[Q] Question about fixing/replacing phone? - EVO 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

My 1 yr old son threw my phone (evo 4g) into the toilet while I was getting him a towel to dry off, it was in there for a minute or two. I took it out, disassembled it, and let it dry for 3 days. I'm going to head over to sprint and get a new battery and see if it works or not... anybody know the likelihood that it will/will not? or whether it is easily fixable or not?
Also, does anybody know how/where I could get a replacement phone for cheap if the phone is broken? can I do it through sprint somehow or not?

It most likely won't work, even with a battery. Water damage voids your warranty. Even if you don't tell them, they'll be able to tell by the strip inside the phone.
If you have insurance, I'm so glad that I do, you can file it with Asurion and it will be $100. If not, you're probably out of luck.
Sorry, that really sucks!

ashendare said:
My 1 yr old son threw my phone (evo 4g) into the toilet while I was getting him a towel to dry off, it was in there for a minute or two. I took it out, disassembled it, and let it dry for 3 days. I'm going to head over to sprint and get a new battery and see if it works or not... anybody know the likelihood that it will/will not? or whether it is easily fixable or not?
Also, does anybody know how/where I could get a replacement phone for cheap if the phone is broken? can I do it through sprint somehow or not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have insurance through Sprint, the replacement will cost you $100 for the deductible. I had to order one yesterday and they are out of stock, and it will be 7-10 days before they can ship me a phone.
I've know that putting the phone in a bowl or a sock full of dry white rice will help to absorb any moisture inside the phone. What you use to hold the rice is not important; it's the rice that does the trick. You may want to to that over night before you go out and get a new battery.

what you left the toilet seat up!?

rugedraw said:
I've know that putting the phone in a bowl or a sock full of dry white rice will help to absorb any moisture inside the phone. What you use to hold the rice is not important; it's the rice that does the trick. You may want to to that over night before you go out and get a new battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is absolutely true. A buddy of mine dropped his iphone in the pool and immediately threw it in a bag of rice for 2-3 days. it came out just fine. Just FYI, this doesn't reverse the moisture detection strips(obviously) but it might pull your phone from the grave. I do know the last thing you want to do is turn it on until you're absolutely sure it's dry. good luck!

The thing about our smartphones is that the chips are so small and sensitive to anything that isn't supposed to be there. My mom once washed AND dried her dumbphone (think it was a sammy) and it came back! If it does come back after the rice trick then congrats!

My sister did the same thing with her epic she just put a new battery in it a took it to best buy and said it just stopped working and they didn't take it apart and she hot a new one. I know this is kind of stealing but if you don't want to pay alot for a replacement ...
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Related

i just dropped my tilt 2 in water...

