How to Save a Wet Treo
From TreoCentral
Contents |
Overview
A wet Treo is a terrible thought, but unfortunately accidents do happen. Hopefully you'll be able to save your Treo in time if it does ever get wet.
People have dropped their Treos into toilets, lakes, bathtubs, raging rivers, swimming pools, glasses of water, and have even washed their Treo's in the washing machine. Water doesn't bode very well for electronic devices so drying out the wet device is the goal to a working device.
My Treo is Wet! What Should I Do?
The first thing you should do is turn off your Treo and then remove the battery. Then you want to start the drying process. You could set your Treo in front of a fan and leave it for awhile. You could also use your blow dryer on your Treo but be sure not to use a high heat setting.
Some people set their Treos in a windowsill to let them air dry. Other's prefer to leave their Treo outside. If you choose this route, be sure not to leave your device in direct sunlight.
A great idea is to put your Treo inside a Tupperware bowl along with some silica packs. Forum member Perry Holden mentions the silica pack tip in this thread. Silica packs are those little packets that are found in most boxes with electronic devices and in aspirin bottles. The silica packs will soak up a lot of that moisture from your wet Treo.
The drying out process might take a few days so try to be patient. With luck, your device will get dried out and will be back in working order again.
Warranty
It's likely that your warranty is going to be voided if you spill a significant amount of liquid on the Treo. Sprint, for example, allows their insurance to essentially cover everything except liquid spills.
If you are brave enough, you can even take your Treo completely apart, but be warned that this will void your warranty. If you do take your Treo apart and put your parts in front of a fan or blow dry them, be sure to turn the pieces over every hour or so to ensure they dry out evenly.
A wet Treo is a wet Treo, but I cringe at the thought of having one go through a complete wash cycle. This seems like it would spell the end for a Treo. But this [1] in the TreoCentral Forums proves otherwise. Well, in this case anyway. Neps started this thread after having a Treo endure a washing cyle and goes on to tell how the Treo survived. Be sure to read the entire thread for detailed instructions and some great entertainment.
Sometimes there are Spills
Sometimes you might spill soda on your Treo. I've sure had this happen to my computer keyboard. Spilling a liquid on your Treo can be just as bad as your Treo getting completely immersed. Spilling a sugary liquid such as soda can be especially dangerous, however, so it will be important to address the issue right away.
How do I unstick keys after a liquid spill
1. Shake all the liquid out of the unit by slapping it gently against your palm to release any access liquid. 2. It will probably need to further dry out 24 hours to disipate any internal liquid. 3. Purchase a bottle of 91% alcohol from the drugstore and have a baby medicine dropper on hand. 4. Hold the unit in an upright position and with two or three drops of the alcohol drop the alochol on the stuck keys. Give it a few seconds to work its way down into the keyboard then wiggle the keys. Repeat as needed.
Last ditch solution
If the above steps do not solve your problem, your best bet is to probably disassemble the the Treo entirely and wipe everything down carefully with a cotton cloth dampened with alcohol. This will void your warranty, however.
