Database Users

Water Damage Indicator?

My new less than a month old EVO just took a crash into some water. I took the battery out immediately, of course, and have it sitting in some rice. The battery water damage indicator looks to have been activated (the stripes are no longer red/white, can see the red stripes but the entire sticker is now pink). I have looked for an indicator on the phone itself, but don't see one anywhere. Oddly enough, the battery really wasn't wet when I took it out, so it's possible that I was able to save too much water from getting into it by getting it out and drying it out quickly. Do I actually need to take the phone apart to see the indicator? If not, where would one be? Nothing obvious just by looking at the phone.
The problem I have is I plan on sending it back to LetsTalk, as I just don't really care for the phone. It's too big for my liking. One of those Try before you truly buy things.

From the teardown photos it looks like there is on on the main PCB near the USB connector.
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/HTC-Evo-4G-Teardown/2979/2

Just because the phone took a bath does not necessarily mean it's done for good.... last time one of my phones took the plunge I immediately removed backing and battery and threw it all in a Snap Ware container of rice. Over a 24 hour period all of the mostuire was pulled out and it worked just fine.
I have also been told that submerging a wet phone into rubbing alcohol (after separating the battery!) Pushed all of the water out and then alcohol evaporates off. I have not tried this but it makes sense
Good luck
sent from my HTC Evo 4G rooted with unrEvoked, running the latest CM7 nightly build.

If you have a vacuum sealer you can wrap your phone in paper towels and put it in a bag and vacuum seal it overnight. My dad dropped his phone in a bucket of water and quickly pulled the battery out. After he let it sit over night he put the battery back in and turned it on, it had water trapped under the screen so we sealed it and it even pulled out some dirt from the buttons.

Thanks everyone for the info so far! I guess the big question is, do the online resellers actually take the phone apart to check for water damage if someone is returning their phone within the 30 day period? I'm so mad at myself for allowing it to happen!

If the phone turns on this evening after 24 hours and shows no damage, Going to grab a new battery, and send the bad boy back to them in hopes that they don't actually remove the screws and all to check the inside indicator. There is no visible water damage indicator at all on the phone itself, so by the pictures posted in the ifixit, is under everything.

^^Hey i've been in your shoes before.^^ Not with the evo tho....but look at it like this if you can see the indicator turning pink so can they!!!! Once "they" = sprint see the indicator changed your warranty & eveything is void. I dont think they're gonna take it but hopefully for you they'll overlook it.
Good luck bro!!!

You may be able to buy a water sticker on ebay

I actually very recently dropped my Evo in some water though it was in an Ottorbox Commuter case. Pulled it out quickly, took off the case, pulled apart the phone. Let it sit overnight as was and then put it back together. Nothing wrong with it so far.

Water Damage Indicators?

Hi guys, just going to RMA my phone for faulty volume rocker (intermittently stops working for periods of a few hours and then randomly starts working again), however a week ago I spilled some coffee over my device, it was in a silicone case at the time which I think helped a little in stopping coffee getting here, there and everywhere. I'm fairly certain the issue isn't water damage related as that was over a week ago and the phone has been working perfectly up until a couple of days ago. I took the back of the nexus 4 off to inspect for any coffee that may have gotten in there and caused the issue but it was dry as a bone with not a coffee stain in sight.
Just wondering if there are any water damage indicators on the phone that may show that coffee has been spilled on it? I have heard the white strip on the inside of the sim card slot is an indicator, mine is still white so if it is then it hasnt triggered that one, any others that I should know of? Just double checking before I RMA and they try and say its due to water damage then charge me. Any info is much appreciated, thanks.

