Re: Advice needed: new laptop got wet from leaking roof

Actually, there's a fair chance that the laptop isn't damaged.

I'd first, try to get out any obvious visible water however you can
(certainly "drain" it in a variety of positions), and give it quite a
bit more time to dry out -- more like 3-5 days -- then power it up.
There should not be any significant safety issue.

I routinely clean old electronic equipment with water when nothing else
will work. Most electronic parts are not harmed by water. Although I
personally don't do it, I've known technicians who put old equipment
into a dishwasher (seriously).

Now, that said, there are things and places where water will do damage,
and/or where it might eventually dry out, but possibly not for a LONG
time (weeks). In a laptop, places to be concerned about would be the
inverter coils and tranformers, the keyboard, and the hard drive,
possibly the power supply. If water really got into the keyboard, the
keyboard may never work "right" again, but keyboards are relatively easy
and inexpensive to replace. However, your laptop was closed, and there
is a very good chance that you escaped any really serious damage. My
biggest concern from your post is that you are not giving it anywhere
near long enough to dry out, it can easily take several days if water
got inside anywhere. A hair dryer can help out a lot, but you want warm
air, not truly hot air.



J Kokoski wrote:
> Please help with some advice/tips.
>
> My 2 month old Compaq Presario (2100z) was the victim of mother
> nature. A roof leak appeared out of nowhere in my office and dropped
> rain water directly on top the shut down and closed unit. I discovered
> it the next morning in a small puddle.
>
> Best I can figure water seeped in via the Compaq seal on the lid or
> via the air vents. Some water dripped out the back on handling and
> there was a little dampness in the DVD/CDRW drive. The RAM, battery,
> hard drive, keyboard, PC Card, and Mini-PCI port compartments were dry
> upon inspection. The surge protector (also shut off at the time of the
> leak) was found seeping water. I've tossed that in the trash for
> safety sake.
>
> I've left the laptop to dry out in a more secure place, lid open but
> unit off. 12 hours later, the unit feels dry. But I'm scared to turn
> it on.
>
> How long should it be left to dry out? What else can I do to salvage
> an expensive replacement?
>
> Thanks!
> Jen K.

Thanks for all the advice guys.

My laptop is currently sitting in a fairly cool (not cold) dry room,
tilted at an angle with the case open and all power removed. I didn't
plan on testing it with power on until Wednesday, giving it 4 days to
dry out.

I'm hopeful it might have escaped real damage. The amount of water
that dripped was not a flood. And it appeared it rolled off the case
to puddle around and under the unit. After drying up that water, I and
a computer friend opened the case and inspected all we could. The hard
drive (which sits under the trackpad), added RAM, and PC Card slots
(there was a wireless card plugged in at the time), were all bone dry
at the time. We couldn't get into the motherboard area, but the
keyboard and screen appeared untouched. The only water my friend said
he felt (I didn't feel it) dripped from the USB slots in the back.
(There was a USB mouse plugged in at the time and despite sitting in
water, it works.)

My biggest concern has been for water lurking in hidden spots. But
unless physics worked in reverse and gravity sucked up some water into
a deep recess, I'm not seeing evidence of standing water. Still, I'm
giving it several extra days just to play it safe.

Ironic thing of the experience: I named the laptop Archimedes. Who
knew it wanted to experiment with water that bad.

Jen K.

Barry Watzman <> wrote in message news:<>...
<<snip>>

> My
> biggest concern from your post is that you are not giving it anywhere
> near long enough to dry out, it can easily take several days if water
> got inside anywhere. A hair dryer can help out a lot, but you want warm
> air, not truly hot air.
>

>Am I correct that LCD fixes/replacements are about as expensive as a
>new laptop?
>
Yes. I missed the beggining of the thread so I'll just point out that
homeowners will cover that in many states. I know it does in my state.
What is covered is up to your state laws, not your insurance company.
If your insurance company says it's not covered, that means nothing.
File a complaint on line with your states insurance commision if you
believe they are wrong. BTW, 9 out of 10 claims for under $4000 are
paid after the claims been submitted 3 times. Why? It costs them more
to keep processing than to just pay it.
_________________________
French Connection:
http://www.metrospy.com/boycott_brands.htm

The problems that you have may yet resolve themselves. It's not a given
that all of the water has evaporated.

