My computer is under water, any suggestions?

[Fullhouz]

Here in Lexington, KY, we've experienced rain and an ice storm which resulted in three computer (tower cases) being flooded in about 4 inches of water. My bud, Big Daddy Rock, says the water reached about three PCI slots on the MB. Is there a chance, after completely drying out, these boxes and/or PCI cards will work? The submerged PCI cards include a modem, LAN and sound cards.

Thanks.

 

[Evadman]

very possable it will work, yes. It must be dried and cleaned extensively. If it was on, or power was turned on without it being dry and clean, then they are gone.

 

[COtto1984]

was the power on when they got flooded? i imagine theres a chance but i wouldnt count on it. let them COMPLETELY dry out

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: Fullhouz
Here in Lexington, KY, we've experienced rain and an ice storm which resulted in three computer (tower cases) being flooded in about 4 inches of water. My bud, Big Daddy Rock, says the water reached about three PCI slots on the MB. Is there a chance, after completely drying out, these boxes and/or PCI cards will work? The submerged PCI cards include a modem, LAN and sound cards.

Thanks.

If they were receiving power at all (even if they were off and the PSU was off), I would say slim to none. If they were off and disconnected from the PSU, there's a possibility.

Chiz

 

[chizow]

I'd just contact whomever your Homeowner's insurance is under. I got Renter's Insurance just for something like this (and burglary).

Chiz

 

[Fencer128]

Speaking from experience, its possible to throw a pint of fosters lager into a midi tower containing an Abit mobo (on and working) then take 10s to switch it off - dry it out - turn it back on and STILL have it work :Q (albeit in a sticky way).

Good luck,

Andy

 

[Fullhouz]

I believe all of the boxes were plugged in but turned off. Of course, the flood occured because the ice storm took out the electricity for 4 days now and counting... We'll get power back in maybe a week.

The watch battery on the MB was also submerged. Will this cause more problems?

 

[godmare]

Computer + water = bad. Take the battery out with the cards and let them dry for a while.

Originally posted by: chizow
I'd just contact whomever your Homeowner's insurance is under. I got Renter's Insurance just for something like this (and burglary).

Chiz

 

[Ophir]

Was the unit powered off (unplugged from the wall)? If it was, then I don't think there'd be much of a problem once it completely dries off. If it was only shut down, I don't know if the mobo maintains a leakage current through the rest of the devices that may have shorted out. If it does, it may only be the MB and some select parts that got fried.

Either way, dry it out completely (take it apart and dry each individual device/component), then let it sit a couple of days, put it back together, and try to boot it up. Make sure you get all the sockets, pins, and power supply completely dry. Patience is the key.

I once had a TV that was ON when something similar to this happened. Shorted, sparks flew, and shut off. Let it dry a couple of days after attacking with a blowdryer, and it still worked. Matter-of-fact it still works today, 5 years later.

 

[arcenite]

You say you had a power outtage during the flood right? So you should be ok! Just don't run the computer until you are absolutely sure everything is dry.

Bill

 

[dkozloski]

When I was in the Navy we had a whole compartment full of shipboard electrical and electronic equipment submerge in seawater. We throughly rinsed everything that got wet with clean freshwater. Electric motors were dunked in a large tub made from a 55gallon barrel that was filled with CRC 3-36and were left to drip. Circuit boards and the like were dried in an oven at about 150deg. F. When all was said and done it all lived to work again. Be thorough.

 

[AtomicDude512]

Originally posted by: dkozloski
When I was in the Navy we had a whole compartment full of shipboard electrical and electronic equipment submerge in seawater. We throughly rinsed everything that got wet with clean freshwater. Electric motors were dunked in a large tub made from a 55gallon barrel that was filled with CRC 3-36and were left to drip. Circuit boards and the like were dried in an oven at about 150deg. F. When all was said and done it all lived to work again. Be thorough.

I heard of this but had my doubts.

 

[Whitedog]

I've washed circuit boards with dish soap and warm water several times... won't hurt them a bit. (just have to make sure they are good and dry) A couple of hours is all it takes. Less if you use a heat source.

I woun't worry about it. I would toss anything like a floppy drive or CD drive though if it were submerged.. They can't take as much. All those moving parts and all. Corrosion would set in for sure.

