[MaryPoppinsBB]

Ok, I managed to drop my Pearl in a cup of water, and it happened so quickly I didn't think much of it. It submerged for like a millionth of a second, and I just wiped it dry, but then I realized it wasn't ok cause the light was flickering. The screen started to go funny and I realized it was worse than it seemed so I immediately took out the battery, the SIM, everything. The battery is not a problem according to the water indicator however the phone is. I'm leaving it out to dry but plan to disassemble it when I get off of work. However I can't concentrate thinking I ruined it! Tmobile will charge 200 to replace, is it cheaper to repair? And this is all assuming it's not a worse case scenario. Please help!

MP

[Thatzmister2u]

Ok....take a deep breathe!! I am so sorry! From what I have read the most critical issue is letting it dry completely before reinserting the battery. I would have to defer to someone else for a specific amount of drying time but I heard like 4 or 5 days. I don't think you need to disassemble it unless it was something other than water.

Good luck and please keep us updated!

[JSanders]

MP--I have done the same, but in a toilet. lol, yes.

Be patient. Lay it somewhere warm, in a direct sunlight or on top of a television set or stereo that is generating heat. Let it stay there a few days. Do not plug it in meanwhile. Do not insert the battery.

You can always take a hair dryer to it as well.

Be patient. They are savable.

[chillspace]

Someone else on these forums dropped his 8800 in a swimming pool. He let it dry out and as far as he was able to report, the phone was working fine. Good to know that these units are salvageable. I haven't heard of anyone dropping their RAZR in water and having it work afterwards.

[SanFrancisco]

Originally Posted by MaryPoppinsBB

Ok, I managed to drop my Pearl in a cup of water, and it happened so quickly I didn't think much of it. It submerged for like a millionth of a second, and I just wiped it dry, but then I realized it wasn't ok cause the light was flickering. The screen started to go funny and I realized it was worse than it seemed so I immediately took out the battery, the SIM, everything. The battery is not a problem according to the water indicator however the phone is. I'm leaving it out to dry but plan to disassemble it when I get off of work. However I can't concentrate thinking I ruined it! Tmobile will charge 200 to replace, is it cheaper to repair? And this is all assuming it's not a worse case scenario. Please help!

MP

You can search the Forum using the search feature and find out what has happened with others and their Pearl-in-liquid experiences. I guess you could enter the term "water" and see what threads pop up.

From reading the posts since the Pearl came out in Sept. 06 I can tell you:

1. What others say, leave the phone in a warm place for at least 5 days. A good spot in on top of a cable TV converter box, the top ledge of a large LCD TV, in the back of a TV, on top of the cabinet.

2. Some members have reported that they immediately took the Pearl apart and dried all the parts. That's aggressive. If you are not an expert at taking things apart I do not recommend that.

3. If it was water, that is good because that can dry out. One member dropped his in Coke and he reported that the coke ate his Pearl's circuitry.

4. Every drop in liquid is a crap shoot on whether the Pearl will survive. It depends on many factors individual to the accident:

Type of liquid, angle of descent, insertion force, how long it stays submerged, size of the container the Pearl fell into [affects pressure], how quickly one rescues the phone, how quickly one removes the battery, etc., etc.

5. So all you can really do is place the phone in a warm place, with the battery removed and wait a minimum of five days. I'd wait a week to be safe. Then insert the battery and see what happens.

6. The damage occurs because the liquid shorts out or "fries" the Pearl's circuitry. Also liquid can get under the display and stain it.

Based on all of the above, only you can guesstimate the chances of the Pearl surviving. Matter of fact, why don't you post the conditions or factors above that apply. That will help other members when they have a mishap.

[John Clark]

If you're good at disassembling and reassembling then I'd say, sure, take it apart to dry it and let it sit apart to dry. There are some good disassembly threads out there. The device is no longer under warranty so what's to lose. You can even rinse a circuit board with distilled water to wash off any impurities. Distilled water doesn't hurt electrical circuits. If disassembly is not your thing then just leave it together.

If it was clean water then you are probably ok. Any water that got in the display will dry out after about a week as well.

I revived a 7100t that fell in a hot tub. I got it back in a ziploc bag a few days later from the user. That unit survived and the screen dried out too. My guess is yours will too. Just don't get impatient. let it dry a couple days if it's apart and at least 5 days in a warm place if you leave it together. I recommend in a stereo cabinet or some place that stays warm.

[SanFrancisco]

Oh, and just so you can feel better, I think just about everyone in here has had a device-in-liquid experience, no matter how much a pro he or she appears.

Back in 2000 I had a $600 IPAQ PDA fall off my belt and into a toilet [luckily clean]. The PDA fried and was a total loss.

That's my only water story, but I have had other mishaps, such as one cell phone falling out of my hands as I was crossing the street. But could it fall on soft asphalt increasing the chances for survival? Hell no.

It fell smack dab dead center on to the steel cable car rail. [on California Street, in San Francisco]. The phone exploded into many pieces and people on the sidewalk laughed at me. I digress, forgive me.

[JoeIndy]

Since we're sharing dead device stories.... The CEO of the company I worked had an old school iPaq (around 2001-2002). I got a frantic call one morning from his assistant saying he had left it in his pants pocket... where it was washed and dryed... and he wanted me to see if it was salvagable.

It was like it had been factory reset... and that was it. Digitizer worked fine, speaker worked fine. Synched it to his desktop and he used it for another year without issue until he upgraded.

[johnbom]

Originally Posted by JoeIndy

Since we're sharing dead device stories.... The CEO of the company I worked had an old school iPaq (around 2001-2002). I got a frantic call one morning from his assistant saying he had left it in his pants pocket... where it was washed and dryed... and he wanted me to see if it was salvagable.

