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Fml.

E

emilywebs

Newbie
I've had this phone since launch. Last night, my boyfriend wakes me up (I don't even know what time it was) and says "I accidentally dropped your phone in some water. What do I do?" We got it apart and into some rice, but this morning, the camera and speaker are water-logged, the power button isn't responding, and the orange light won't turn off. Back into the rice while I go to work.

Am I missing anything? If I'm shit out of luck, and this doesn't change, where can I get myself a new/used one to replace it with? (No insurance, of course) A new one will mean taking back everyone's Christmas presents, because I don't have enough cash to cover it right now :(
 
You did take the battery out when you put it in the rice, right? Sometimes you need to give it 2+ days, and try not to put the battery in during that whole time.
 
No, not time for a new boyfriend.

He put it on the nightstand (where it usually goes while it's charging) but didn't realize that he had also knocked over a glass of water. I'll activate my old blackberry when I get home so that I have something to use...think it'll cost anything?
 
Take out the battery and submerge the phone in a bowl of 90+ rubbing alcohol for a day then put it in rice. That worked with my phone as well as my sisters bb bold
 
emilywebs said:
No, not time for a new boyfriend.

He put it on the nightstand (where it usually goes while it's charging) but didn't realize that he had also knocked over a glass of water. I'll activate my old blackberry when I get home so that I have something to use...think it'll cost anything?
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no my mom gave me her old BB i activated it no problem on the verizonwireless.com website. or by calling customer service.. for a heads up you have to call customer service to re-activate the Incredible as it has more features. Sorry to hear about this, your a good girlfriend lol.
 
Okay, so activating my BB won't cost anything...will it cost me money to reactivate my Inc once it's back up and running?
 
No you fan switch as much as you want, sometimes I've had issues going to BB and had to call in, but switching to inc will be simple website thing.
 
I've been there. Though mine was salt water so I was screwed from the start. I had insurance though so I paid $90. I hear good things about the alcohol trick. If the rice doesn't work, I'd suggest that before giving up.
 
Definitely try the alcohol and rice trick. You can also have your bf buy you a new one. It was his mistake afterall. ;-)
 
I took my Dinc swimming and needless to say only one of us survived. If the rice doesn't work, just tell your sad tale to the VZW rep. I was able to get the 1 year contract price for the replacement phone even though it was only three months old.
 
If the rice and alcohol doesn't work, I can think of something that might help...but I've never tried. Kitty litter is extremely absorbent ( kind of it's purpose.. ), however as I have never tried it I don't know if it would cause any kind of stains. Also, you would need to be careful of any scratches...it's also likely to smell like kitty litter for awhile. As such, if you wish to try it...this should definitely be only a last resort.

Oh, also the red circle and piece of glass is just a cover over your camera lens...not the lens. It is held on by double sided tape and can be removed for drying ( try a cotton swab ) and replaced.
 
Thanks for all the replies...crisis averted. A combination of rice, those silica gel packets, and Arizona sun for about 24 hours made it good as new. (as for the boyfriend, he's just a lucky SOB)
 
Glad you got it working as well. I'm curious though, what does soaking the phone in 90% rubbing alcohol before putting it in rice do? Is it easier for the rice to absorb alcohol than the water? It seems counter productive to add more liquid to a phone you're trying to dry out.
 
WormDoes said:
Glad you got it working as well. I'm curious though, what does soaking the phone in 90% rubbing alcohol before putting it in rice do? Is it easier for the rice to absorb alcohol than the water? It seems counter productive to add more liquid to a phone you're trying to dry out.
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My understanding - alcohol will draw out the water, leaving only alcohol. Alcohol evaporates very quickly, leaving your phone dry afterwards. That could be complete BS, but that's what I've heard. Also, it would probably help draw out any impurities.
 
If it does not work out, you can always check ebay for a replacement! Pretty good deals on there! Glad you got it working!
 
akazabam said:
My understanding - alcohol will draw out the water, leaving only alcohol. Alcohol evaporates very quickly, leaving your phone dry afterwards. That could be complete BS, but that's what I've heard. Also, it would probably help draw out any impurities.
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Nope, this is true. I'm no professional, but in my college level chemistry classes I learned about this trick in order to quickly dry, and completely eliminate water from glassware and instruments. Some of those experiments required retrial and working until midnight, we didn't screw around with having a drop of water messing up our reactions!
 
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