[iphone] Wife’s iPhone + toilet 🚽 = 👎

[dapaulio]

Some advice with regards to my options.

My wife dropped her iPhone in the toilet on Friday.

When my wife told me and handed me the phone the screen was blank but running very hot.

I proceeded to try turning it off by holding power and home key for a good 30seconds. After a while it did start to feel it was cooling down but it is difficult to determine whether fatal damage has already been done.

I have had the phone in a sealed container filled with rice for about 48 hours now but even trying to charge or turn it on there seems to be no life.

As a last ditch attempt, I have ordered a tool kit to take it apart to see if it can be dried anymore.

 

The phone has no insurance. Has anyone got any advice or experience they can offer.

Edited June 24, 2018 by elsiegee40

[mikeprice]

You have taken the battery out haven't you??

 

if not - do so NOW

 

and then leave it in the open for another day

in the sun would be good - all that matters is that you dry it out

Edited June 24, 2018 by elsiegee40

[elsiegee40]

IPhones and water never seem to mix.

 

Somehow or other daughter dropped her iPhone 4 in the loo several years ago and gave it the rice treatment for about a week and miraculously it worked. It’s the only survivor I know of.

 

These things need lengthy drying out. If you have a warm airing cupboard then put the rice bag in there. People will shout about rice dust wrecking the phone, but it’s your best chance right now if you don’t have silica sachets.

 

Ironically daughter was pickpocketed about 2 months later so I cannot give a longer term prognosis

 

Have you double checked your household contents insurance?

Edited June 24, 2018 by elsiegee40

[dapaulio]

You have taken the battery out haven't you??

 

if not - do so NOW

 

and then leave it in the open for another day

in the sun would be good - all that matters is that you dry it out

 

You can’t actually remove the battery on the iPhones with out specialist tools (which are currently on order)

 

Think we are resigned to the fact that it may never work again and will leave it like you say in the sun.

Edited June 24, 2018 by elsiegee40

[dapaulio]

 

Have you double checked your household contents insurance?

 

Not applicable I’m afraid.

[difinity]

Water doesn't need to be dried, it needs to be removed completely due to the minerals and other bits it contains that do the damage. Usually rinsed in pure alcohol as soon as it happens and chances are good. Rice is bad as it doesn't remove the contaminants and can add rice dust.

 

Legality aside, I'm pretty certain the insurance company will check with your wife's network to check when the last call was made. A weeks silence would raise flags especially if she is a daily user. These insurance companies will be well versed in detecting this sort of activity. Having insurance refused or cancelled will impact both your house and car insurance renewals. It's not worth it IMO.

 

Lion batteries don't like moisture, and a USB voltmeter/ammeter is a handy cheap device to help in the aid of dead/dying devices, especially if the screen is blank.

 

From personal experience (out of contract daughter's iPhone 6, in a toilet with a 2 days wait before I was notified of the liquid it was beyond hope, and repairing electronics under a microscope is half of my day job.

[mjk]

I also do a fair bit of electronics repair and I would also second what @diffinity says. You need to strip it down and wash it in alcohol (Isopropanol) - trace amounts of water are going to cause corrosion. Drying it out is NOT going to help and rice just makes things worse. You can often clean out the corrosion using a sonic bath, but you'll likely need to replace some components to get it running again.

[stevenlong1985]

+1 @mjk

 

I can confirm if you can tear it down and dry it out, if that doesn't work Alcohol bath in a ultra sonic cleaner. I did to my wife phone and it worked. look for surgical spirit very cheap from any pharmacy about £2 and a ultra sonic cleaner from ebay is cheap https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/400ml-Ultrasonic-Cleaner-Stainless-Steel-Timer-Ultra-Sonic-Bath-Cleaning-Tank-UK/183287711685?hash=item2aaccc87c5:g:nhQAAOSwkkNbB9zz

 

about £15 total spend

Edited June 25, 2018 by stevenlong1985

[DalekSec]

Just be glad it wasn't a Nokia 3310, or you'll have to be buying a new Toilet instead!

[synaesthesia]

Electrical contact cleaner is a great stopgap if you don't have pure alcohol lying around, should be able to get that in any motor factors. Ultrasonic cleaners are OK but don't trust cheap ones or ones meant for jewelry unless you want to destroy the things!

[dapaulio]

Unfortunately I have not been successful on repairing it.

After bathing the logic board in alcohol, replacing the battery and screen it unfortunately made no positive impact. The screen remains blank with no signs of life.

 

Time to accept my fate and have apple rip me off

Thanks for everyones input

[christhetech]

Unfortunately I have not been successful on repairing it.

After bathing the logic board in alcohol, replacing the battery and screen it unfortunately made no positive impact. The screen remains blank with no signs of life.

 

Time to accept my fate and have apple rip me off

Thanks for everyones input

 

I'm sure that your Mrs wouldn't be too averse to using a refurbished iPhone as a replacement. I definitely wouldn't be shelling out the full price for a new handset. Often Apple have "refurbished" units available and they are a damn sight cheaper than brand new ones.

[mikeprice]

I'm sure that your Mrs wouldn't be too averse to using a refurbished iPhone as a replacement. I definitely wouldn't be shelling out the full price for a new handset. Often Apple have "refurbished" units available and they are a damn sight cheaper than brand new ones.

 

There were some on Groupon when they sent me an email this morning

[stevenlong1985]

Sorry for her lose,

 

 

I would say give it a few more goes bathing it hair dying it. took about 3 goes to fix my wife phone.

 

The water would have killed off the battery leaving it empty so it might need a charge too

Edited July 6, 2018 by stevenlong1985

[ZeroHour]

One thing to note, from the iPhone 7 they should be waterproof up to 1m deep at least so if she gets a new one it hopefully wont happen again.

[Norphy]

One thing to note, from the iPhone 7 they should be waterproof up to 1m deep at least so if she gets a new one it hopefully wont happen again.

 

FWIW My iPhone 7 accidentally went swimming with me a while ago and it survived just fine. Depths were probably deeper than 1m at some points as well.

[Mewdewgooboofoo]

i thought apples float in water?

[ZeroHour]

FWIW My iPhone 7 accidentally went swimming with me a while ago and it survived just fine. Depths were probably deeper than 1m at some points as well.

Yeah they say up to 1m for 30 minutes but I have seen reports of much deeper and for longer.

[dapaulio]

No more than 5 seconds submerged in urine tainted water was enough to brick my wife’s iphone