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chargit

macrumors 6502a
Jan 17, 2010
924
2
Evansville, In
My husband dropped the phone in the kitchen, it bounced off the floor and into the cat's waterbowl. It did some funky things (colors on screen), etc. then wouldn't shut off, etc. Later it looked & acted pristine but the battery runs down. At full charge with non-use, it'll go down to 70 or 50% in 30-45 minutes.

I restored it for him but no dice. I took a flashlight to his/my phones and I can't see any pink on his indicator. I'm still hopeful today will find it working but it's been about 5 days now.

the first thing you need to do is get rid of that dam cat! :D
 

asterizk

macrumors regular
Oct 24, 2003
116
64
Sarasota, Florida
Two nights ago I was trying to get my wallet & phone into my pocket at the same time. I guess the wallet took priority, and so, down went my 3G iPhone. In an attempt to cushion the fall, I stuck my foot out. I guess my timing was off; I belted it about 10 feet before it came to a near standstill, then decided to slowly go over the sidewalk curb and into wettest puddle i have ever seen (ha). It was completely submerged for maybe 3 seconds.

Immediately took it out of its case, shook it out, and turned it off. It turned itself back on and reported that the accessory i was trying to use was incompatible with the iPhone. Tried once more, it booted back up and reported the same thing. Waited 10 mins, tried again, and this time it stayed off.

I've let it dry for the past two days. After reading through the thread, I'm going to go get some DampRid and seal it in a tupperware container for the next couple days.

Where to buy DampRid: http://www.damprid.com/indexba50.html?cat=41690

Will let everyone know how it goes.. I love this thread.. seems to be a lot more success stories than I was expecting..
 

asterizk

macrumors regular
Oct 24, 2003
116
64
Sarasota, Florida
After reading through the thread, I'm going to go get some DampRid and seal it in a tupperware container for the next couple days.

Here's a pic of the setup.. luckily I have a girlfriend who cannot collect enough containers :) She reminded me that DampRid will actually turn to liquid once it's collected enough water, hence the container within a container scheme I have there. I don't really expect there's that much water in the phone, but you know, better safe than sorry. Picked up the DampRid at Target for $5 for a 2-pack.

IMG_4080.jpg


IMG_4078.jpg
 

asterizk

macrumors regular
Oct 24, 2003
116
64
Sarasota, Florida
Will let everyone know how it goes.. I love this thread.. seems to be a lot more success stories than I was expecting..

Don't want to jinx myself, but, after leaving it in the DampRid for just shy of two days, today I plugged my iPhone into the connector cable attached to my computer, and voila! Apple logo, a bunch of missed messages, and two voicemail. Interestingly it couldn't find AT&T until I rebooted (it might have found it on its own eventually but I got impatient).

Everything works, including the mic, speaker, touchscreen. I am so happy! :D
 

documan

macrumors newbie
Apr 9, 2010
1
0
A couple days ago my iphone was in my pocket as I went for a 20 minute swim in an indoor pool. After searching forums for a solution to fix this problems I came across this:

I dropped my iphone in the toilet 2 weeks ago. While most people would immediately pull in out, I quickly realized a better decision. While at first it seems counter intuitive, the best thing to do is to flush the toilet. (The iphone is too large to go down the pipes, so there is no danger of losing the phone.) The advantage of flushing the toilet is that flushing is a means of removing water. This is what you want to do with a submerged iphone.

After I flushed the first time, I pulled it out before the bowl was refilled. I quickly wiped off the phone to remove any solid matter on the casing. Then I placed the iphone back into the toilet bowl for a second flushing, to pull out even more liquid.

After the second flushing, I placed the iphone in a ziplock bag filled with rice. After 3 days, i plugged in the iphone and it has worked perfectly ever since. If you follow these steps, your previously wet iphone will be as good as new.
 

Pad2

macrumors newbie
Apr 12, 2010
1
0
This works!

Slbjr, you are a genius!

My daughter dropped her iPhone into a toilet and it looked like it was deader than a doornail.

I found your post and followed your directions mostly to the letter. After a night in the oven (at 120 degrees rather than 130 though), the phone is working 100%.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! You saved us a lot of grief (lost data and contacts) not to mention money.

