Cell Phone Dropped in Water

[Beldar]

I had a bit of an accident tonight and my cell phone got dropped into a fountain and completely submerged.

Is there anything I can do to save my cell phone?

[eeeboy]

I have one solution...Though sounds too much funny...but its true.

One of my friend droped his Nokia 3230 accidentally in Water Bucket in bathroom. As it was ON , there were severe chance of internal short circuit. He decided to give that phone to cell phone repair center. But before that just as a test

"he dried the cell phone in sunlight i mean just put the phone in sunlight and I guess internal water is dried and the phone 100% cool. Even he dropped his canon digital camera water too [same time]..... funny but true that , after dried in sunlight, that camera began to work!!"

[Will.Spencer]

I accidentally carried my Motorola Micro-Tac into Lake Powell with me.

The phone stopped working and I gave it up for dead -- only to discover that it magically started working again a few weeks later.

One important step to save your phone after a good soaking is to remove the battery as soon as possible. Clean water isn't really bad for electronics -- in the absense of electricity. Water is dangerous to electronics because it is a conductor. If you take away the battery, there is no electricity for the water to conduct. Of course, cell phone batteries have so little power that you are often good even if you fail to follow this step.

The other issue to worry about is what to do if the water is not clean. Salt water is corrosive, it will eat away at the electronics in your phone. If you have dunked your cell phone in salt water, you may have to open it and clean it. Beverages which contain sugar (colas, alcoholic beverages, energy drinks, etc...) will leave a nasty sugary residue behind when they evaporate. This will also require you to open your cell phone and give it a good cleaning. The same rule applies to sewage or even to the seaweed and silt laden waters of Lake Powell.

Some people recommend hair dryers, electric fans, or heat lamps to speed up the drying process. I don't. Heat and static electricity can do more damage to electronics than water can. I recommend patience. Give the device a week or two to dry on its own, under normal lighting at room temperature. Lay it on a towel and forget about it for awhile.