iPad survived winter

[shareef777]

My kids lost my iPad last December. By the time I realized it was missing the battery had died and find my iPad didn't report its location because it's been over 24 hours (a limitation I think Apple should remove).

This morning my youngest son wanted to play outside in the snow and this is what we happened upon inside the kids' playhouse, the case literally frozen to the ground that I had to cut off the flap:


After thawing out:


There's some minor condensation under the digitizer on the right side, but otherwise fully functional. Wondering if I should bother removing the digitizer to get that cleared up. Kinda counting my blessings and don't want to make it worse.

 

[Channan]

Wow! Haha

 

[Cnasty]

Kids I tell ya!!

That's pretty awesome.

 

[sjleworthy]

i hope you severely reprimanded to the little 'uns and stopped their allowance for a couple of years as punishment?

aahh see? parental respect. they wont do that again in a hurry

 

[SnowDX]

How long did you let it thaw for? If there is still moisture inside, there is still the potential for damage or for it to quit. I'd probably leave it powered off for another week until that condensation is gone.

 

[shareef777]

How long did you let it thaw for? If there is still moisture inside, there is still the potential for damage or for it to quit. I'd probably leave it powered off for another week until that condensation is gone.

I left it inside my house for about an hour and then used a hair dryer to get most of the condensation out. At this point I restored the device completely and have it syncing my entire photo library over. I'll probably power it off and place it somewhere safe for a week (per your suggestion).

 

[SnowDX]

I left it inside my house for about an hour and then used a hair dryer to get most of the condensation out. At this point I restored the device completely and have it syncing my entire photo library over. I'll probably power it off and place it somewhere safe for a week (per your suggestion).

I'll cross my fingers for you that nothing gets shorted out during your sync. I know the phones are pretty tight for space inside so water can get trapped behind components where it's not easy to dry out. Hopefully the iPad has a bit more space wiggle room.

 

[Gav2k]

I left it inside my house for about an hour and then used a hair dryer to get most of the condensation out. At this point I restored the device completely and have it syncing my entire photo library over. I'll probably power it off and place it somewhere safe for a week (per your suggestion).

In a warm place in a bag of rice mate that'll get the moisture out

 

[SnowDX]

In a warm place in a bag of rice mate that'll get the moisture out

It certainly did nothing for my wet phone (and any of the phones my teenage daughter's friends have drowned) other than fill the crevices with rice dust and make it difficult to clean out. After that I read more on it and the rice trick seems mostly debunked, especially for water inside and under components.

I also thought I read that a hair dryer was not a good as the heat can damage inner components? Not sure how much of a risk it is. Might be something for the original poster to research prior to using the hair dryer again.

 

[Gav2k]

It certainly did nothing for my wet phone (and any of the phones my teenage daughter's friends have drowned) other than fill the crevices with rice dust and make it difficult to clean out. After that I read more on it and the rice trick seems mostly debunked, especially for water inside and under components.

I also thought I read that a hair dryer was not a good as the heat can damage inner components? Not sure how much of a risk it is. Might be something for the original poster to research prior to using the hair dryer again.

Then you did it wrong. You need a tub big enough for the device, you then put rice in the bottom and then cover this with tissue or kitchen towel. Then place your device on top and seal the container. Place in a warm place and it'll work just fine.

 

[MartyCan]

It certainly did nothing for my wet phone (and any of the phones my teenage daughter's friends have drowned) other than fill the crevices with rice dust and make it difficult to clean out. After that I read more on it and the rice trick seems mostly debunked, especially for water inside and under components.

I also thought I read that a hair dryer was not a good as the heat can damage inner components? Not sure how much of a risk it is. Might be something for the original poster to research prior to using the hair dryer again.

Agreed. We rescued my daughter's phone twice using a different trick. I have a friend who runs some franchise Telco stores and he told me to do this;

1. Power off

2. Remove anything that is removable. Case, SIM, battery (if possible).

3. Place a sheet of parchment on a cookie sheet and place the phone on the parchment.

4. Preheat your oven to 180 F.

5. Put the cookie sheet and phone in the oven for an hour. It's not hot enough to damage the device but it is enough to expedite the evaporation of the water inside it.

6. Allow phone to cool and check for signs of moisture behind the screen. If you find some give it another hour in the ove.