yea i can't believe it happened... my question is i have flashed a cooked ROM before and all and now i am running spb mobile shell with a custom theme from mobilecustoms.... i do have a warranty on my phone... do you think i can get away with replacing my phone?? i notice that my sleep/wake button does not work and the vibration feeling is very low... so do i need to flash to a the stock ROM? can i leave it the way it is and bring it to them? does insurance even cover water damage??? any help is MUCH APPRECIATED. thanks!
Take the battery out. Put the battery and the phone in a bag of rice for 2 days. After that the phone should work fine. My wife did this with her Blackberry and it worked fine after a couple days.
Typically insurance doesn't cover "water" damage as they can tell you did it. On the battery and on the inside of the phone there are 2 stickers than turn red when they get wet. So once you take it in and ask, they will crack open the phone. Never hurts to ask though.
drhuggybear said:
Take the battery out. Put the battery and the phone in a bag of rice for 2 days. After that the phone should work fine. My wife did this with her Blackberry and it worked fine after a couple days.
Typically insurance doesn't cover "water" damage as they can tell you did it. On the battery and on the inside of the phone there are 2 stickers than turn red when they get wet. So once you take it in and ask, they will crack open the phone. Never hurts to ask though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
really rice? lol. ahhh i dont have any rice at the moment lol. ive been meaning to buy some as well... anyways yea the stickers i noticed that.... but if i were to bring it in and they saw how my phone was modded but using spb mobile shell, does that void the warranty?
toawkanavngthded said:
yea i can't believe it happened... my question is i have flashed a cooked ROM before and all and now i am running spb mobile shell with a custom theme from mobilecustoms.... i do have a warranty on my phone... do you think i can get away with replacing my phone?? i notice that my sleep/wake button does not work and the vibration feeling is very low... so do i need to flash to a the stock ROM? can i leave it the way it is and bring it to them? does insurance even cover water damage??? any help is MUCH APPRECIATED. thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Shame to hear about your Rhodium
Covering it with rice is a common practice to absorb the humidity
I don´t remember where but I´m sure in general section I read a thread regarding solving water probs.
Hope you can save it
And don´t forget to vote!
Are you sure insurance doesnt cover water damage? I thought warranty didnt, but insurance covers from what I know any incidents. U might want to double check that. And as for SPB Mobile shell no they wont care about that.
And if the rice idea doesnt work, then take the phone and put it under direct sunlight for 4 hours with the screen facing down and no battery or battery cover. If you are in winter where you live, then do not put it outside, but keep in a warm room with direct sunlight shining thru for about 4 hours. My Ex's daugther did the same with her pantec and the rice didnt work, but my idea did
orb3000 said:
Shame to hear about your Rhodium
Covering it with rice is a common practice to absorb the humidity
I don´t remember where but I´m sure in general section I read a thread regarding solving water probs.
Hope you can save it
And don´t forget to vote!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks! the sleep/wake button comes and goes... other than that it seems like its still working good.... . ill see what happens though... i wanna see if my insurances covers it....
AngelDeath said:
Are you sure insurance doesnt cover water damage? I thought warranty didnt, but insurance covers from what I know any incidents. U might want to double check that. And as for SPB Mobile shell no they wont care about that.
And if the rice idea doesnt work, then take the phone and put it under direct sunlight for 4 hours with the screen facing down and no battery or battery cover. If you are in winter where you live, then do not put it outside, but keep in a warm room with direct sunlight shining thru for about 4 hours. My Ex's daugther did the same with her pantec and the rice didnt work, but my idea did
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
u made a good point... now that i think about it i think ur right about the warranty and insurance. even if i have a modded theme from spb mobile shell? if so that would be great! but i hard spl my phone from before... is there a way of them finding out? do i need to do the whole rice thing or place phone in direct sunlight??? that sounds a good idea . should i call a rep or just go to the at&t store?
Sunlight + Rice.
I dropped my old phone into water (completely immersed), but was workign after 2 days of drying.
As for the hacked shell, unless you modified you ROM (HardSPL?) you're OK.
Warranty does not cover water damage, but insurance should.
Rice seriously? LoL
Thats just a silly old myth.
As somebody who has opened up many phones before, I know for a fact that it's just a silly myth people believe in.
Think about it, is the rice going to magically suck the water out of the phone through the tightly sealed housing.
Rice is not going to do anything.
What you need to do is order is some torx screws off ebay and read a disassembly tutorial so that you can dry out your phone the proper way.
http://forum.smartphonejunkie.com/f498/touch-pro-2-basic-disassembly-pictures-56k-warning-192003/
I went snorkeling with my Touch Pro
When I took it back to the service, first thing they looked at is the stickers and told me its water damaged and that warranty is now gone. Firstly, I gave it lots of sunlight, then got a new battery, then opened the whole thing up. Yep, it took me a while but it was cool to have a look inside. What I found is that water did not really hurt it, but salt did. Using a cotton bud and pure alcohol I cleaned up all contact and solder points on PCB.
It works finenow, except the screen has visible marks, almost like dead pixels, where salt ate it away.
Rice seriously? LoL
Thats just a silly old myth.
As somebody who has opened up many phones before, I know for a fact that it's just a silly myth people believe in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you ever tried it? If you haven't then how can you be so condesending about it?
As someone who has done this and seen it work ... I believe in it. The phone was not opened. Was not put in direct sunlight but kept in a drawer in a ziploc baggie full of rice. 2 days later it powered on and ran for almost a year before we upgraded my wife to another device. I would bet that if I pulled it out of the drawer and charged the battery it would probably still work but who wants to use a blackberry
As with anything, your milage may vary but it worked fine for me.
kmx said:
Rice seriously? LoL
Thats just a silly old myth.
As somebody who has opened up many phones before, I know for a fact that it's just a silly myth people believe in.
