Catastrophe...

[Daniel_LaFleur]

Originally Posted by DeepWater

DON’T PANIC! My job requires me to spend a lot of time on boats with a lot of very expensive electronics. I have had experience with sensitive electronics not only getting wet but also freezing and actually sinking with a boat straight to the bottom in salt water.

My professional recommendations are:

1) Absolutely DO NOT POWER ANYTHING UP!

2) Get it out of the freezing cold ASAP. The ice will cause stuff to crack.

3) Open up all of the electronics to the board level and liberally wash in distilled water if there is any sign of existing water damage that may have contaminants. Don’t wash any boards that didn’t get wet, of course.

4) Soak/wash the boards in alcohol. Regular isopropyl that you get at the local store is what I have used. It will disburse the water especially from hidden places. Try to squirt it from a syringe if possible.

5) Let everything dry out thoroughly. Try a hair dryer or even an oven set to a low temperature (~125 to 150 degrees).

Trust me, it may not be as bad as you think. I have saved many pieces of equipment this way. I am still using a $35,000 piece of equipment to this day that sank in 40 feet of salt water for ~24 hours about 3 years ago.

Email me if you have any questions.

I've had a lot of experiance cleaning up electronics that have been immersed in water.

Deepwater (quote above) is correct, although I'd avoid using alchohol unless needed, because alcohol can leave a residue which is conductive. Alcohol is also a solvant and can damage plastics and polymers such as Polycarbonate.

The most important thing is to get it out of the freezing cold as the expansion of water when it freezes can crack parts (especially plastic).

100 degrees F in an oven for 3-5 hours should dry most components and not soften any of the plastics (do NOT go over 200 F).