Daley87 said:
Hi guys, just going to RMA my phone for faulty volume rocker (intermittently stops working for periods of a few hours and then randomly starts working again), however a week ago I spilled some coffee over my device, it was in a silicone case at the time which I think helped a little in stopping coffee getting here, there and everywhere. I'm fairly certain the issue isn't water damage related as that was over a week ago and the phone has been working perfectly up until a couple of days ago. I took the back of the nexus 4 off to inspect for any coffee that may have gotten in there and caused the issue but it was dry as a bone with not a coffee stain in sight.
Just wondering if there are any water damage indicators on the phone that may show that coffee has been spilled on it? I have heard the white strip on the inside of the sim card slot is an indicator, mine is still white so if it is then it hasnt triggered that one, any others that I should know of? Just double checking before I RMA and they try and say its due to water damage then charge me. Any info is much appreciated, thanks.
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Umm the indicator can only be seen when you take out the sim tray, there's a tiny tiny strip visible on the bottom (inside the sim slot), and that's the indicator. Red = water. White = nothing
Edit, Oh just read your full post.. So you know about the sim one, heh..
But yeah as far as we know, that's the only indicator, however, its not fully visible when you're looking at it through the sim card slot, but if you do RMA it, they'll take it apart thus seeing the whole strip, and part of the strip may show water damage.

MrDarkKV said:
Umm the indicator can only be seen when you take out the sim tray, there's a tiny tiny strip visible on the bottom (inside the sim slot), and that's the indicator. Red = water. White = nothing
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Good stuff, when I take out the sim card tray the white bit in the slot is white still, should be ok then eh.

Daley87 said:
Good stuff, when I take out the sim card tray the white bit in the slot is white still, should be ok then eh.
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Hmm if you look through the taredown of the N4
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nexus+4+Teardown/11781/2
It seems there are two indicators on the mobo protective plastic plating.. Cant be too sure though.
Since its so easy to open the N4 ( no screws), in my opinion it would be best just to take off the back, and make sure those two white squares are clear, and if not.. Just bleach them out

MrDarkKV said:
Umm the indicator can only be seen when you take out the sim tray, there's a tiny tiny strip visible on the bottom (inside the sim slot), and that's the indicator. Red = water. White = nothing
Edit, Oh just read your full post.. So you know about the sim one, heh..
But yeah as far as we know, that's the only indicator, however, its not fully visible when you're looking at it through the sim cad slot, but if you do RMA it, they'll take it apart thus seeing the whole strip, and part of the strip may show water damage.
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MrDarkKV said:
Hmm if you look through the taredown of the N4
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nexus+4+Teardown/11781/2
It seems there are two indicators on the mobo protective plastic plating.. Cant be too sure though.
Since its so easy to open the N4 ( no screws), in my opinion it would be best just to take off the back, and make sure those two white squares are clear, and if not.. Just bleach them out
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Just cracked it open again and those indicators are also white, there is a red dot on the far left but im 99.9% positive thats red pen as other parts are marked in red pen inside the phone (random parts on the ifixit link phone were marked in pen also). I've attached a pic to show.

Daley87 said:
Just cracked it open again and those indicators are also white, there is a red dot on the far left but im 99.9% positive thats red pen as other parts are marked in red pen inside the phone (random parts on the ifixit link phone were marked in pen also). I've attached a pic to show.
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Yeah, should be fine And I'm also sure thats a random mark, water indicators are normally a more vibrant tint of red.
Good luck with the RMA :good:

MrDarkKV said:
Yeah, should be fine And I'm also sure hats a random mark, water indicators are normally a more vibrant tint of red.
Good luck with the RMA :good:
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Thanks, should all go well.

Daley87 said:
Thanks, should all go well.
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Sorry for use this post, but, how was the RMA? Everything ok? It's because i am going to open my nexus to see if its wet or not (damn heavy rain)

S4 Got Barely wet now part of the screen wont respond.