Think about it, is the rice going to magically suck the water out of the phone through the tightly sealed housing.
Rice is not going to do anything.
What you need to do is order is some torx screws off ebay and read a disassembly tutorial so that you can dry out your phone the proper way.
http://forum.smartphonejunkie.com/f498/touch-pro-2-basic-disassembly-pictures-56k-warning-192003/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the housing was really tightly sealed it wouldn't get enough water into it to break the thing. The rice trick won't work if it was anything othan than plain water, but it generally works well for water spills.
kmx said:
Rice seriously? LoL
Thats just a silly old myth.
As somebody who has opened up many phones before, I know for a fact that it's just a silly myth people believe in.
Think about it, is the rice going to magically suck the water out of the phone through the tightly sealed housing.
Rice is not going to do anything.
What you need to do is order is some torx screws off ebay and read a disassembly tutorial so that you can dry out your phone the proper way.
http://forum.smartphonejunkie.com/f498/touch-pro-2-basic-disassembly-pictures-56k-warning-192003/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, make sure you add spices, and brown rice for extra flavor.. Seriously, get a clue. It's a dessicant. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desiccant
The rice also helps speed up evapouration since it can absorb moisture in the air surrounding the device and it's readily available. You can use absorbing gel used by people like photographers instead if you want, but you can't cook and serve it with your meal afterwards (just kidding).
In fact, you don't need to use rice or any other material at all - take out the batt and leave it to air dry opened, but this can take over a week or two, even longer if the humidity is high.
PS. I read elsewhere an alternative to rice is to submerge it in alcohol, let the alcohol absorb the water then take it out and let the alcohol evapourate....
I also have to admit that it worked for me. The most important thing about water is to try and vacuum it up out of the phone. Hot air just forces it into places it may not have been. I then put it in a jar with rice for about a week. When all was said and done it worked fine. I may have worked anyways but I figured I had nothing to lose.
toawkanavngthded said:
thanks! the sleep/wake button comes and goes... other than that it seems like its still working good.... . ill see what happens though... i wanna see if my insurances covers it....
u made a good point... now that i think about it i think ur right about the warranty and insurance. even if i have a modded theme from spb mobile shell? if so that would be great! but i hard spl my phone from before... is there a way of them finding out? do i need to do the whole rice thing or place phone in direct sunlight??? that sounds a good idea . should i call a rep or just go to the at&t store?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont know about the hard spl, the SBP mobile shell is not tinkering with it, custom roms, or hard spl might, insurance I dont know, but if anything I would get a stock rom for your carrier, and if you do a search there is a spl reversal which can lock your phone back. And you dont put it under direct sunlight in the rice bag. If rice didnt work, then you put it under direct sunlight screen down in the open air.
As for person who said "mythical" rice. I beg to differ, as someone said it does absorb moisture that is in the air. Rice is not solid, its a grain which any science nut would know is poreous, which just like carbon can adsorb and absorb moisture in the air, hence putting a wet phone in a ziplock bag would indeed remove water and water vapors due to evaporation.
But also take something else into account, the rice idea only works for a certain amount of time, to the person who said they left it in the rice for a week, sorry the rice didnt get rid of the water, normal sequence of water drying did, you could have taken that same phone and left it on your kitchen counter that long and it would have worked just the same.
And as a side note. Salt works too, its just too fine to put a phone into it. And I never thought of the alcohol trick, maybe I'll try that with a phone I could careless about, til then not a chance.
Lastly, anyone who buys bagels by the dozen, if they give you a bakers dozen, get a salt bagel and leave it in the bag with the bagels, helps keep the rest of the bagels fresh
We now return you to our regularly scheduled program, already in progress LOL!
Don't cook the rice first!
thank you all for ur responses. the night i dropped my phone i just took out the battery and just wiped everything as dry as i can. i had to charge my phone that night and so i did it anyways... the next morning it charged fine and everything was working fine... that night my sleep/wake button started functioning correctly. the only problem i have is that my vibration isnt as strong but its ok. so i guess i got lucky? i have insurance so if anything starts acting up ill try my best to switch it.
If you have insurance (you pay monthly) then it is covered, but there is a $125 deductible I believe. If you do not have insurance and are referring to the 1-year warranty then no, water damage is not covered.
petard said:
If you have insurance (you pay monthly) then it is covered, but there is a $125 deductible I believe. If you do not have insurance and are referring to the 1-year warranty then no, water damage is not covered.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My insurance paper says that the insurance co pay is 50 bucks. That being said, if you can go without your phone for a few days, pay the deductible and tell em that you LOST your phone. Asurion does cover the phone if it is lost.
PS. The rice does actually work. I didn't believe it myself, But I had to do that once on my Touch Pro 1 and two days later the phone was completely dry, and worked like a charm.
jmy72 said:
My insurance paper says that the insurance co pay is 50 bucks. That being said, if you can go without your phone for a few days, pay the deductible and tell em that you LOST your phone. Asurion does cover the phone if it is lost.
PS. The rice does actually work. I didn't believe it myself, But I had to do that once on my Touch Pro 1 and two days later the phone was completely dry, and worked like a charm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lost phones are an $80 co-pay through asurion, not sure how the other insurance companies are.
*edit*
I've had an experience dropping my Treo 700wx in water. The screen was shot for a couple days (and you could see the receding water). After about 4 days it was working fine with just about everything but I still replaced the phone and the replacement refurbished phone was worse than the original. Basically water damage isn't too bad, just let it dry and don't use it for a couple days. It will shorten its lifespan, but it will still work. At the very least its better than getting a refurbished phone, because in my experience those seem to have more problems.

