How I saved a mobile dropped in bucket of water....

madbullram

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This is the 4th time I have saved a Mobile Phone dropped in water. This time I was using my wife's mobile as mine was down. While on mobile, my sweet lab (pet dog) gave me an unexpected tight hug and I dropped the mobile into a bowl of water. How did i save it?

1. The moment a mobile is dropped in water or wet, the first and most important thing to do is, REMOVE BATTERY. This is the single most imp factor in saving your mobile phone, dont bother about switching it off, just rip and remove the batter. If you can't open, switch of the phone and remove the batter as quick as possible.

2. Remove Sim card and any memory card inside.

3. Remove the back cover and anything that can be easily removed.

4. Shake the phone vigorously so that any water inside comes out. If you have flip or slide phone, ensure the flip/slide is open and then shake vigorously (ensure you hold the phone tight, you dont want to let go of the phone while shaking :))

5. Wipe the phone thoroughly

6. Now get a lunch box or container, layer it with rice (raw rice) then keep your phone (slide or flip open) and battery. Pour raw rice and cover them completly. Dont close it. Leave it open in airy place for next 3 days. Dont touch it. Resist the temptation of switching on to check if its working. Patience is virtue

Rice is one of the BEST moisture absorbant. My grandmom always puts some rice in the salt jar to ensure there is no moisture. The same principle applies here, rice will absorb the maximum water in the inside region of your phone in 3 days you have left the phone in its care. Just bcos your phone doesnt not show signs of water on outside doesnt mean it doesnt have water inside. Water inside is the worst enemy and this 3 days of immersing in rice ensures that water is sucked out.

7. After three days, remove the phone, wipe it clean and switch it on. 90% it should work if you had done this quickly and resisted the temptation to switch it on before the time period.

If not, time for another phone :indifferent14:

I have saved 2 N73s, 1 N95, and now my wife's N96 with this. The phone is working without any problem though little dusty bcos of keeping in rice which is more than okay for me :)

P.S1: This works as long as you have done this within 1-5 mins of water anything beyond is pure luck

p.s2: If you dropped in sea water, ensure you wash the phone in fresh water to ensure salt water is flushed as even after drying salt can do a lot of damamge (this I havent tested but heard from a friend of mine working in Nokia)

p.s3: It always best to dispose a water logged phone if it was immersed for more than 5 mins as eventually the water will corrode the circuits. When working better exchange it before it becomes dead

p.s4: If you did save your phone, I am always open for Donation so PM me :D
 
That was good Tip Madbullram.Thanks !

Idlis and Dosas with that remaining rice would taste SIM-ply great :)
 
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6. Now get a lunch box or container, layer it with rice (raw rice) then keep your phone (slide or flip open) and battery. Pour raw rice and cover them completly. Dont close it. Leave it open in airy place for next 3 days. Dont touch it. Resist the temptation of switching on to check if its working. Patience is virtue

Rice is one of the BEST moisture absorbant. My grandmom always puts some rice in the salt jar to ensure there is no moisture. The same principle applies here, rice will absorb the maximum water in the inside region of your phone in :D

Fantastic suggestion
 
Ram,

N73 is thirsty and fond of drinking something...

I have experienced the same thing.. 75% in a day i will keep my mobile phone only in vibrating mode,, this has led to disater twice, when i went to pooja room( adjoining to kitchen) i kept my phone in the top slab above the cooking place... Twice it fell into the Milk while it ring and vibrates,, which i never noticed immediately. Each time i searched for more than 10 to 20 minutes somewhere outside and realised that i kept in kitchen and could find in the smilk... I followed the same method till point5 and i dried the kit in the sun and it worked perfectly. No issues till now, but i belive there is lose of voice clarity..

I think NOkia phones are doing good in this kind of situation and to some extent all are water proof...

Anybody has faced this situation for iphone, since it cannot be dismantled easily...????
 
What if we just let the phone dry in the sun for a few days??
Cheers

I wont why:

1. You leaving the phone on the open and imagine the external climate, dust blah blah
2. Leaving in sun will dry the external part but not the moisture in the inside and near circuits
3. If you leave it in hot sun, you will end up damaging the LCD bcos the worst enemy for it is water + direct heat

Also, people suggest Hair Dryer etc, dont use that, heat is not the right solution for this, best is rice treatment and I can vouch for it personally :clapping:
 
I read about this method recently somewhere like gizmodo.com. It made a lot of sense, and it is good to read of a personal experience.

Leaving the wet phone in the sunlight I can see resulting in very high humidity inside the phone, and a perpetual moisture problem. Just my theory!
 
there is a faster way if u like to spend 100Rs, also keeping the cell with slightest amount of water inside may spoil LCD .resulting in screen blanking /damge

my friend dropped mobile in water

yes i removed the battery ! (very important as MBR said)

went to a mobile repair guy i knew told to remove all ..he removed and dried for 2 HRs re fitted. was ok .

Luck plays a big role here as within 2 -3 sec some chips get fried..

I dropped my 3610 1st phone in butter chicken .. heheh
but was inside a cheapo chain covered pouch , was saved.
 
But the rice method is a proven method, i have seen and heard many other people do this .... it does work.
 
Thanks for the writeup MBR. But, what if the phone falls in a glass of whiskey? Will raw rice absorb it?
 
<Off Topic>

Rice is one of the BEST moisture absorbant. My grandmom always puts some rice in the salt jar to ensure there is no moisture.

Are you sure?
IMO, salt absorbs more water. Thats why it solidifies.
We dont see such action in rice tins?
 
Good One Ram,My 1.5 yr daughter always runs for the nearest bucket when she finds a mobile. have already lost my wife's phone in a bucket of water.
 
Thanks for valuable post.
Most of us must may be knowing,that mobile shld not be kept on ,once dropped in water,but the rest what you(MBR) wrote is really useful,specially Rice trick.
:clapping:
 
My instinct... not "intimate" enough.

Empty them into a small box and bury the phone in the silica might do.

But... most people have rice handy, and available immediately...
 
Kaushik/Thad: Silica is also an excellent solution, thats why its there in all electronic packages.

But it might not be practical bcos once you drop in water, how swift you are makes the difference between you saving it or not. Rice is something thats available in most places so makes it convinient :)
 
Kaushik/Thad: Silica is also an excellent solution, thats why its there in all electronic packages.

But it might not be practical bcos once you drop in water, how swift you are makes the difference between you saving it or not. Rice is something thats available in most places so makes it convinient :)

east or west - rice is the best

silica crystal will severely scratch the lcd screen- i think
 
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