Just recovered from "ye olde" spilling full cup of tea on keyboard

[booyahbooyah]

So, yesterday, I dropped a full cup of tea (no milk) on my Macbook Air mid-2011 (yeah, those good ones) keyboard.

I thought this time it was over, and daddy was going to have to get a new Macbook.

I have the screwdrivers for the back and the battery (bought a battery off Amazon last year). So I went ahead and took the power cable out and opened the Macbook's behind. Took the battery out. Pointed a fan at it, and left it like that. A few hours later, I popped the power cable back in and tried to switch it on (the battery was still out) and lo and behold, it turns on. Unbelievable but true.

Anyhow -- I've assembled the whole thing back together (with the battery). And I'm actually writing this on the very same Macbook.

I do have one issue though. Please see the attached image. That's what my battery indicator is saying, and as soon as I pop my power cable out, the Macbook switches off.

My question is: from prior experience, does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do about the battery (or is replacing the only option now)?

 

[cruisin]

Unbelievable but true.

Are you surprised that the power adapter that is strong enough to both run your Mac and charge it can run your Mac by itself? On the Windows side you can remove the battery entirely if you plan on being plugged in for a long time, or even swap it for another one.

I pop my power cable out, the Macbook switches off.

The battery might be destroyed by the liquid, likely by a short. Even if you manage to fix it, it might be temporary. Looks like you need to replace it.

 

[booyahbooyah]

Are you surprised that the power adapter that is strong enough to both run your Mac and charge it can run your Mac by itself?

Oh no -- only surprised that the Macbook was still working.

So... it's possible to short a battery? Such that it gets completely hosed?

 

[cruisin]

A spill usually affects just part of a device. If you are lucky, just the battery is hit and everything else was missed. Some damage takes a while to appear, as the spill can slowly corrode things.

Such that it gets completely hosed?

The easiest is to completely discharge the battery, past the safety limit where the battery pretends it is empty. If the liquid reached the battery terminals it could have easily fried something or even discharged the battery completely.

You can leave it to charge overnight or even 24 hours. If it still has no charge then you need to replace it. The Apple store gives a free diagnostic if there is one in your area but a battery is in the range of $100-$200 USD.

 

[cerberusss]

For others reading this topic, a non-spill cup saved my bacon twice. Get something like the following. It's cheap and lasts longer than your laptop. Here is an example for about a tenner.