An LCD repair is quite expensive, often $500 to $1,000. It depends on
the cost of the LCD panel. It's possible to find a new panel for about
$350 or less, and older panels as low as $50 (used), but it takes some
looking. If the problem is caused by water in the optical film layers,
there are places that can take those apart and clean/replace them. Not
cheap, but less than the cost of a new panel. From your description,
it's not clear that the actual panel, which is sealed liquid-tight, has
really been damaged.


J Kokoski wrote:
> An update on my water problem...
>
> I waited 4 days and finally powered up the laptop this afternoon. It
> worked except for two problems...
>
> The second USB port (one closest to the bottom) doesn't appear to
> work. I never tried it before, so I don't know if it came that way.
> The top USB port does work fine.
>
> More troubling, there appears to be some water damage to the LCD.
> Darker colors come through fine, but anything all white or a lighter
> color show a blotchy pattern along the bottom third of the screen. It
> appears as if water is trapped behind it though no movement effects
> it. In one corner the pixels are a very bright white, like connections
> are over firing. It's enough to annoy but not render viewing
> impossible. And the effect disappears when looking at photos and
> videos.
>
> Am I correct that LCD fixes/replacements are about as expensive as a
> new laptop?
>
> Thanks,
> Jen

Thanks,

After another night under a blowing ceiling fan, I'm noticing the
watermarking isn't quite so apparent. I'm still learning about LCD
technology though. How many layers are there in an LCD? From what I
can tell the water is behind the screen and shows only when the
backlight shines up through the bottom of the screen. It's as if there
are spots of water trapped between the lid casing and the LCD panel.
Nothing moves when the screen is touched.

Bt what causes the few very bright white spots I wonder. Those only
appear when the screen is showing a solid white or ligh grey. Darker
colors or photos with mixed color pixels show no abberation.

I do appreciate all the info the folks here are passing along. This is
my third laptop over the last 4 years (I usually sell the old ones to
upgrade to a faster processor and bigger hard drive), but I'm still
new to some of the technology.

Jen

Barry Watzman <> wrote in message news:<>...
> The problems that you have may yet resolve themselves. It's not a given
> that all of the water has evaporated.
>
<<SNIP>>
> If the problem is caused by water in the optical film layers,
> there are places that can take those apart and clean/replace them. Not
> cheap, but less than the cost of a new panel. From your description,
> it's not clear that the actual panel, which is sealed liquid-tight, has
> really been damaged.

LCD panels are different. The actual panel is sealed liquid-tight
(since it's filled with liquid). There are a number of layers of
optical material in front of that panel, the exact number varies from
about two to four or five.

Your problem may yet disappear with time. If not, there are solutions,
but be prepared to spend $200 or so.


J Kokoski wrote:
> Thanks,
>
> After another night under a blowing ceiling fan, I'm noticing the
> watermarking isn't quite so apparent. I'm still learning about LCD
> technology though. How many layers are there in an LCD? From what I
> can tell the water is behind the screen and shows only when the
> backlight shines up through the bottom of the screen. It's as if there
> are spots of water trapped between the lid casing and the LCD panel.
> Nothing moves when the screen is touched.
>
> Bt what causes the few very bright white spots I wonder. Those only
> appear when the screen is showing a solid white or ligh grey. Darker
> colors or photos with mixed color pixels show no abberation.
>
> I do appreciate all the info the folks here are passing along. This is
> my third laptop over the last 4 years (I usually sell the old ones to
> upgrade to a faster processor and bigger hard drive), but I'm still
> new to some of the technology.
>
> Jen
>
> Barry Watzman <> wrote in message news:<>...
>
>>The problems that you have may yet resolve themselves. It's not a given
>>that all of the water has evaporated.
>>
>
> <<SNIP>>
>
>>If the problem is caused by water in the optical film layers,
>>there are places that can take those apart and clean/replace them. Not
>>cheap, but less than the cost of a new panel. From your description,
>>it's not clear that the actual panel, which is sealed liquid-tight, has
>>really been damaged.
>