7. Once you are certain all the water is dried out reinstall the removable bits and restart it.

It worked for us twice. Once when she dropped it in the dish sink and another time when it fell into the water at our cottage to a depth of about 3 feet. This was the same iPhone 4 twice.

My wife's 3S went through the washing machine once too. The above procedure got it working for about a week but the cycle in the washer was just too much and we had to replace that phone.

 

[shareef777]

It certainly did nothing for my wet phone (and any of the phones my teenage daughter's friends have drowned) other than fill the crevices with rice dust and make it difficult to clean out. After that I read more on it and the rice trick seems mostly debunked, especially for water inside and under components.

I also thought I read that a hair dryer was not a good as the heat can damage inner components? Not sure how much of a risk it is. Might be something for the original poster to research prior to using the hair dryer again.

I put the hairdryer on low and not directly on the screen. Just hovered it over the glass at an angle so that a warm airflow swept over the top. Worked really well. Going to leave it powered off and in a drawer for a week to see if I can get the last bit of condensation removed.
[doublepost=1455562844][/doublepost]

Agreed. We rescued my daughter's phone twice using a different trick. I have a friend who runs some franchise Telco stores and he told me to do this;

1. Power off

2. Remove anything that is removable. Case, SIM, battery (if possible).

3. Place a sheet of parchment on a cookie sheet and place the phone on the parchment.

4. Preheat your oven to 180 F.

5. Put the cookie sheet and phone in the oven for an hour. It's not hot enough to damage the device but it is enough to expedite the evaporation of the water inside it.

6. Allow phone to cool and check for signs of moisture behind the screen. If you find some give it another hour in the ove.

7. Once you are certain all the water is dried out reinstall the removable bits and restart it.

It worked for us twice. Once when she dropped it in the dish sink and another time when it fell into the water at our cottage to a depth of about 3 feet. This was the same iPhone 4 twice.

My wife's 3S went through the washing machine once too. The above procedure got it working for about a week but the cycle in the washer was just too much and we had to replace that phone.

Wow, I'd be too terrified of having the battery explode at 180 degrees. Considering how little condensation there is, I'm just going the air temp method for a week.

 

[SnowDX]

Then you did it wrong. You need a tub big enough for the device, you then put rice in the bottom and then cover this with tissue or kitchen towel. Then place your device on top and seal the container. Place in a warm place and it'll work just fine.

Well the container was plenty big enough, but thanks for the lesson. anyway, people can do their own research and decide if they want to do it or not. But from what I've read, there are better desiccants than rice and getting water from underneath tight components is especially difficult unless you can vacuum it out. I've read that leaving it out in the air can be more successful than a desiccant.

 

[Capt T]

This it's what I would do. Place it in Large ziplock bag with uncooked rice. Turned off iPad. The rice will soak up the moisture. I would wait a few days with it in the bag with rice, longer if just left out.

YMMV

 

[spiderman0616]

No judgement to the OP, I think it's perfectly admirable that you are willing to share your iPad with your kids, but I could never imagine just handing my iPad over to my kids and letting them leave with it. I'm just way too anal about dings and scratches, and there is a 99% chance they'll do what your kids did to yours. I will share just about anything with my kids except for my Apple stuff. I'm sure they'll get me back for it later when they have access to the car keys.

 

[Supacon]

http://www.theverge.com/2015/9/14/9326035/can-rice-actually-save-your-wet-phone

Research shows that the rice trick is a red herring. Just because putting stuff in rice correlated with it working later doesn't mean the rice was the cause. Get some silica gel if you need a chemical desiccant that works. Camera shops usually sell it.

 

[shareef777]

No judgement to the OP, I think it's perfectly admirable that you are willing to share your iPad with your kids, but I could never imagine just handing my iPad over to my kids and letting them leave with it. I'm just way too anal about dings and scratches, and there is a 99% chance they'll do what your kids did to yours. I will share just about anything with my kids except for my Apple stuff. I'm sure they'll get me back for it later when they have access to the car keys.

Of my rMBP, iPhone, Watch, and iPad, the iPad is the least critical in my life. I wouldn't let my kids anywhere near my laptop/phone. And like you said, good to teach them responsibility now (also why I took the picture to show them when they get older). Always good to rub it in their faces when they ask for stuff
[doublepost=1455572345][/doublepost]

http://www.theverge.com/2015/9/14/9326035/can-rice-actually-save-your-wet-phone

Research shows that the rice trick is a red herring. Just because putting stuff in rice correlated with it working later doesn't mean the rice was the cause. Get some silica gel if you need a chemical desiccant that works. Camera shops usually sell it.

