never intended to be exposed to liquid at all. Adhesives can be broken down, materials can fail, any number of other kinds of damage - some at a microscopic level - are enough to KO your computer.

This is why it's so important not to keep a beverage around your machine, period.

They say they are going to let it dry for a week. Does that seem reasonable enough?

A week ought to do it, but please know that it's far more likely that the machine is toast than it is to have survived. Recovery, particularly to 100% functionality, is the exception and not the rule. Have a look through this thread and you'll see what I'm talking about.

 

[pigoo3]

But wouldn't a short only happen if i try turning the machine on? im sure it couldn't happen with the machine switched off? They say they are going to let it dry for a week. Does that seem reasonable enough?

It doesn't appear to me that you read this thread very carefully when I linked it in the other thread you started!

Everything mentioned in your post is the same story that has been heard hundreds of times. You just got to wait & see. But be aware…there's probably a 90-95% chance the computer is damaged. And if it's damaged…time to look for another one…since repairs will be too expensive to be worth it financially.

I know you mentioned that this computer is very important. Of course it is…our computers are important to all of us. That's why liquids should be kept well away from computers…especially laptop computers.

- Nick

 

[collin18]

Water in my MacBook!!

I was in the same situation that many previous posters had mentioned. A cat knocked over a water bottle directly onto the keyboard of my MacBook Pro (Late 2011). By the time I could do anything about it, about half of the bottle had spilled into the keyboard. I immediately grabbed the computer and held it upside down as I began drying it with paper towels. At the same time, the laptop shut off. As PANIC began to set in, I removed the bottom cover and disconnected the battery. Then I began to check the liquid indicators and inspect for any liquid. There wasn't any noticeable damage, and the indicators were still white. I left the laptop in a tee-pee position over night in a warm room with low humidity. By the next day, I could not wait any longer, so I connected the battery and crossed my fingers as I pressed the power button. THANKFULLY, the computer powered normally, and has been working perfectly ever since. In regard to future problems that may arise from this issue, I am now the proud owner of a 01 Terabyte external hard drive that contains backups of all my data. I fully understand how lucky I am. In this one case, I AM the exception to the rule.

 

[pigoo3]

I fully understand how lucky I am. In this one case, I AM the exception to the rule.

Every now & then someone wins the lottery! Congrats on not having an expensive paperweight!

- Nick

p.s. Get rid of the cat!

 

[collin18]

Every now & then someone wins the lottery! Congrats on not having an expensive paperweight!

- Nick

p.s. Get rid of the cat!

Thanks Nick. I can't exactly get rid of the cat, but I'm pretty sure he has less than 9 lives left after that mishap. I'm beginning to think my MacBook has 9 lives tho!

 

[katsnot23]

Beer in Macbook Pro

I spilled beer in my macbook pro. There was significant damage (the apple store told me repair would cost around $800) I was able to recover the data from the hard drive by paying a local data-recovery service to do this. This cost $235. I'm not sure what to do next... Should I purchase a new macbook pro or try to have the damage repaired? I'm nervous to spend more money and risk having something else be wrong down the road. Also, it would be easier for me to finance a new one rather than fork over the money now. Does anyone have any advice? How much is too much to repair a macbook?

Also, I only bought it a little over a year ago.

 

[pigoo3]

I'm not sure what to do next... Should I purchase a new macbook pro or try to have the damage repaired? I'm nervous to spend more money and risk having something else be wrong down the road. Also, it would be easier for me to finance a new one rather than fork over the money now. Does anyone have any advice? How much is too much to repair a macbook?

Also, I only bought it a little over a year ago.

If this is a MacBook Pro that is just a little over a year old…and if the repairs are going to cost around $800…then depending on the model MacBook Pro you have…it would probably be less expensive to have it repaired then to purchase a new MacBook Pro.

I do understand that you're concerned that something else going wrong with it. I believe that Apple has something like a 90 day guarantee on repairs. So hopefully…if anything additional was to happen (due to the spill)…it would show up in those 90 days of use.

Your only other option is to buy a brand new computer…which will cost more than the $800 repair.

- Nick

p.s. Please stop drinking beverages around laptop computers!

p.p.s. Depending on what model MacBook Pro you were to purchase new. It may be possible to take the money ($800) you would spend on repairs) + the money you may get selling the current computer for parts (on eBay)…and maybe that total will get you close to the money needed for the new computer.

But be warned…liquid damaged computers may not be worth a lot (who knows on eBay).

 

[cwa107]

I spilled beer in my macbook pro. There was significant damage (the apple store told me repair would cost around $800) I was able to recover the data from the hard drive by paying a local data-recovery service to do this. This cost $235. I'm not sure what to do next... Should I purchase a new macbook pro or try to have the damage repaired? I'm nervous to spend more money and risk having something else be wrong down the road. Also, it would be easier for me to finance a new one rather than fork over the money now. Does anyone have any advice? How much is too much to repair a macbook?

Also, I only bought it a little over a year ago.

Sorry to tell you this, but that $235 for "data recovery" could have been easily avoided just by removing the hard disk yourself and connecting it to a USB adapter (a $15 tool). How these guys can sleep at night charging this kind of money is beyond me. Whoever that company is, don't ever use them again - they completely took advantage of you.

The $800 repair is basically to replace the logic board in your Macbook Pro. This is the heart, soul and brain of your computer, which is why it's so expensive. If it were to continue to malfunction, it would of course be covered under the repair warranty, so I wouldn't sweat having to throw more money into it.

If the $800 is sigificantly less than what a replacement MacBook Pro would cost, then I think I'd just let them repair it. DO shop around first though. Places like TechRestore, PowerBookMedic.com and others can certainly do this cheaper - and they are Apple-certified.