 

[dkozloski]

I agree with Whitedog. The key to our success was that most of the equipment was pretty substantial, with Mil-Spec enclosures and tropical coating on the electronics. One thing about it you can't make it any worse so it's worth a try.

 

[dkozloski]

In 1967 my basement filled with water during a flood. I cleaned up all the motors and controls on my heating system and didn't have to replace anything, not even oil burner ignition transformers. I reclaimed power tools, fluorescent light fixtures, electric motors, hand tools and just about everything else that had enough value to justify the effort. Use lots of clean fresh water to rinse everything and dry it thoroughly.

 

[Oric]

Mud and salts in the flood water is the real problem. Especially in the PCI / AGP slots and CPU sockets

Wash and rinse your board

Rinse it again !

then dry and use it ...

 

[BigDaddyRock]

Thanks Fullhouz,

Well we had rain for 2 days before Ice storm and I have sump pumps at my house so when the Power was taken out by Ice Storm sump pumps quit working in the middle of the night and I woke up to a flooded basement. The good news is no power was running to the house so all the machines were shut down. Other ok news was that it is all "Ground Water" which is damn near drinkable so I have no mud to deal with. I have put the machines near a gas fire far enough away they did not melt but still got some heat. I took the cards out of the PCI slots and let them Dry but am thinking that it might be safer just to replace the network cards that were completely submerged and try it after that. The power being down for 4 days has made it pretty easy to be patient with this and I am keeping my fingers crossed. Thanks for the help and I will check back to see if anyone has more Ideas. While I am at it what about Power Strips , Routers and all of the cords any chance those will work? All of those Items were completely submerged. I also had an old laptop downstairs but do not think it has a chance.

Thanks,
BDR

 

[sharkeeper]

First off, flooding is not covered under your homeowner's policy unless you carry a specific policy for this! Water damage caused by a broken pipe, water heater, etc. usually is. Something to think about.

Water that is "practically drinkable" may still have considerable minerals and salts. I'd say that even if your equipment fires back up after being dried out and cleaned, I would not expect it to last very long. Of course how many people keep computers around here for more than a couple of months before upgrading?

I know people in KY that are having hydrologic problems as well. Flooding is no laughing matter. Your life investment can get wiped out in a few hours.

Cheers!

 

[BigDaddyRock]

Yes Homeowners is only covering lost Food in the Fridge. They are not covering any other damage other then a tree that uprooted onto my fence, if it would of fallen into the yard I would of been screwed on that one as well. If you happen to have Sump Pumps supposedly their is this obscure insurance that you can add on that will cover what happened to me. Of course nobody with a sump pump in town had this coverage. Just a note if your electric goes out the insurance will cover the food in the fridge for up to $500 with no deductible and no adjuster so you can basically run it up to $500 even if you just have a 12 pack and a some cheese in the fridge.

 

[mrCide]

i've HEARD it helps to wipe things down with alcohol because water isnt pure.. but no guarantees

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: sharkeeper
I'd say that even if your equipment fires back up after being dried out and cleaned, I would not expect it to last very long.

If I were you, I'd take some water and soap and wash out everything that was submerged and then rinse it twice (three or four times if you want. Maybe even once more with distilled water if you really want to be certain. Then, once it's thoroughly dried, everything should be cool. I don't think you'll have any shortened life unless it was under water long enough to corrode the PCB.

 

[apoppin]

Dry it thoroughly.

I had (edit: have) a 20" Sony TV that was completely SUBMERGED for hours in (dirty) water from a North Shore flood (Oahu).

I let it sit for a couple of months and was planning to watch it "explode" when I turned it on. To my utter surprise it "came on" and has worked perfectly for the last 6 or 7 years. :Q



Good luck!

 

[glugglug]

Unfortunately "Off" on an ATX box (almost every modern PC) isn't really OFF. There is still power supplied to some components for softpower to work with the button on the front that isn't really a switch and for wake-on-LAN, etc. So unless you flipped the switch in the back of the PSU, it is most likely fried.

 

[Dacalo]

if your computer was unplugged, then it will be fine when you turn it on

 

[Smilin]

Don't just plug it back in.

Grab a couple of gallons of distilled water from the grocery and use it to rinse of the areas that got submerged. Let it dry thoroughly and then fire it up.

take the cmos battery out b4 you start - your cmos is probably cleared already anyway.