We were on a boat but all of our phones were in box for phones and none got wet at all except mind of course. some how it got a tad bit of moisture in the camera and little on top by ear piece...Now only half the screen works....What could be the problem? It sat in rice and zip lock baggie 48 hours in a Hot car and still same issue..Its 3 weeks old and bought from Best buy i dont think they warranty it. only way they would know if theirs water damage is if the battery sticker is red right? cause its Still white.
Its At&t Thanks!

traviscadello said:
We were on a boat but all of our phones were in box for phones and none got wet at all except mind of course. some how it got a tad bit of moisture in the camera and little on top by ear piece...Now only half the screen works....What could be the problem? It sat in rice and zip lock baggie 48 hours in a Hot car and still same issue..Its 3 weeks old and bought from Best buy i dont think they warranty it. only way they would know if theirs water damage is if the battery sticker is red right? cause its Still white.
Its At&t Thanks!
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Try visitng samsung repair shop and ask them to see whats wrong.
Sent from my GT-I9506 using Tapatalk

...
Ok, They are not going to Cover it im on my own with this one..Where should i start? The phone works perfect so does this mean the motherboard is good? should i start by replacing the digitizer?

traviscadello said:
Ok, They are not going to Cover it im on my own with this one..Where should i start? The phone works perfect so does this mean the motherboard is good? should i start by replacing the digitizer?
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First to do at low cost is to dry it in dry air and température set at below 50°C for 24 H.
Back cover and battery removed.
Check if your kitchen oven is well regulated to perform this task at thermostat 0 or 1. (was my case at first position)
If not, put it under the afternoon sun if such in your country and take care of the rain!!!. :laugh:
Then , no effect, go to service.

Go to service, chances are the liquid indicators didn't get triggered.

Dropped in sink full of water and noting happened

Last night I had placed my phone in a grocery sack coming into the house, was wearing my GI so had no pockets. Put the sack by the sink, which was full of water and dish soap. Forgot my phone was in there cause I was dealing with a sick kid. Went to get my phone and it has slid out the bag and into the sink. Amazingly no issues with it. Its been 24hours and everything is still working and looks as it did...crazy. All i did was blow it out with my air compressor. They claim the pixels's are not water proof correct?

They are not waterproof. Most phones have natural water resistance because of how compact and tight they are put together. This is no exception.
The biggest concern are speaker damage from a quick dip in water, and it sounds like you got lucky. I would suggest maybe not using an air compressor next time as that kind of pressure might make the damage worse.

I thought I probably made a mistake by using the air compressor lol. Just glad there is no damages!
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

Lucky you, mine fell in the pet water bowl for 5 sec and it fried something on the mobo, the lower board didn't work anymore, so no charging or sounds. I have to send it in for a replacement from asurion since I cannot find the parts to fix myself. Everything else works on the phone.

chapelfreak said:
Lucky you, mine fell in the pet water bowl for 5 sec and it fried something on the mobo, the lower board didn't work anymore, so no charging or sounds. I have to send it in for a replacement from asurion since I cannot find the parts to fix myself. Everything else works on the phone.
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Oh man that sucks!

mrwicked said:
Oh man that sucks!
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I have good news, I don't think the company I sent the phone to did jack. The phone didn't look any different, even though they did a lot of work to the phone. I got the phone back today, I plugged it in and still nothing. I wanted to see for myself what was inside (ifixit wasn't enough). I tore it apart and did not see any corrosion. The water sensor is visible when you take off the screen through the mid-frame. It was 3/4 tripped (1/4 was still white). So I tried unplugging and re-plugging everything in. I plugged the charger in and the screen lit up with 0%. The phone didn't charge up after a while, even with the screen still on. I did the water recovery on the board on the bottom with the charge port. Next I only got a blinking red light and no screen lit up. I let it sit for 15 min. Tried turning it on, nothing. So I help down the power button while unplugging and plugging it in multiple times, and voila it turned on! Everything works on the phone! So I put it back together, put 3M industrial adhesive, and it is currently under clamps.
TL;DR I did my own water recovery on the phone, and I got it working!

