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Dropped iPad3 LTE into bathtub, no problems?

W

winterny

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 5, 2010
433
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The whole unit was submerged, while the screen was on. It was under the water for maybe 5 seconds.

It never powered off, LTE still seems to work, but the water sensors do look to be tripped.

I'm debating having it swapped out with Applecare+ anyway so that I can guarantee having a jailbreak (after 5.1.1 is replaced, jailbreak will likely not be available, and the unit may have problems in the future?)


What would you do?
 
I lol'ed when I read "the water sensors do seem to be tripped." You think? :D
If you have AppleCare + and it is covered then hell yeah I would. That thing may not show problems now but electronics and water rarely, if ever, mix.
 
Hello... said:
Really?...
Click to expand...

Yeah, really.

Out of iPhone, iPhone 3G, 4, 4S. iPad and now iPad 3, this is the first time I've ever had any sort of serious damage to any of them.

I'm stunned that it seems to work perfectly, though!
 
It WILL die - the water will turn acidic and etch the components - destroying them.

Rest assured, if water is inside, the clock is ticking. Give it 1-3 days and it'll be dead.

If you have coverage - do it now, because if you do not, you need to either get some pure isopropanol and submerge it in that to extract the water, or open it up and let the components dry out.

Using it when wet, will accelerate its demise. Power it completely off until you're in the clear. (to be honest, disconnecting the battery is the only "real" way)

At the very least, shake out as much water as you can, and used compressed air to blow out the remains - that will buy you some time.
 
My wife's iPhone 4 went through a full cycle in the washing machine and still works to this day (of course, we "vacuumed" out all the moisture a day or so later).

So no, it won't absolutely fail in the future ... but if you have applecare why not use it?
 
You have a LOT more battery capacity in the iPad3, and volume - that translates to more water likely trapped inside, and a lot more juice to promote electrolysis. Once the battery is dead (likely what happened with your wifes phone) the chemical reaction slows to a relative crawl.

Besides, for every person who got an iDevice wet and did nothing - with no ill effects thereafter - there are at least 10 who didn't have such a happy ending.
 
I'd try to swap it out. Though, you said that its currently working fine without an issue -- I'm not sure they will swap it until it starts to malfunction in some way. I bet the iPad is nice and clean now though. :)
 
winterny said:
Yeah, really.

Out of iPhone, iPhone 3G, 4, 4S. iPad and now iPad 3, this is the first time I've ever had any sort of serious damage to any of them.

I'm stunned that it seems to work perfectly, though!
Click to expand...

I never had any damage at all to mine however I know better then to use it next to water.
 
Spot on. I dropped my iPod touch 2G into a sink when the faucet was running. In the wet less than three seconds and quickly dried, it seemed to work. A week later the WiFi simply died. After three months of usage, the other functions work but WiFi is gone. I'd still be using it but my kids got me a 4G as a gift.

Big-TDI-Guy said:
It WILL die - the water will turn acidic and etch the components - destroying them.

Rest assured, if water is inside, the clock is ticking. Give it 1-3 days and it'll be dead.
Click to expand...
 
jessica. said:
Never had an issue with happy endings in a bath. I'm just sayin'.
Click to expand...

Bath tubs are drained afterwards I've come to realize, just don't be male and shoot for a happy ending in a hot tub. Let's just say, lesson learned.
 
Yes it may not show any damage now, but mineral deposits in water can quickly short circuit any electrical item. You have a few days left before this happens, perhaps 2-3 days.
 
You can through your iPad into the lake as long as you retrieve it lol, it is absolutely covered under acc+
 
jessica. said:
Hey I use my iPad in the bath sometimes. Well, it's on a table by the bath but still, with that stupid ass smart cover it is easily tipped.
Click to expand...

I'm on my iPad while in the bath right now!

Maybe I should throw it in right now to see if anything happens.
 
Someone's iPhone is working to dried from rices with plastic zip bag from overnight and then the screen show the volume kept clicked higher and won’t let me to turn down the voice, also the battery is hot and won’t able to charge fully and the battery's running out really fast. That suck. What is he doing with it? fix it? or new one?
 
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