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View Full Version : Macbook took a bath! PLEASE ADVISE




SLC Flyfishing
Mar 19, 2008, 06:23 PM
I left my kids at my mothers house so I could take my wife out for dinner. While I was gone my younger sister was holding my 9 month old son while using my mothers macbook. He grabbed her water glass and poured it over the computer. It shut off immediately (on it's own they tell me), and so I took the battery out and set it like a tent to let the water drain out. Thing that has me worried is that when the magsafe adapter is plugged in to it, there is no light at all. I've had this happen to one of my old windows laptops and after a week or so it worked fine, but I'd expect the magsafe light to light up when plugged in even if the macbook is still wet.

I'm going to give it a few days of course, but can anyone tell me if they know whether or not the computer is coming back from this based on the magsafe issue?

Thanks in advance!

SLC



Dustman
Mar 19, 2008, 06:27 PM
I left my kids at my mothers house so I could take my wife out for dinner. While I was gone my younger sister was holding my 9 month old son while using my mothers macbook. He grabbed her water glass and poured it over the computer. It shut off immediately (on it's own they tell me), and so I took the battery out and set it like a tent to let the water drain out. Thing that has me worried is that when the magsafe adapter is plugged in to it, there is no light at all. I've had this happen to one of my old windows laptops and after a week or so it worked fine, but I'd expect the magsafe light to light up when plugged in even if the macbook is still wet.

I'm going to give it a few days of course, but can anyone tell me if they know whether or not the computer is coming back from this based on the magsafe issue?

Thanks in advance!

SLC

Plugging it in is a horrible idea, you'll short something out if you havent already. Best thing to do is to take out the battery, leave it sit and dry for a couple weeks, and then give 'er a go. If it doesnt work after that, your SOL.

eman
Mar 19, 2008, 06:39 PM
I left my kids at my mothers house so I could take my wife out for dinner. While I was gone my younger sister was holding my 9 month old son while using my mothers macbook. He grabbed her water glass and poured it over the computer. It shut off immediately (on it's own they tell me), and so I took the battery out and set it like a tent to let the water drain out. Thing that has me worried is that when the magsafe adapter is plugged in to it, there is no light at all. I've had this happen to one of my old windows laptops and after a week or so it worked fine, but I'd expect the magsafe light to light up when plugged in even if the macbook is still wet.

I'm going to give it a few days of course, but can anyone tell me if they know whether or not the computer is coming back from this based on the magsafe issue?

Thanks in advance!

SLC

If you take the top case off (keyboard),this will let things dry out better. leaving the battery in or the magsafe attached is a bad idea. Let the macbook dry out completely. Not seeing any light on the magsafe is a bad sign.
Good luck!

DaBrain
Mar 19, 2008, 06:47 PM
I left my kids at my mothers house so I could take my wife out for dinner. While I was gone my younger sister was holding my 9 month old son while using my mothers macbook. He grabbed her water glass and poured it over the computer. It shut off immediately (on it's own they tell me), and so I took the battery out and set it like a tent to let the water drain out. Thing that has me worried is that when the magsafe adapter is plugged in to it, there is no light at all. I've had this happen to one of my old windows laptops and after a week or so it worked fine, but I'd expect the magsafe light to light up when plugged in even if the macbook is still wet.

I'm going to give it a few days of course, but can anyone tell me if they know whether or not the computer is coming back from this based on the magsafe issue?

Thanks in advance!

SLC

That is not a very smart thing to do! You should not apply ANY electricity to ANY device that has experianced this! You should remove any sources of electricity, IE: Battery and AC adapter and let it dry out COMPLETELY and I would say that means days not an hour or 2!

I think even if your device was not damaged, which I think it was when the water was spilt on it as you stated it shut down immediately, it probally shorted some circuits out

However reapplying the AC adapter after such a short duration insured your lap top frying!

Sorry but I think your in for MAJOR repairs/money!

Best of Luck! :eek:

xraydoc
Mar 19, 2008, 10:12 PM
I hope it comes back (my daughter's cellphone that went through the washing machine actually came back to life after about 5 days of drying out), but if I were you I'd start saving my pennies for a new laptop. :(

Fuzzy14
Mar 20, 2008, 09:15 AM
I'm amazed how many threads there are in here with people spilling coffee, beer, vomit, peeing etc etc over their computers. Hope it never happens to me!

Try searching for other posts on this topic for suggestions, here's one (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=423148)to start with.

krye
Mar 20, 2008, 09:17 AM
Sorry to here about your loss, but I think your MacBook is toast. I bought a few broken MacBooks on eBay so I could swap the parts around a get a new one for cheap. I bough one with a smashed display and one with a fried logicboard. I put them together to get one working machine. I then sold all the extra parts back and ended up with a brand new working MacBook for $700.00.

