Tips On Handling Water-Damaged Electronic Equipment

10/29/2019 (Permalink)

If your electronic equipment is accidentally submerged or splashed with a liquid, the very first thing you need to do is disconnect its power source as soon you can safely do so. As water damage specialists, we see all kinds of situations where electronics are adversely affected by water and other liquids here at SERVPRO of Belle Meade/West Nashville. Today we would like to share some tips with you that can help you in handling water-damaged electronic equipment:

1. Safety first. Always use caution when disconnecting your device from a household current or any other source. If you are standing in water or your clothes are wet, remove yourself from any potential shock hazard before retrieving a submerged or soaked electronic device.
2. Disconnect. If your device is still submerged and connected to an external power source, you will want to find a safe way to disconnect it, and a good way to do this is to use a circuit breaker or switch for that source of power and switch it off. Use caution if you choose to remove a plug or power adapter from an outlet that has not been switched off.
3. Hazards. Retrieving a submerged or soaked electronic device that contains a battery can be hazardous. A shorted battery may be a fire or chemical hazard, or both. If you see or feel any heat, smoke, steam, bubbling, bulging, or melting here, avoid handling the electronic device for any reason. 
4. Turn it off. If the device is still on, turn it off.
5. Drain fluid. Rotate and shake the device to try to let any fluid drain out, and remove the battery if it can be done safely. 
6. Disassemble the device. To allow any remaining liquid to drain and to begin cleaning the internal components, you will have to disassemble the device. This is particularly important with acidic liquids such as fruit juice or alkaline liquids such as laundry water.
7. TIP: Rice will not help you here!

Here at SERVPRO of Belle Meade/West Nashville, we are water damage and fire damage specialists. We can be on the scene right away to help you with all water damage issues. Keep in mind that we are mold remediation experts, too, and we are proud to be your full-service repair and restoration team.