It was like it had been factory reset... and that was it. Digitizer worked fine, speaker worked fine. Synched it to his desktop and he used it for another year without issue until he upgraded.

I did the exact same thing to my MOTO v60 a few years back. I took out the battery, dried it for 3 days -- but it didn't work. I sent it back to MOTO hardware support "under warranty", got it back 1 week later working just fine. I had put a mark on it, it was the identical one. Must have dried enough going down to FL and back!!

I was at an amusement park's water park (Boom Bay @ Carowinds), last year, dropped my MOTO v265 in 2 mm puddle of pool water -- never recovered....

Its a crap shoot....

[JSanders]

This past March my co-dependent 8700g jumped off a boat into the Gulf of Mexico after I had left it behind...

Salt water is a big no-no for the BB... the salt deposits left on the circuitry tend to short it out EVEN after a good lengthy and proper drying out.

As hard as tried to revive it, it was a no go. Life support, drying out, and dismantling all didn't help in the long run. After I felt it was safe, I inserted the battery and I had a good few last hours with it on the beach (and with a good 5-bar signal to boot!), but it only had a good 3-4 hours of life left in it before it was given over to that great Java Loader in the sky...

[Sully]

I had one of my toys on my person during an unexpected trip into a lake....needless to say it spent several days in a bag of rice (the theory is that the rice helps suck out the moisture). It still works today with no issue. I even sent it to a friend @ RIM to look at...all they found was a grain of rice that was still stuck in it. No other issues.

[JSanders]

Originally Posted by Sully

it spent several days in a bag of rice (the theory is that the rice helps suck out the moisture).

Nice to know. At least Basmati or Jasmine would give it a pleasant odor afterwards!

[MaryPoppinsBB]

Alright, I've opened apart the phone and it is sitting out to dry. Perhaps the scary part is that the phone does not appear to be wet. It would be somewhat relieving if I thought I was actually drying something.

I have a few fears. One fear is that I left the battery in too long, perhaps the current and the water were a bit too friendly. :( I'm still unsure if it will be saved. I really hope it will. I do have an old 7105, but you know how it is when you get used to a phone. And I feel completely silly for caring so much over a cell phone. I must commend myself for not crying though, although I threatened it. Thank you all for all your support during a time of great loss for me. I will keep you updated on the status of my critical conditioned phone.

MP

[John Clark]

Leaving the battery in too long and trying to use it is the only variable. I think you will be ok.

[JSanders]

Originally Posted by MaryPoppinsBB

I must commend myself for not crying though, although I threatened it. Thank you all for all your support during a time of great loss for me. I will keep you updated on the status of my critical conditioned phone.

MP

Real BlackBerry Addicts do cry.

[Deeangoe]

that shit happend to me this memorial weekend i was drunk at the time and i fell into the jacuzzi, i let it dryed, blow dryed it and the shit was not salvagable i even went in to cingular to try a working battery being that mine the lil red tag had the XXX and it still didnt work, did i do something wrong?

[xXSilentScreamXx]

i dropped mine in coke bc it fell out of my lap while taking a corner and right in 2 a cup of coke .... so i took it our dried it off and its still working 2 this day
but i do have one of those hard crystal cases if that makes a difference?

[SanFrancisco]

Originally Posted by MaryPoppinsBB

Alright, I've opened apart the phone and it is sitting out to dry. Perhaps the scary part is that the phone does not appear to be wet. It would be somewhat relieving if I thought I was actually drying something.

I have a few fears. One fear is that I left the battery in too long, perhaps the current and the water were a bit too friendly. :( I'm still unsure if it will be saved. I really hope it will. I do have an old 7105, but you know how it is when you get used to a phone. And I feel completely silly for caring so much over a cell phone. I must commend myself for not crying though, although I threatened it. Thank you all for all your support during a time of great loss for me. I will keep you updated on the status of my critical conditioned phone.

MP

Yes, while it is in intensive care the waiting and uncertainty are stressful. DON'T BE TEMPTED TO FIRE IT UP EARLY!!

I have three 7100t phones that I fire up once in awhile to blow out the moths. It is shocking how antique the 7100 feels compared to the Pearl. On reflection, I guess it's the trackball that is most noticeable. Using the 7100 wheel feels archaic.

I remember when I first got the 7100, I said I would have that phone for years, it was so cool. Now it has been put into a ZipLoc bag for use in emergencies should I, dare I say, drop my Pearl in water.

[BBRS]

Originally Posted by MaryPoppinsBB

Ok, I managed to drop my Pearl in a cup of water, and it happened so quickly I didn't think much of it. It submerged for like a millionth of a second, and I just wiped it dry, but then I realized it wasn't ok cause the light was flickering. The screen started to go funny and I realized it was worse than it seemed so I immediately took out the battery, the SIM, everything. The battery is not a problem according to the water indicator however the phone is. I'm leaving it out to dry but plan to disassemble it when I get off of work. However I can't concentrate thinking I ruined it! Tmobile will charge 200 to replace, is it cheaper to repair? And this is all assuming it's not a worse case scenario. Please help!

MP

You can send it to BBrepairshop.com. We have had very good success with recovering 8100's that have taken a swim or have been drinking... The problem we have seen with just letting them "Dry out" is that the motherboard develops corrosion from whatever chemicals were in the water. It might not kill it immediately, but can start causing some trouble down the line. It's a role of dice at this point. If you want us to take a look at it, call in and they will give you the instructions on sending it in. There is no cost for taking a look at it.

Paul

[MaryPoppinsBB]

It seems as though it's a goner. It spent the night on a heated surface and was blow dried. The phones keypad lights up as well as the red light, but the LCD displays didley. Just a black screen. How much are repairs? Are they even worth it? A phone can cost a bit over 100 dollars but no more than 200. I can't imagine a repair is much less than that. Any advice?