EMERGENCY--IBOOK DOWN--WATER SPILL--HELP!!!!

[anonymouse1]

My wife just spilled a cup of water into the keyboard of her iBook (14" 900Mhz G3). The machine went dead before she could do anything.

I told her to pull the cord and the battery, and turn the machine keyboard side down so that any water could drain out.

Any further thoughts? Let it sit 24 hours? 48 hours? Use a hair dryer?

I'm about to hit Google, wanted to ask you folks first.

THANKS!!!

[Joey Cupcakes]

So far so good. If you want to try a hair dryer, I would suggest the "cool" setting. You might want to remove the keyboard so it can drain separately and also leave the iBook open for better air circulation.

24 hours at least.

Good luck, and thank your lucky stars it wasn't Coke.

[Todd's keyboard]

Friends did that to their Toshiba laptop.

I would suggest opening it up as much as possible, and letting it air dry overnight. Personally, I'd be reluctant to use a hair dryer on it.

Turns out the water damaged only the keyboard. Hooked up an external keyboard, and the laptop worked just fine. (Hope you have similar results, or better.)

Good luck, Todd's (dry for now) keyboard

[mattkime]

Pop out the keyboard. set it in a warm, dry place. wait a few days and then try again. i've seen machines survive far worse.

[Ken Sp.]

If it had been fully submerged you could use Distilled water since it is the minerals in the water that are conductive, but since this was just a spill--you are better off letting it dry.

[pinion]

[quote Joey Cupcakes]

24 hours at least.
That's a big "at least"! Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

[RAMd®d]

I'd gently shake the iB to get as much water out as possible.

I'd want to keep water out of the LCD.

Then I'd use a hair dryer set on Warm to try to dry or displace as much water as possible. Water sitting in the 'Book could do more damage.

If she's proficient, she could remove the keyboard. If not, she should use the hair dryer until somebody removes the keyboard, then continue drying.

Don't get the iB hot, just warm.

Many people have had permanent damage done when water shorts various electrical paths. Hard to say if this will be the same for your wife's Book.

[anonymouse1]

THANKS!

I'll get back to you....:<(

[vision63]

good luck!!!

[MacMagus]

Are you technically proficient? Then open it up.

Take care to organize the screws so that you can get it back together.

Take it apart as much as possible and gently swab anything that looks damp with a paper towel, taking care not to leave shreds of the paper towel on your electrical components.

Leave it apart overnight in the driest part of your house, perhaps near a drafty window if it's a typical dry autumn day out. I'd even leave it two or three days or more if possible.

Luckily, water isn't too bad. An oxidizer like coke or tea can do a lot of damage quickly.