Phone stolen/phone recovered/phone wet--NOW WHAT?

It is bad news , then good news, then bad again. My phone was stolen from where I work. It was found 5 hours later. It was really wet when it was found. (we don't know how it got wet, nor for how long it was in water..)I dried it off, put it in rice for 48 hours...I have turned it on, and it stays on for about 3 min. Then it shuts off. It will not start up again unless I take out the battery. And will do the on thing for 3 min again, etc...
So I have questions...If I keep this thing in rice for a longer period, does it have a chance of working? I filed a police report. I have a case #. What are the chances of HTC covering this by warranty? The water indicator mark on the phone itself is pink/red. The battery is pink cross-haired. It doesn't look as pink as the phone unit itself.
I called HTC just now. They are closed until Monday. I just wanted to get some varied opinions. Thanks.
well first question is, do you have insurance for the phone? i dont think HTC would take care of it as of they only replace if the phone has defects, but insurance would, theyll be your best friend in situations like this, happened to my Touch Pro, i put the sucker in rice for 5 days and its working great, only thing is that there still some spots left from the water on the screen, but its barely noticeable, but the day it got wet, called up AT&T and they said theyll send me a new phone, which how i ended up having a Tilt 2
also to add on to this, i dont think the cops can find out who stole it who knows....someone can come up and admit it....
my phone was stolen about a month ago...i just called tmo and submitted a claim via asurion...from your sig, it appears this may not be an option for you...
chances are, they will deny your claim, as the phone is in you possesion and is wet. how are they to know that your phone was stolen as opposed to you getting it wet. as a former claims adjuster, that's how I would view it.
lastly, do you have a cell phone repair shop in your area, it may be worth your while having them take a look at it, rather than getting htc involved...
if you have asurion insurance they shouldnt deny you a claim but it may be different in the area you live in, for me with sprint i must pay a $100 deductible but it covers theft, physical damage, and water damage for a replacement
No, I do not have any insurance on the phone. I have Home Owner's Insurance, but I believe my deductible is prob pretty high.
I don't know about Asurion. It looks like they cover the Carrier's phones, not an unlocked one.
I was in hopes that HTC would cover it since I didn't get it wet myself. It was stolen from my office at school...( a &*#@ student did it). Since I have a police report and case #, I can verify that it was stolen and discovered "wet." You don't think HTC would accept that? I mean, it is all true.
It is so discouraging.
Rock and a hard place
i<3myphone said:
No, I do not have any insurance on the phone. I have Home Owner's Insurance, but I believe my deductible is prob pretty high.
I don't know about Asurion. It looks like they cover the Carrier's phones, not an unlocked one.
I was in hopes that HTC would cover it since I didn't get it wet myself. It was stolen from my office at school...( a &*#@ student did it). Since I have a police report and case #, I can verify that it was stolen and discovered "wet." You don't think HTC would accept that? I mean, it is all true.
It is so discouraging.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's unfortunate what happened yes, but HTC only feels responsibility to cover repairs that are related to faulty manufacturing...even though you can prove that it's not your fault the phone was stolen or damaged, those are both issues that only some type of insurance would cover, I'm sorry to say. Assurion is the company that provides harware insurance to most of the major carriers, but yes I think it's only offered on phones bought from/through the carrier itself....you would know if you had it because there'd be a small (~$10) charge on your bill each month for it.
What if I got a Square Trade warranty?
i<3myphone said:
What if I got a Square Trade warranty?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well sure if you had that on the phone then you should be just fine...their terms clearly say they cover immersion, so they shouldn't give you any hassle about it. Although, I do see that their fine print states "unlocking a cell phone after purchase will void the warranty"...so don't know if you might get a hassle for the custom ROM, or if they only care about carrier unlocking.
Now, if you don't have the Square Trade warranty yet and were thinking about purchasing it and then submitting this claim, they might have an exclusion period where you can't make a claim within the first x number of days after buying the warranty, if the phone isn't brand new when you purchase the coverage (that's not unheard of in the 3rd-party warranty business)
EDIT: Yes, they do have a 60-day exclusion period...anything happening in that period is considered to be "pre-existing". And, it looks like you have to purchase the coverage within the first 30 days after the auction that you bought it from.
Suggest you do the following:
1) Batteries are easily damaged by water and can become a silent fire hazard, so remove and dispose of the battery Leave the back cover off the phone.
2) Give the phone a very thorough bath in distilled water (no soap or anything) to remove any contaminants. Optionally, disassemble phone first.
3) Shake as much water as possible out of the phone
4) Wrap phone securely in paper towel
5) Place phone in a bowl of instant rice, and cover bowl with plastic wrap
6) Put bowl in a sunny place
7) 24 hrs after there is no more condensation on the plastic wrap, your phone is as dry as it ever is going to be
8) Put new battery in phone, replace cover, and charge for full charge cycle
With a little luck, your phone will be working as good as new.
Thanks. I will try above steps. I will keep you posted here.
So out of curiosity, I tried the phone again. It comes on for 3 minutes, then goes blank. (shuts off) While it is on, the phone itself gets really hot, as well as the battery when I remove it. What is this a sign of?
i<3myphone said:
So out of curiosity, I tried the phone again. It comes on for 3 minutes, then goes blank. (shuts off) While it is on, the phone itself gets really hot, as well as the battery when I remove it. What is this a sign of?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try following the advice where it said to replace the battery? You can get them dirt cheap on ebay if you havnt. I would try that first myself as that would save a lot of time AND money if thats all it is.
You also might be able to get a new battery from your carrier. I've heard of people walking in and saying hey I only get so many minutes out of my battery and they just give them a new one. I would go in NOT say anything about dropping your phone in the water and saying the battery only lasts three minutes, then show them how it turns off after. You may end up getting a free one.
Again thats assuming you bought it from your carrier and not direct from HTC. If you didnt.. ebay!
I finally got a different battery put in the phone. I also did a hard reset. The phone went thru the process of booting up, setting up phone for 1st time, etc...it stayed on for about 5 min. Then.....BLACK...BLANK screen. Now when I try to start it up, it will only last about 60 seconds.
Suggestions on what to do next? Thanks.
Time for a new phone!!
Aaron McCarthy said:
Time for a new phone!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it's time to throw in the towel on this one I'm afraid
EDIT: I don't see for sure that you followed steps 5-7 in datawrhsdoc's instructions above...did you? It may be past that point yet, but it's the only other thing that might have had any chance of helping you
I had already done the rice trick. Thanks for following up. dang this just pisses me off.
yeah, if you turned on the phone while the electronic components were wet, chances are something fried inside. time for a new phone.
and why would htc pay to repair this phone? warranty only covers manufacturer's defects.
on the positive side, you can find tp2's for about 250.00 right now.

