Mid-2012 Macbook Pro Liquid Damage. Safe to Keep Using?

[EchoSierra]

I spilled a glass of Propel Electrolyte water on my mid-2012 Macbook Pro (A1278, so not the retina). I have it "maxed out" (16GB of RAM, two 4TB SATA SSDs) and it was snappy and runs like a dream.

When I spilled the drink on the laptop, it went in through the keyboard and the exhaust vent and immediately shut off. I immediately removed the bottom cover and disconnected the battery. After letting it air out for a day, I plugged the battery back in and remarkably, it still boots. I shut it back down and disconnected the battery again to make sure that it dries out completely before I try to use it.

So my question is: Is it safe to continue using this Macbook? Or should I send it in to Rossmann Group as a precaution? I can see what *MIGHT* be corrosion on some of the resistors on the board. Is there any harm in continuing to use this macbook until it develops problems, and then send it in to Rossmann Group then?

 

[brianmowrey]

I think the machine is better off having the logic board taken out to clean with rubbing alcohol. You could do that yourself if you felt like it. Paying to have it done is placing a bet that it will fail due to the spill, but wouldn't still do so / have done so even after cleaning, and there's no way you'll ever know for sure if it was the right bet. So, it's your call.

 

[ght56]

As what you spilled on it is acidic and sugary, to my understanding the board needs to be cleaned ASAP and the longer you wait/try to use it the more likely corrosion will set in and cause more issues. If I was in your situation and really liked the system, I would, personally, probably send it to the Rossmann Group and have them clean it and test it rather then wait for corrosion to damage or ruin the board.

 

[EchoSierra]

Thankfully, the Propel has a pH of 9.5 so it's not acidic, and it only had 10 calories, so it's not sugary either (although it has a *little* bit of sugar)

I sent Rossmann Group a contact form to see how much they'll charge to run it thrugh the ultrasonic cleaner. I'm willing to pay for the service for peace of mine. In the meantime, I'll keep the battery disconnected and the machine off. Thanks!

 

[clueless88]

Is there any benefit in placing the MBP in a large zip lock bag with uncooked rice? The uncooked rice (not minute rice or uncle bens) is hydrophilic and should absorb water vapor. Would be good to place either the rice or laptop in a paper bag to keep the rice dust out of the laptop. Have used that method to dry out phones but never had to try it on larger electronic devices.

 

[bwinter88]

Rice doesn't work, it's mostly a myth. I spilled a bit of gatorade on my trackpad and it was causing erratic behavior for a few days even after everything had dried. I applied a puddle of rubbing alcohol around the trackpad, then wiped it off, then rinsed with n-heptane (you can buy it off amazon as rubber cement solvent). N-heptane is what they use at the Apple factory to clean the devices before shipping, it is very similar to rubbing alcohol except it evaporates much faster. Trackpad is back to working now. I don't know if I would recommend this for main board fixes though.

 

[clueless88]

Let us know what happens with the Rossmann group and also how much they will charge.

 

[EchoSierra]

I plugged the battery back in out of curiosity and the machine booted. However, I was not able to log in because the system did not recognize all the keys on the keyboard, and the caps lock was flipped.

I sent it in to Rossmann Group. If it's a logic board issue, $250, if it's just the keyboard, $175 for a replacement. My SMC was already slightly wonky before the accident, so it definitely needs logic board work. They're working on it now.