chapelfreak said:
I have good news, I don't think the company I sent the phone to did jack. The phone didn't look any different, even though they did a lot of work to the phone. I got the phone back today, I plugged it in and still nothing. I wanted to see for myself what was inside (ifixit wasn't enough). I tore it apart and did not see any corrosion. The water sensor is visible when you take off the screen through the mid-frame. It was 3/4 tripped (1/4 was still white). So I tried unplugging and re-plugging everything in. I plugged the charger in and the screen lit up with 0%. The phone didn't charge up after a while, even with the screen still on. I did the water recovery on the board on the bottom with the charge port. Next I only got a blinking red light and no screen lit up. I let it sit for 15 min. Tried turning it on, nothing. So I help down the power button while unplugging and plugging it in multiple times, and voila it turned on! Everything works on the phone! So I put it back together, put 3M industrial adhesive, and it is currently under clamps.
TL;DR I did my own water recovery on the phone, and I got it working!
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Awesome. Glad its working! Mine is still working fine. Guess I got super lucky and got no water damage.

What did you mean when you said u did a water recovery on the charging port? Can you elaborate what you did exactly..i got my phone dropped in water for 2 sec, now its off, tried connected to charger but its blinking red light,been 3 weeks..i already open it up, there are some white percipitate at few places..but no rust..put it all back but still the same..im gonna give up if nothing happens in a few days..

ShanxRoux said:
What did you mean when you said u did a water recovery on the charging port? Can you elaborate what you did exactly..i got my phone dropped in water for 2 sec, now its off, tried connected to charger but its blinking red light,been 3 weeks..i already open it up, there are some white percipitate at few places..but no rust..put it all back but still the same..im gonna give up if nothing happens in a few days..
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My pixel only lasted a few weeks before the battery bloated, so I got an insurance replacement...I used 100% alcohol to clean the charge port and the flex going from the Mobo to the charge port while it was out of the phone. Plus to get it going I pushed the power button a bijillion times while plugging and unplugging the charging cable before the battery would take a charge.

P8 Lite survived water submerge

, I fully dropped my phone in a bath with water aprox. of 30 cm just for A SECOND. I instantly turned it off. Shaked it on some paper towels, dried it a bit with a hairdryer.
2. Dissasembled it, just removed back (that took me 30 min. , glue is really strong) no other parts and now it's staying in a bag with some Silica Gel packets.
The phone is staying from 15:00 p.m. (now in my country is 22:01), but tommorow I have to take it to work at 11:00 a.m
^^This thread is just informative, I will let you know if it survives (god please) because I don't want to buy a new phone^^
I have to mention that I had headphones plugged in when dropped and that water damage indicator is FULL red.
:crying::crying:

I am very interested in your situation. Did the water get inside the display? Do you have any spots on the display? Like, gray/white spots? Unfortunately I dropped a couple of drops of water near the side buttons and somehow the water got into the display. I got it off by puttin the phone in white rice for a night, but some white lines still remained and are not coming off.

Pensionaru said:
I am very interested in your situation. Did the water get inside the display? Do you have any spots on the display? Like, gray/white spots? Unfortunately I dropped a couple of drops of water near the side buttons and somehow the water got into the display. I got it off by puttin the phone in white rice for a night, but some white lines still remained and are not coming off.
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Yes, display was full, but checked it this morning,,, and it was ALIVE, with no markings, everything was working. Silica Gel does really absorb water very well
:angel::angel:
P.S. (edit) The display is really fragile in terms of water, I had a lot of white lines on the display, but now they're all gone.
P.S.S. Rice does not save electronics that well, how it's advertised, I've dropped a long time ago an Samsung Galaxy S plus in water and tried the method with rice, after 3 days tested it and everything was buggy, dissasembled it and found out that the motherboard and some cabled had a lot of white spots on them(from the rice),but cleaned it and worked as new. Silica Gel is in small bags, so rice fragments don't go to the motherboard and leave white spots.
(edit 2) Now my phone "is washed" and is like new, wash yours too! (--do not TRY, JUST JOKING)

Thanks, I'll take this advice, its a good idea, using silica. Where did you buy it from ?

Pensionaru said:
Thanks, I'll take this advice, its a good idea, using silica. Where did you buy it from ?
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You can find small bags in shoe boxes, but I found my big packets into some chair compartiments, to not make mold.
But, for international buying, try amazon or ebay