Corrosion is instant when a phone hits water. Sometimes the corrosion hits important motherboard components, sometimes not. If we resist turning the phone on until it dries on a radiator, in a bag of rice , or anywhere else, sometimes we get lucky. If we had the phone in rice , you may think that the rice saved the phone but it didn't! Infact it has most likely made it worse. Even if the phone seems to be working, it will have oxidized solder joints that are weakened and brittle. Corrosion will continue to spread inside the phone. After some time the phone will eventually stop working. The real secret is not to dry it out.
What to do when your mobile comes in contact with water:
• If your phone is on turn it off immediately.
• Do not shake or blow into it. This can send water into other internal parts of that phone that it has not reached causing more damage.
• Do not heat it up or place it in rice.
• If it has come in contact with sea water, rinse it immediately with distilled water.
To repair water damaged phones the water needs to be displaced as soon as possible once it has been in contact with it(usually within 12-24 hours). To do this the mobile is stripped and all components are cleaned with 90-99.9% isopropyl displacing all the water and removing corrosion. The sooner this happens the more chance you will have of saving the phone. If successful the phone most likely will need a new screen due to distortion on the LCD caused by the water but this can be determined once working.
We have worked with lots of water damaged phones over the years and had high success rates - even phones that have gone through a cycle in the washing machine and do not turn on. With water damage repairs from £20 you can repair yours today at uBreakiRepair Ltd - Mobile Phone Repairs Ards & Bangor. Contact 075266553526.
Very useful advice, thank you. I can return my bag of rice to the larder then!