Evo in a Hot Tub :(

Sorry, forgot to put my thread title as a question.
So, this new appartment i'm at has a hot tub and 2 pools available, so tonight we decided to go to the hot tub. I usually take my phone with me to play music as we are sitting around relaxing by the pool or hot tub(speaker is loud enough to put it a fair distance away). This time, being the idiot that I am, i walked into the hot tub with the phone in my pocket, took me a good minute or two before i realized. I realized this, having just turned the phone on two minutes before i went to the pool after swapping batteries, and took it out of my pocket and it wasn't on. Took the battery out immediately and wrapped it in my towel, brought it in about ten minutes later, wiped up remaining water, and put it in to a jar full of rice. Thing is, i had a 3rd party battery in it when it was there, i know the water damage indicator is on the battery(not sure if there are more in the phone). Because i didn't have the default batter in it, in case that it does work(which it probably won't, i can see water under the screen), would i possibly be able to get away with saying it just stopped working? I looked at the ifixit teardown and only saw them point out 1 water damage indicator, on the battery. So XDA, am i screwed or what? From what i looked up sprint doesn't cover water damage, which sucks, what, if they find out, will i have to pay to replace my evo?
I think I would be astounded at HTC's stupidity if the only water damage indicator was on the most easily user-replacable part: the battery. Seriously, there would be absolutely no point in having a water damage indicator if anyone could just buy a new battery, throw it in, and claim that their Evo just somehow stopped working.
If you have insurance, it covers water damage-- but just like loss or theft, you have to pony up for the $100 deductible.
sohr said:
I think I would be astounded at HTC's stupidity if the only water damage indicator was on the most easily user-replacable part: the battery. Seriously, there would be absolutely no point in having a water damage indicator if anyone could just buy a new battery, throw it in, and claim that their Evo just somehow stopped working.
If you have insurance, it covers water damage-- but just like loss or theft, you have to pony up for the $100 deductible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was guessing there were more, but I was going specifically off of what i remember from the ifixit teardown. Well, that's a bummer, i was hoping it was more like $50, but $100 isn't bad, could be worse :\.
I dropped mine in the water for like 3 seconds this week. I actually called Sprint and they told me as long as I have insurance (which I do) they would cover it. I heard the rice thing works but I didn't try it. What I DID do, was put my phone in the oven at 100F for about 2 hours. I just put a cookie sheet in there and put my phone on a paper towel. I know people say "oh wtf you put it in the oven?!?!" but really......100F isn't a temp that your phone never sees so there really isnt any harm. Anyways, it worked GREAT for me. Pulled all the water out of the screen and out of the camera lens and now it works perfectly.
oh wtf you put it in the oven?!?!
It's a good thing you and your friends don't like to enjoy a slice of toast in the hot tub.
I have a water damage indicator like..RIGHT inside the bottom right side of the back. Just under the battery cover. Does nobody elses phone have one right there?
Also, I've seen pictures of the motherboard of the phone. There is one on there was well.
...in 1943, I killed a drifter.
felacio said:
I have a water damage indicator like..RIGHT inside the bottom right side of the back. Just under the battery cover. Does nobody elses phone have one right there?
Also, I've seen pictures of the motherboard of the phone. There is one on there was well.
...in 1943, I killed a drifter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it that small piece of tape on the left of the bottom right screw? I dont see anything other than that.
MJStephens said:
Is it that small piece of tape on the left of the bottom right screw? I dont see anything other than that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, its to the right. Not all the way, closer to the middle than it is to the corner. Its a white square with red stripes. I have an 002. Might be different on 003. *shrug*
...in 1943, I killed a drifter.
felacio said:
No, its to the right. Not all the way, closer to the middle than it is to the corner. Its a white square with red stripes. I have an 002. Might be different on 003. *shrug*
...in 1943, I killed a drifter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I found it. There is one on my battery too. The red stripes indicate water damage? Because mine have red stripes haha.
here's what I would try, this worked on my Zune HD when it got soaked in a cup of vodka, and hopefully this works on my friend's samsung phone she just got. Take the phone apart completely, use q-tips to dry it, use q-tips with rubbing alchohol to clear the water and any buildup of crap from the water, then put the individual parts in rice, which will dry it much faster. Afterwards, maybe 2-3 days later, put device back together and BAM! it works! my Zune's been working for 2 weeks now with no problems, and the liquid was under the screen, and my friend's phone, well she dropped it in the toilet yesterday, and it's sitting in pieces yet to be put into rice, too busy right now, will do it later.
A few years ago my friend did a cannonball into the pool and realized mid-air that his phone was still in his pocket. I'll never forget the expression on his face.
Sent from my FROYO'D EVO using xda app
MJStephens said:
Yeah I found it. There is one on my battery too. The red stripes indicate water damage? Because mine have red stripes haha.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, all red is a triggered indicator. The red pattern is so that you can't bleach the indicator and lie about what happened.
I have tried the rice thing.. takes too long. My to2 I have dropped in the toilet (fell out of my sweatshirt front pocket while lifting to take a leak) fell in a puddle and a beer poured on it. Stick works great. What I did is present over to 200 degrees. Once presented place phone without battery and back onto middle rack onto if a cloth. Leave for an hour. Check phone to see if water is in screen. Repeat process 2-4 times.
With the rice I had a problem of dust and rice stuck on phone. Hard to get out of cracks. Also you can go to Sprint and say your battery isnt working without your phone if with your phone after you don't the oven trick. They should replace it. If they see that its been water damage tell them you had a lol brother or sister take your battery out and found it like that. They prob will check to see if phone works with new one and should. Good luck.. this saved me plenty of times. The tp2 was from us cellular and did battery exchanges no questions asked.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Your battery might of shorted out. When you put back together charge first because the water drains the charge. If it doesn't work after a charge you need a new battery.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
MJStephens said:
I dropped mine in the water for like 3 seconds this week. I actually called Sprint and they told me as long as I have insurance (which I do) they would cover it. I heard the rice thing works but I didn't try it. What I DID do, was put my phone in the oven at 100F for about 2 hours. I just put a cookie sheet in there and put my phone on a paper towel. I know people say "oh wtf you put it in the oven?!?!" but really......100F isn't a temp that your phone never sees so there really isnt any harm. Anyways, it worked GREAT for me. Pulled all the water out of the screen and out of the camera lens and now it works perfectly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i dont know that i ever saw an oven that has a temp below 200
nicholaaaas said:
i dont know that i ever saw an oven that has a temp below 200
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Be smarter than the over....crack the door.
apristel said:
Be smarter than the over....crack the door.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My oven goes all the way down to 100
Not reccomended but....at my store's service in repair we didnt go off just indicators alone, altho the motherboard one is fairly hard to say it didnt get soaked to.
butt the battery and outside one yes, If you tear the phone down and clean off the corrosion most of the time the phone will function fine after that.
Second benefit is that if there is no corrosion then we normally replace the phone in store anyway.
YMMV
anyway if it cant be saved via standard preventative stuff time to make an insurance claim :-(
Not sure if this method will work for everyone but it worked for my old Nokia phone. I washed it with a load of laundry and dried it in the dryer. Found the phone in the dryer, wouldn't turn on so I pulled the battery and stuck it back in, phone worked great after that.