Damn, that last paragraph will now have me concerned forever.

 

[Akira_808]

In a warm place in a bag of rice mate that'll get the moisture out

Not a good idea to do so. I have a friend who repairs these and he said that putting an iPad in rice won't do a thing. What happens is gluten from the rice seeps in and makes the problem worse. In fact, rice does nothing as moisture will still be inside and the gluten from the rice will cause major damage and corrosion. This will render the device useless and it can't be repaired. Moisture is the number one killer, as it can cause the logic board to short out.
[doublepost=1455582524][/doublepost]

It certainly did nothing for my wet phone (and any of the phones my teenage daughter's friends have drowned) other than fill the crevices with rice dust and make it difficult to clean out. After that I read more on it and the rice trick seems mostly debunked, especially for water inside and under components.

I also thought I read that a hair dryer was not a good as the heat can damage inner components? Not sure how much of a risk it is. Might be something for the original poster to research prior to using the hair dryer again.

Rice does nothing as you found. It makes the problem worse as gluten from the rice seeps in. This in turn will cause major damage to the internal components and it can't be fixed. If the device was dropped in salt water, kiss it goodbye, as salt water will cause major corrosion and permanently damage everything.

 

[dictoresno]

Not a good idea to do so. I have a friend who repairs these and he said that putting an iPad in rice won't do a thing. What happens is gluten from the rice seeps in and makes the problem worse. In fact, rice does nothing as moisture will still be inside and the gluten from the rice will cause major damage and corrosion. This will render the device useless and it can't be repaired. Moisture is the number one killer, as it can cause the logic board to short out.
[doublepost=1455582524][/doublepost]
Rice does nothing as you found. It makes the problem worse as gluten from the rice seeps in. This in turn will cause major damage to the internal components and it can't be fixed. If the device was dropped in salt water, kiss it goodbye, as salt water will cause major corrosion and permanently damage everything.

rice also doesn't contain gluten

 

[MartyCan]

I put the hairdryer on low and not directly on the screen. Just hovered it over the glass at an angle so that a warm airflow swept over the top. Worked really well. Going to leave it powered off and in a drawer for a week to see if I can get the last bit of condensation removed.
[doublepost=1455562844][/doublepost]

Wow, I'd be too terrified of having the battery explode at 180 degrees. Considering how little condensation there is, I'm just going the air temp method for a week.

180 Faherenheit. 1 hour only. Battery was no problem. As I said we did this with my daughter's (two separate incidents) and my wife's phones. For my daughter the first time it took 2 sessions in the oven. But it works.

 

[Gav2k]

Not a good idea to do so. I have a friend who repairs these and he said that putting an iPad in rice won't do a thing. What happens is gluten from the rice seeps in and makes the problem worse. In fact, rice does nothing as moisture will still be inside and the gluten from the rice will cause major damage and corrosion. This will render the device useless and it can't be repaired. Moisture is the number one killer, as it can cause the logic board to short out.
[doublepost=1455582524][/doublepost]
Rice does nothing as you found. It makes the problem worse as gluten from the rice seeps in. This in turn will cause major damage to the internal components and it can't be fixed. If the device was dropped in salt water, kiss it goodbye, as salt water will cause major corrosion and permanently damage everything.

As stated most rice is gluten free. Rice does also draw in moisture if it's fresh from a sealed bag. The reason I said rice not silica gel is most people have rice to hand. Yes it's not as effective as silica but it still works to a degree.
[doublepost=1455591748][/doublepost]

180 Faherenheit. 1 hour only. Battery was no problem. As I said we did this with my daughter's (two separate incidents) and my wife's phones. For my daughter the first time it took 2 sessions in the oven. But it works.

Yep works well if your oven can go that low that is.

 

[bulbousnub]

Wow, this is actually kinda impressive

 

[shareef777]

Had it powered back on for almost a week now. Absolutely no indication that it was a popsicle just a couple weeks ago. Battery charges just fine, and drains normally (watched a 2 hour movie and it dropped from 100 down to 80%). Absolutely love this and will look forward to the next iPad to upgrade.

 

[baypharm]

rice also doesn't contain gluten

This whole gluten argument is overrated. It was designed to sell food products and nothing else. A big advertising campaign. The only people who need to avoid gluten are those with Celiac Disease.