I dropped my iphone in a toilet (yes, not good). I grabbed it within a few seconds but there was already water under the screen, phone shorting out, could not turn off, screen did not respond.

I took out the sim card, shook the phone in a towel, dried it with a hair dryer (not too hot), and then cooked it in the oven. Seriously!

I took a small baking pan, but about an inch of rice in the bottom to insulate the phone from the direct heat, and cooked it for 8 hours total at about 130 degrees. The phone works fine now! No trace of water except for the red half of the water sensor lit up (half white/half red now).

I hope you have my luck - and keep it away from water! I recommend turning it off if it will respond before you cook it, but I didn't have that option.
 

irha

macrumors newbie
Apr 16, 2010
5
0
Vacuum sealing with rice

I never thought this would happen to me, especially as I have been very careful in bathrooms after hearing many stories on people dropping them in the toilet bowl, but it happened today when I drove to a swimming pool with the swimming trunks on and the iphone in it. I realized with in a few seconds after I got down, but it is enough for water to get in. I first saw the screen kind of blinking and then it went completely dead, no reboots or anything like that.

DampRid seems like a good idea, but I am wondering if the rice idea can be made better by packing the iphone and rice together in a vacuum seal bag (such as the ziploc bag that comes with a pump for a couple of bucks). The idea is that the vacuum created inside should help evaporate water faster. I will try the DampRid approach also, but this might work as good. I will try plugging it in tomorrow and see how well it worked and report back.
 

chargit

macrumors 6502a
Jan 17, 2010
924
2
Evansville, In
I never thought this would happen to me, especially as I have been very careful in bathrooms after hearing many stories on people dropping them in the toilet bowl, but it happened today when I drove to a swimming pool with the swimming trunks on and the iphone in it. I realized with in a few seconds after I got down, but it is enough for water to get in. I first saw the screen kind of blinking and then it went completely dead, no reboots or anything like that.

DampRid seems like a good idea, but I am wondering if the rice idea can be made better by packing the iphone and rice together in a vacuum seal bag (such as the ziploc bag that comes with a pump for a couple of bucks). The idea is that the vacuum created inside should help evaporate water faster. I will try the DampRid approach also, but this might work as good. I will try plugging it in tomorrow and see how well it worked and report back.


One day is not long enough if you hope to have any success! Especially if you haven't taken the phone completely apart. But I do like the vaccum idea! Where do you get it? Never heard of it.
 

irha

macrumors newbie
Apr 16, 2010
5
0
One day is not long enough if you hope to have any success! Especially if you haven't taken the phone completely apart. But I do like the vaccum idea! Where do you get it? Never heard of it.

http://www.ziploc.com/Products/Pages/VacuumFreezerSystem.aspx?SizeName=Starter%20Kit

I think there is a different brand also (Raynolds?) that costs almost the same for a starter kit (a small hand pump and a couple of small bags). I got the ziploc brand in walmart a few months back, and I am pretty sure they still carry it. The other brand should be available in some grocery stores.
 

IPHONE56

macrumors newbie
May 31, 2010
1
0
Iphone water damage

I dropped my iphone in water, had it in rice for 24 hours. Turned it on the next day, the screen was broken. Took it to apple, they said there are two water sensors outside and two water sensors inside. Both mine on the outside were tripped and one on the inside was tripped. To replace my phone was only $200, and I did not have to renew my contract with AT&T. Brand new phone.
 

capecod565

macrumors member
Oct 28, 2009
60
0
Cape Cod
No tether for iPhone yet.

My old phone had a tiny hole for a tether, and I put a very lightweight nylon lanyard built for phones into it.
It saved that phone many times. Its favourite spot that wasn't a zippered pocket, was around my neck. Yes, it was a lot lighter than my iPhone.

There is no way to tether an iPhone! Unless you buy a waterproof case for it, which I did, as we kayak a lot. Then you can put it around your neck or in your river-bag.

So anybody come up with a way to put a small tether on the iPhone? Invention would be a good thing. No drilling allowed, but perhaps a tiny hole in the edge of your case?
 