[Q] Dropped my HTC Desire Z in the water

(I know there is some topics here in similar subject, but I'm having desire z with lid structure and the phone was in the water only for a short time)
I know it's not smart to take expensive smart phone to toilet with you, especially when the phone is on your hand. Well, I wen't to take a leak and the phone slipped off my left hand and dropped straight to the dirty water in the toilet seat. Picked it up immediately, it was in the water about 1-3 seconds.
The screen was on before getting wet and turned immediately off, the lights on front flashed couple of seconds and I took battery and simcard out immediately. Shaked it a bit and tried to dry it with paper and left it on the towel which was on the warm radiator.
I have googled now a long time and got very different solutions... I'm not going to try any of them since some of the solutions are clearly by trolls. I'm not going to put my phone to the water or sack of rice, I'm not going to use hair dryer since I don't have one. I don't think I have rice either...
What is to be done here? Is my phone dead and gone... ? I had it about a month and I'm scared if it doesn't work any more. I use it both in work and home and this is really bad situation for me.
I made first mistake and tried turn the phone on too soon, about under an hour since the accident. As soon as I put the battery on I got the dim orange led light, the screen was black. When pressed the power button it vibrated three (3) times and nothing happened. I then took the battery and SIM off again and put it back on the radiator. Now I'm going to have it there until tomorrow morning I go to work. If it's still not working, I have to use my Nokia E90 since I get it fixed or.... I have to buy the new phone... damn it.
While waiting, any solutions available? Warranty is not covering this for sure.
And please, do not start conversation about "why phone in the toilet?" or things like that. The accident already happened and there is no point thinking "why"? I learned my lesson and this is the first time in my gadget history when something dumb like this happens... I feel like I have won in the lottery, same chances...
I had rooted Virtuous and I'm from Finland if it counts something...
rollex said:
I have googled now a long time and got very different solutions... I'm not going to try any of them since some of the solutions are clearly by trolls.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What makes you so sure? Don't knock the bag of rice trick. A ton of people on here have advocated its use, and swear by it. Its supposedly a natural desiccant. Rice is cheap, and it really can't hurt at this point, can it?
The "dirty water" might contain salt... if so the salt will short out the components ... I had a old WM 6 phone that dropped in to the ocean.
The keypad for it stopped working had to take it apart and clean off the salt from the ribbons and components, you can clean with a Q-tip and some rubbing alcohol (worked fine after that).
Whatever you do don't use a blow dryer it will melt the components in your phone.
Try letting it dry naturally. or the Rice Idea.
The rice is not a trick -- it really works for getting the moisture out.
luckye Smartphones are not so expensive these days.
If I dropped my phone in the toilet I would get a new phone for exsmpe a HTC Sensation 1.2GHz dual-core, qHD display, and Sense 3.0 or evo 3D
Thanks for the comments! @redpoint73, Some of the tips sounded really bizarre to me, like dropping the phone again to full bowl or glass of water or even alcohol, letting it fully drown to water and alcohol and leave it there for certain amount of time...? or put it in the freezer for hours? or in the oven for too long time? what??
Now when I think of it, the white rice sounds ok. But I still don't feel that easy to use the tip even if I could borrow the neighbour's.
I decided from the start I let it dry naturally. It seems very dry from outside, not much water came out from the start and it was "under water" (I don't think it fully drowned even yet) only 1-3 secs like I said, that's why I tried it on in the first place... my mistake.
I hope I have not bricked the phone. I will keep you posted.
rollex said:
Now when I think of it, the white rice sounds ok. But I still don't feel that easy to use the tip even if I could borrow the neighbour's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me ask you this: is it easier than buying a new phone???
redpoint73 said:
Let me ask you this: is it easier than buying a new phone???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice question, got me thinking. I meant there is just too much those answers around "just let it dry naturally" and because this is new situation for me I try to avoid damaging it more, which I've may have already done by trying to start it again, but anyways, doh...
Anyways, I found basmati/eastern white rice and put it to rice bag on the rice. I'm afraid it might get inside the phone. The phone will now be on the rice overnight.
enp82003 said:
The "dirty water" might contain salt... if so the salt will short out the components ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If there were piss or similar, it contains sulfuric acid and other mild acids. That might not have very good effect to htc desire z electronics...
