OT: Dropped mobile phone in water

[Andy Burns]

I doubt it, globalstar is a separate fleet of satellites from iridium.

[Bod]

Oh, do you live in a tunnel then? :-)

[The Natural Philosopher]

Nah, just under a bridge.

[Simon Mason]

Yes - I found that out yesterday. What a swizz as there is little coverage in southern Africa and elsewhere.

[dennis]

Surgical spirits normally has castor oil in it so don't dunk a phone in it unless it needs lubricating. You might find things like the keypad stop working after a while as the castor oil insulates the rubber pads.

Washing in de mineralised water is generally safe after that putting it in a bag with some desiccant will dry it out. Rice will work if you don't have anything else.

Buy a water proof phone next time.

[GB]

I'll do that next time I plan on dropping it in the water jug. Thanks very much for the reminder.

[bruce]

I have rescued drowned phones before and an apple macbook air by the use of a fan oven at 50 degees C.

[Martin Brown]

A longer time at 40C bread proving temperature and the dry rice trick is about the best method. Depends how long the device was left on power after being dunked whether any corrosion has occurred. Any exposed thin copper traces can get eaten away fairly rapidly by electrolytic action.

My own trusty Nokia 6310 never recovered from its dunking in hard water.

[Clive George]

Presumably now more rusty than trusty?

[polygonum]

Catheter? :-)

[Bob Eager]

No, I'd notice. As I did when I had one.

[tony sayer]

Don't do what a d*****ad i know did, put the bloody thing in the Microwave oven to dry it out complete with battery..

And.

He left it switched on;!..

[Tim+]

Daft bugger.

Well, it couldn't make things any worse after microwaving.

Tim

[GB]

I think someone tried to dry his pet in the microwave. Poor beast.

My wife's phone has resurrected nicely since being dried out in a jar of rice. I accept that air drying might be better, but this way kept all the bits in one place and we were travelling.

[GB]

Oh, and thanks everyone for the help!

[Andrew]

Many years ago I was working in Fiji and a Kiwi expat was on a diving trip one day, but while he was changing film on his Nikonos camera he dripped salt water from his hair onto the shutter blades.

He the dunked the camera in some clean water and shook it dry but in the local environment (V hot, vvv humid), it buggered it up. Cost Nz$600 for a new shutter mechanism.