Anyway, the point is, while I shopped I saw a bunch, I mean a lot, so many it's hard to believe, that were destroyed by people spilling the smallest amount of liquid over the keys. The MacBook is very unforgiving when it comes to liquid. Maybe you can do what I did. Buy a used MacBook with a broken screen and swap the logicboards. Liquid damage is not covered by AppleCare, and if you take it to Apple, they'll want to charge you something like $800 for a new logicboard.

Martron
Mar 20, 2008, 01:22 PM
you should call up applecare. i had a friend spill milk all over his macbook which was like 3 years old and he somehow got a brand new comp out of it.....i also spilled water on my dell once and they fixed it for me through their warrant, so try applecare, they may fix it...

CanadaRAM
Mar 20, 2008, 01:29 PM
you should call up applecare. i had a friend spill milk all over his macbook which was like 3 years old and he somehow got a brand new comp out of it.....i also spilled water on my dell once and they fixed it for me through their warrant, so try applecare, they may fix it...

Applecare will laugh in your face. That warranty is gone.

Answers to this and many other common questions can be found under the Guides tab at the top of this window

Hardware: Spilled Liquid on my Mac or Keyboard (http://guides.macrumors.com/Spilled_Liquid_On_My_Mac_or_Keyboard)

SLC Flyfishing
Mar 20, 2008, 04:42 PM
Thanks for all your help people, I feel terrible since it was my 9 month old who pulled the water glass over onto the computer. Even worse since it wasn't my macbook. Mine was safe at home, but now my mother's is probably wrecked. Guess it's time for me to save up to help her repair/replace it.

SLC

::Lisa::
Mar 20, 2008, 05:04 PM
If you find that it it broken after all that. Maybe it might be a possibility to claim off your mothers home insurance. Maybe YOU pay for her excess and if she looses any no claims bonus pay the extra she had to pay in loosing that also. Would be cheaper than repairing it if it was a possibility.

Just a thought.

musicforme
Mar 20, 2008, 10:30 PM
Thanks for all your help people, I feel terrible since it was my 9 month old who pulled the water glass over onto the computer. Even worse since it wasn't my macbook. Mine was safe at home, but now my mother's is probably wrecked. Guess it's time for me to save up to help her repair/replace it.

As the parent of an almost 13 month old, I can visualize how this could happen.

That being said, don't feel too bad about it. Your Mother made the decision to bring an infant, glass of water, and the Macbook all in the same proximity of each other.

brad.c
Mar 20, 2008, 10:44 PM
I doused my Bluetooth keyboard (extended, no less) with coffee two weeks ago, and I take it double-double. Lots of drying time, and a new set of torx wrenches later, it's back to normal. I hope you have as much luck as I did. :(

SLC Flyfishing
Mar 20, 2008, 11:51 PM
As the parent of an almost 13 month old, I can visualize how this could happen.

That being said, don't feel too bad about it. Your Mother made the decision to bring an infant, glass of water, and the Macbook all in the same proximity of each other.

Sad thing was that it was my younger sister who put those things together not my mother. My mother was at work and my sister was watching my kids. Yeah she should have known better, but I still feel responsible since it was my kid who reached out and pulled the glass over.

SLC

NC MacGuy
Mar 21, 2008, 12:00 AM
It may take a while to dry out but may come back to life - you never know about these things.

I'd remove battery and place it in sun or in a way to totally dry out. Liquid can find its way into very small places that will be hard to get totally dry.

I have used some unorthodox drying methods that have worked but I dare not post them. Suffice it to say as long as battery is removed a hair dryer is safe.

hotdamn
Mar 21, 2008, 12:01 AM
I'd just pretend it never happend and call Apple to complain about it not turning on anymore. :x

f1
Mar 21, 2008, 12:10 AM
I'd just pretend it never happend and call Apple to complain about it not turning on anymore. :x

YEah, and once you ship it off for repair they'll notice the water damage anyways...

thegoldenmackid
Mar 21, 2008, 12:14 AM
I'd just pretend it never happend and call Apple to complain about it not turning on anymore. :x

I would not try this. Water leaves pretty noticeable marks and you don't want to void your warranty for other things, say the magsafe stops working.

NC MacGuy
Mar 21, 2008, 12:16 AM
You may want to remove the hard drive and save your data quickly. It is located under the keyboard so the quicker you remove it the better. Hopefully at a minimum you'll be able to keep your data. You can always get an enclosure for cheap to make it an ext. or use it in another MB.