Irish Rose

macrumors 65816
May 29, 2010
1,068
1
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/7E18)

Sorry to hear about your iPhone. Try packing it in dry rice for a few days, and see if it will work right again for you.
 

gogoboy550

macrumors newbie
Jun 9, 2010
1
0
Dried it in a food dehydrator

I dropped my iphone in the ocean while walking on the beach last night. I immediately pulled it out and got the constant 'accessory is not compatable with iphone' messages and it started to do other bizarre things so I knew it was time to shut it off and let it dry. The iphone kept restarting when I tried shutting it off. After a few more attempts to shut it off, it finally turned off.

When I got home I dried it off with a towel and then stuck it in a food dehydrator for 8 hours on the lowest setting which was 95 degrees.

I then plugged it into the charger to put some juice back into it. When I started it up and started testing it, everything worked fine except for a incompatible charger message. I checked the bottom charging jack and noticed some sea salt residue so I cleaned it off with a credit card and an eyeglass cloth. It works perfectly now.
 

capecod565

macrumors member
Oct 28, 2009
60
0
Cape Cod
I almost fell in yesterday with my iPhone, and had neglegted to put it into the waterproof case. Just had it in a zip loc,,,,but thank goodness I regained my balance when walking over a 2X10 with the dog, yes the dog sure can upset you.
So I will, yes I will, I will!!!! put it into my waterproof case.
You have just told me that it has to be done, and I just cannot save time in a rush and not do it.
Hope yours turns out OK but salt water is not good,,,,
 

Shylee Marie

macrumors newbie
Jun 9, 2010
1
0
OKC
Help Please!

I recently dropped my iPhone in a cup of tea. I took out the sim card and dried everything off the best I could. But when I tried to turn the phone off, it would automatically turn back on no matter what I did. It would constantly vibrate and show the little bell with the line through it to say that it was on silent, even when the switch was up. And a message kept popping up saying something like "this application will not work for this phone. Do you want to put in on airplane mode, you will not be able to receive calls and bla bla bla" And then it wouldn't charge at all, when i hooked up the usb cord to the computer it didn't even register. It now charges and the switch for silent/normal mode works now. But now the button at the bottom of the phone that you use to exit an app and return to the main menu will not work. If I want to do something else at all, like go from a text message to calling someone, I have to turn my phone off and turn it on again. The message still pops up occasionally but not as much as before. And the screen will lit up like I pushed the button at the bottom of the phone and it runs my battery down alot. And finally it makes a dingy noise, not like my text message tone, but something completely different that I have never heard before.
 

jackiller

macrumors newbie
Jun 27, 2010
5
0
same here

I dropped my iphone in a toilet (yes, not good). I grabbed it within a few seconds but there was already water under the screen, phone shorting out, could not turn off, screen did not respond.

I took out the sim card, shook the phone in a towel, dried it with a hair dryer (not too hot), and then cooked it in the oven. Seriously!

I took a small baking pan, but about an inch of rice in the bottom to insulate the phone from the direct heat, and cooked it for 8 hours total at about 130 degrees. The phone works fine now! No trace of water except for the red half of the water sensor lit up (half white/half red now).

I hope you have my luck - and keep it away from water! I recommend turning it off if it will respond before you cook it, but I didn't have that option.

i droped my ipod touch in da toilet last nite wen i was watchin a video...and now it wont turn on. last nite it the screen would flash on and off. it wont work and i need help...theres no water sensor on a ipod touch so apple can suck it if i try to take it to da apple store...plus my ipod is jailbroken but if i put it in dfu mode it should reset but i dont want 2 lose all my sturff
 

Sanveann

macrumors 6502
Jun 21, 2009
258
0
Michigan
I don't understand how so many people are dropping their iPhones into water.
I guess, it's hard for me to imagine as I've never dropped an electronic device of any kind in water.
:confused:

My 3GS went through the washer :p It was on a clip on my pocket, and apparently when I was loading the laundry, the clip snagged on something and the whole shebang went into the wash. I didn't realize it until I started looking for my phone ... (too late by then!) I had to pay Apple $199 for a refurbed one.