stian230 said:
luckye Smartphones are not so expensive these days.
If I dropped my phone in the toilet I would get a new phone for exsmpe a HTC Sensation 1.2GHz dual-core, qHD display, and Sense 3.0 or evo 3D
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What toilet did you drop your G2 in? *grabs gloves*
if you saw $100 in a toilet would you pull it out?
rollex said:
Nice question, got me thinking. I meant there is just too much those answers around "just let it dry naturally" and because this is new situation for me I try to avoid damaging it more, which I've may have already done by trying to start it again, but anyways, doh...
Anyways, I found basmati/eastern white rice and put it to rice bag on the rice. I'm afraid it might get inside the phone. The phone will now be on the rice overnight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah trying to power it on prob wasn't the best idea... sorry for the generic trying to let it dry naturally if you don't have rice. I am just going by my own experiences with cell phones the last 10 years since back when Nokia Candy bar style phone were the norm. If you just let it naturally dry for a day with the battery out and then try turning it back there is a 70% chance it might turn back on.
"60% of the time it works every time "
I would take the battery out, then leave the phone in a bowl of pure alcohol
After a couple of minutes swishing it around I would leave it in a bowl of rice to get ALL of the moisture out
enp82003 said:
if you saw $100 in a toilet would you pull it out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see the workings of a new candid camera or punked or some sort of tv show with this idea... XD
But that sucks, man. Good luck. I hope the phone doesn't smell after this.
Soaking it in isopropyl alcohol 99% will clean all of the electronics and draw out the water and piss.
Then bury it in a bag of white rice for 24 hours, alcohol evaporates extremly fast, but after 24 she should be clean and dry.
I say this because I am an electronic tech by trade and have used this method successfully numerous times. The even better thing to do is to completly disemble the phone, clean with alcohol and dry but most people find it easier to just drop it in a bowl then a bag of rice.
Good luck dude
Sent from my HTC Desire Z/G2 using XDA Premium App
Okay, it has been in the rice now overnight and everything works except the touch screen. I put it back to rice and let it be there for a days or so, in the mean time I think I will call my local store and ask what to do. And tell my boss (I use this phone as work as well). I have to use my old Nokia while gettin the solution...
Thanks for the precious tips!
ptesmoke said:
Soaking it in isopropyl alcohol 99% will clean all of the electronics and draw out the water and piss.
Then bury it in a bag of white rice for 24 hours, alcohol evaporates extremly fast, but after 24 she should be clean and dry.
I say this because I am an electronic tech by trade and have used this method successfully numerous times. The even better thing to do is to completly disemble the phone, clean with alcohol and dry but most people find it easier to just drop it in a bowl then a bag of rice.
Good luck dude
Sent from my HTC Desire Z/G2 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry had to ask ever since i heard this idea... submerging it in a bowl with alcohol.... wouldn't that kill the screen? since the screen it's liquid crystals? Sorry ahead of time for not understanding...
enp82003 said:
... submerging it in a bowl with alcohol.... wouldn't that kill the screen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking exactly the same, but was too afraid to ask it
Screen should be sealed..
Sent from my HTC Desire Z/G2 using XDA Premium App
Wow, my first post here gets to be about dropping my G1 in the toilet.
Except my G1 sat in the bottom of the toilet for a good 2 hours. Let me tell you, that was quite the shocking discovery when I went back in the bathroom to take a leak! Well after 2 hours of sitting in water I wrote it off and headed straight out and got my G2. I did immediately pull the battery out and rinsed it off under fresh water and wiped it down with disinfectant. When I got back from purchasing the G2 I put the G1 in a bowl of rice and it sat there for at least 3 days before I thought to try turning it on. And of course it works flawlessly now.
The key I thing is that I didn't even bother trying to see if it still worked by powering it on after a few hours. Made that mistake with prior phones, and that is probably what kills most phones that have been submerged. So resist the temptation to check and see if it still works and just let it sit in a covered bowl of rice for a few days.
My 8 year old now plays with the G1 which she calls the "toilet phone". :d
ptesmoke said:
Screen should be sealed..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have to know exactly what you're doing before trying it... for me it sounds too dangerous.
I have decided to let my phone be in rice bag until Thursday morning, if it does not work by then I will boot it to recovery mode and nandroid backup all my data and then take it to repair service... I hope it works and it does not cost much...
Thanks for hanging with me.

