You haven't mentioned what model it is. In 10 year old macbooks you can take out the battery in 2 seconds with a coin. Recent ones need exotic tools, and there are gotchas with even a phillips screwdriver. If you're uncomfortable with it don't open it.
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Spilled beer on my MacBook Pro!!!
- Thread starter Presleysteeth
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You don't clean electronics with water. I'm disappointed that someone suggested that. Typically you would use a non-conductive cleaning solution such as isopropyl. You don't run it under this either. Cleaning has to to be done locally. Anything else is asking for further damage. I'm not sure if the other person is trolling, but it's terrible advice. Maybe not trolling...the ifixit link isn't bad.
Yes, you can safely clean PCB’s with distilled water. Of course, it’s done locally and you don’t just dump water on the board. No one suggested such a thing.
I explained why. If the battery is disconnected, conductivity doesn't matter. If it is in but the machine is powered down, a lot of it will not be able to short. If you are disassembling a computer and cleaning it bit by bit, of course you don't use water. In an emergency situation, where you have an acidic liquid sitting on thin contacts, you want to dilute it as quickly as possible before it causes corrosion. The one computer I have seen destroyed by a spill was done in by corrosion, not by a short. I would maybe spray the keyboard while the machine is upside down so that everything drains back out quickly.
This would have been after the fact by some amount of time, judging by thread timestamps. I agree regarding corrosion. I would personally try to open it up the same day and clean with isopropyl. I don't think even distilled water would break down something viscous like beer, after it has set for more than a minute.
im dumbfounded that some human can't get a screwdriver , remove THEIR laptop cover and fix THEIR computer
we did this a lot last century with every thing we owned.
that was centuries ago or in 1921
but someone should be able to unscrew a couple of screws in confidence.
Appreciate the disbelief but I was more worried about voiding my warranty than anything. Repair guy said it’s good I hadn’t opened it, and now the issue is resolved. I got lucky I guess. Next time some advice would be helpful though, someone might really need it!
To anyone reading this that also made this mistake: here’s the advice that saved my laptop. 1. Wipe down the keyboard immediately 2. Flip it upside down in a ^ shape so the liquid can drain out. 3. If it’s not turned off, make sure it is 4. Blast a fan where beer was spilled 5. Keep it there for 2-3 days and most importantly: MAKE SURE YOU HAVE APPLE CARE. They’ll probably repair any parts that got damaged on the inside. If you have a warranty, think twice about opening the back. This will usually void the warranty. For me, I got lucky and only 2 parts got damaged on the inside, but apple care covers it for the $299 detuctible. Apple care itself is around $300. It will be the most expensive beer spill in your life, but it’s better than getting a new laptop! Thanks to everyone that gave me (real) advice!
In most countries (US included) this will not void your warranty.
Reminder: DIYs Won’t Void Your Mac’s Warranty
We address this topic directly with customers via our support portals and are happy to inform you here of the same fact: upgrading your Mac does not void its warranty.
eshop.macsales.com