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Editor's note: This is the first in a weekly series of articles addressing technological nightmares and how you can prevent and/or respond to them. If you'd like to share your own tech nightmare, message us on the ksl.com Tech & Gadgets Facebook page.SALT LAKE CITY — It was a dark and stormy night ... Pardon the corny beginning, but it is appropriate for my tale of a technology nightmare and how you can prevent becoming a victim of one.
My wife and I were done for the day with our part-time jobs at a local psychiatrist's office in Georgia and were waiting for the bus to head home. A heavy rain began to fall and, caught without an umbrella, I tried to shield my wife from being both drenched and carried off by a stiff easterly wind.
At home, I was changing out of my soaked clothes and, to my horror, remembered my cellphone had been in my shirt pocket the whole time. I gently took it out and, noticing the screen was dark, immediately opened the back and removed the battery in an effort to save it from a vast electronics graveyard.
I let it sit in the kitchen overnight, figuring that was the warmest place in our apartment in late summer. Alas, my phone — and all the information therein — had drowned on that rainy night.
Following the "death" of my cellphone, I did some research and found out there are steps to follow that can sometimes save a waterlogged electronic device.
According to an eHow tech article, the most important thing to remember is time is crucial as the longer a device is wet, the greater the chance it will be permanently damaged.
- Remember that time is crucial.
- Unplug an electronic device as soon as you know it is wet.
- Remove the batteries immediately.
- Open the device and pull out the internal components.
- Use a fan or put the device in rice to speed up the drying out process.
Repair technicians recommend unplugging an electronic device as soon as you know it is wet; if the device is battery-powered, like my cellphone was, remove the batteries immediately.
It is imperative to start restoration within one or two days, otherwise chances are many of the components will be permanently damaged and need to be replaced.
The restoration process is simple and painless: open the device and pull out the internal components to allow for air circulation so moisture will evaporate. You can run a fan or heater on a low setting to aid the process. Another idea is to place silica dehydrating beads or rice on the wet components to absorb moisture.
Walter is a retired volunteer firefighter and currently volunteers with the American Red Cross. He is also a Church Service Missionary. Contact him at: wlittle.csm@hotmail.com