Water Issue. What should I do now?

Hello,
I purchased my Samsung Galaxy S 4 directly of the T-Mobile web site within a week after it came out this year. I have since rooted it and put a custom rom on it. Now I use it on Red Pocket Mobile.
Today I was carrying a water bottle that had a little hole in the bottom so it was dripping water on my phone which was in my pocket. I realized the water was leaking and pulled the phone out and of course it was wet. I went to turn the screen on and I saw the screen fizzle out.
I am wondering if the screen is fried. It appears to start up. I can hear the usually noise as if it was starting up after putting in a battery and when I push the power key the lights below light up indicating a reaction. However the display never turns on.
I suspect this phone is still under warranty? Will T-Mobile replace it even if I do not have current service with them?
Do I have to send it in or just take it to a store and get a replacement? Does someone have the link to a forum that explains how to return it to stock and unroot?
Any suggestions? I need this phone! ASAP
Here's how to unroot:
http://www.androidrootz.com/2013/06/how-to-unroot-unbrick-galaxy-s4.html?m=1
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
buyslake said:
Hello,
I purchased my Samsung Galaxy S 4 directly of the T-Mobile web site within a week after it came out this year. I have since rooted it and put a custom rom on it. Now I use it on Red Pocket Mobile.
Today I was carrying a water bottle that had a little hole in the bottom so it was dripping water on my phone which was in my pocket. I realized the water was leaking and pulled the phone out and of course it was wet. I went to turn the screen on and I saw the screen fizzle out.
I am wondering if the screen is fried. It appears to start up. I can hear the usually noise as if it was starting up after putting in a battery and when I push the power key the lights below light up indicating a reaction. However the display never turns on.
I suspect this phone is still under warranty? Will T-Mobile replace it even if I do not have current service with them?
Do I have to send it in or just take it to a store and get a replacement? Does someone have the link to a forum that explains how to return it to stock and unroot?
Any suggestions? I need this phone! ASAP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For future refference the last thing you do after getitng a phone wet is try to test it. Always pullt eh battery IMMEDIATELY and put it in a bowl of rice for 24-48 hours. The rice will absorb the moisture to help dry it.
By turning it own you fried the circuits that were wet beyond repair.
You can still put it in the rice bowl for a day and see if maybe by some miricle it's not really fried though. Also try sitting teh rice bowl near a fan or a vent. Anythign to keep it extra dry.
They will check the "water damage indicator" if there's any sign of water damage it will not be warranty.
If you have insurance that's a different story.
baseballfanz said:
They will check the "water damage indicator" if there's any sign of water damage it will not be warranty.
If you have insurance that's them a different story.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your no longer a tmobile customer as you mentiomed you were not. I don't believe they will replace the device. Sorry but you likely HAVE to be a customer to get them to help you...if your no longer a customer I do believe your on your own. Sorry..
realsis said:
If your no longer a tmobile customer as you mentiomed you were not. I don't believe they will replace the device. Sorry but you likely HAVE to be a customer to get them to help you...if your no longer a customer I do believe your on your own. Sorry..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I missed the part where he's not on T-mobile. Still if it's water damage warranty is void.
Well you c an go through samsung for warranty issues right? Or does it have to be the carrier? Also I would let it sit in rice for a few days. You want to make sure its completely dry before trying to turn it on. If you're up to it take the phone apart and use a hair dryer.
sent from my jelly bean infused note 10.1
I wouldn't use a hair dryer as you can ruin delicate parts with the heat. I would try the rice again. First thing that's checked under any warranted situation is the sensors for water damage. If they are pink then usually your out of luck so sorry. However you might check with your local cell phone repair service and they might be able to help get it running again. Its worth a shot. Best wishes.
Mr. bird said:
Well you c an go through samsung for warranty issues right? Or does it have to be the carrier? Also I would let it sit in rice for a few days. You want to make sure its completely dry before trying to turn it on. If you're up to it take the phone apart and use a hair dryer.
sent from my jelly bean infused note 10.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One could go through Samsung but with water damage it doesn't matter if it's Samsung or T-mobile. I highly doubt anyone would warranty water damage.
Haven't had to warranty a Samsung yet (knocking on wood) but with a few other companies, they all go through the same process before RMA. One of the very 1st question ask is for you to check the water damage indicator. With Apple when you go to the Smart Bar or whatever it's call, the first thing they check is for water damage before they even proceed. BTW, where is the water damage indicator on our GS4?
Your phone is likely under warranty with Samsung but since it has water damage I believe Samsung would consider it physical damage therefore not covered by warranty. Also since you don't have service with TMo they will basically tell you to piss off.
The phone might have value as a parts phone on eBay.
Be warned though. No matter how well you describe it as broken and for parts only if an idiot who doesn't read buys it and complains it doesn't work eBay will take your money back and refund it to the seller.
Sent from your phone. You should be careful where you leave that thing.
I think your Sol bro. I had water damage to my s4 w/o T-Mobile insurance and I'm a customer. They said the only option was to buy another one at full price. I was only lucky I had a third party insurance that covered it.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app

Categories

Resources