I suspect the vast majority of incidents, however, involve alcohol :p
 

statisticschick

macrumors newbie
Jul 27, 2009
26
0
I once dropped a Blackberry in water. Someone told me to turn it off, remove the battery, and pack the phone in a bowl of rice for about 48 hours. I did exactly that and the phone was fine in 2 days. Apparently, the rice helps suck out any moisture.
 

-Knight-

macrumors 6502a
Jun 25, 2010
602
0
Miami, FL
I use the 2 rubber protectors for the headphone jack and the 30-pin connector so this reason. There really cheap and could save you if you drop it in water. You can find them radtech.com and other sites as well.
 

Carolina1982

macrumors newbie
Jul 14, 2010
1
0
Water in iPhone

Mine got thrown in the toilette by my toddler Sunday so it was off all day then I couldnt turn it on so I plugged it in (i know not a good thing to do) then I started reading online and saw to put it in rice and I did that with it off and unplugged for about 2 days and today its coming on and seems to be working but it did turn off on me while I was using facebook. The sensor is half pink so there is no way I can even try to get it fixed. So will they replace it for a fee?
 

cavin

macrumors newbie
Apr 1, 2010
3
0
Ugh

My iPod Touch was sitting on a table, hooked to my radio playing through it. The dog's water bowl is right beside it. I've done this a million times so I didn't think anything of it.

I didn't even notice anything other than the sound going off, and I just thought the iPod had lost battery, so I didn't think anything of that either. Well, an hour later, I found it in my dog's water bowl. The vibration from the sound from the radio must have knocked it right into it. :( Surprisingly, I pressed the top button and the screen turned on!

So I'm pretty sure it'll work, at least mostly. I just hope the sound works. :(
 

kina

macrumors newbie
Aug 22, 2010
2
0
so stupid of me

iphone fell in water for few seconds last night.. managed to fish it out.. everything seems to be fine.. only at times it will blinks and speaker is not working.. went home.. and did the stupidest thing ever!! i've plugged it in to my laptop hoping the speaker will work???

this morning, screen is very dim.. like almost black.. but then, still able to text and all the apps seems to work.. speaker too! (wonder why)

just read the posts regarding leaving it in sealed tupperware with rice.. (should have read it yesterday! :( ) trying it now..

wondering is there any other thing that i should do? anyone could comfort the stupidity of me? (i'm so depressed right now..as it's a gift from my dad)
 

MJ46

macrumors newbie
Sep 2, 2010
1
0
Liquid Shampoo in Iphone

Today, my son had a bottle of shampoo break in his athletic bag, submerging his iphone 3g in a few inches of shampoo in the side pocket. It was probably submerged for a few hours. There is now visible liquid behind the screen. I towled off the shampoo. I'm afraid the shampoo residue will ruin the phone even if I get it dried out. Any ideas?
 

chargit

macrumors 6502a
Jan 17, 2010
924
2
Evansville, In
Today, my son had a bottle of shampoo break in his athletic bag, submerging his iphone 3g in a few inches of shampoo in the side pocket. It was probably submerged for a few hours. There is now visible liquid behind the screen. I towled off the shampoo. I'm afraid the shampoo residue will ruin the phone even if I get it dried out. Any ideas?

it can most likely be fixed if you dont try to use it or charge it. it needs to be completely taken apart and cleaned real good with alcohol and then it needs to be dried in rice (all parts) for several days then cleaned again with alcohol or contact cleaner and them make sure it is completely dry before putting it back together.
 

iFixYouri

macrumors member
Mar 20, 2010
64
0
Today, my son had a bottle of shampoo break in his athletic bag, submerging his iphone 3g in a few inches of shampoo in the side pocket. It was probably submerged for a few hours. There is now visible liquid behind the screen. I towled off the shampoo. I'm afraid the shampoo residue will ruin the phone even if I get it dried out. Any ideas?

We have over a 90% success rate with liquid damaged phones. Water damage repair is a very sensitive subject, if the repair company does not use proper equipment and procedures, they can render your phone useless. A simple cleaning with alcohol is not the recommended way to repair. Special equipment is required to do it properly.
 
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