[chickmazta]

Guys,we really need some help here. I hope someone can hear us out. Recently, we have experience one of the worst typhoon and flood in the history of our country. A lot of my friends asking for immediate help. All of their pc got soaked in flood water. So many questions and I don't have much answer to give them I as im not that techy when it comes to pc. I just told them not to power it on, and let it try for a couple of days. Those pc still has shop warranty but I know that they are not liable for that cause.

What is the best thing we can do for now? Is it proper to dissasemble the optical drives and power supply so that it could dry more quickly or just let it dry by themselves? I'm thinking that if I let the PSU and OPTICAL DRIVES dry without opening the case, it might get rusty inside, but if I disassemble them both it'll void the warranty further. Do you think the motherboard, processor and memory will be fine by just letting them dry by themselves? I have some doubts if the hard drive would still be ok considering that its not waterproof, just sealed tight. Is it proper to use hair dryer to dry them off? All of my friends pc are still on warranty and I'm afraid to do things that I have in mind. As of now the pc's are at my house and the case are open and I have electric fans watching over them ^_^ If you guys need all of the specs I would happy to post all of them here.A very very very very BIG Tnx to all of you guys!!!

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A few things you can do.

(1) Remove the battery
(2) Do NOT disassemble the PSU - it has plenty of vent holes - use compressed air if worried about accumulated moisture - ensure you are using an "oiless" compressor equipped with a moisture and particulate filter. Cans of dusting gas may help, but care must be taken to avoid freezing the moisture. Yes, a hair dryer is fine, from a distance. Keep your fingers on line with the target - if you fingers get too hot, back off with the hair dryer.
(3) The optical drives are probably gone - the gears and mechanics for the tray mechanism are probably gummed up and the lenses are probably too dirty to clean without scratching - but it would not hurt to try and see if they can still read data - with an expendable disk.
(4) Let the computers dry for a week or longer, depending on the humidity of the environment. You can even put them in the sun and let them bake. Turn them over periodically to let any accumulated water in cracks, cavities, and crevices to run out.
(5) If this were my machine, once I was sure everything was totally dried out, I would connect a PSU Tester to the PSU to make sure all my voltages are there, then use the PSU (with the tester connected) to power up the opticals, drives, and fans external to the case to make sure they spin up fine before connecting them to the motherboard. If the HDs spin up fine, I would attach them to another computer and try to pull off any data.

It is true that hard drives are not waterproof, but they are sealed pretty well, designed with filters to allow air to pass (to equalize atmospheric pressures) but block particulates. They may be fine.

Warranties will not cover this. Homeowners or rental insurance might, if flood coverage was added. Normally, damage from flood waters is covered ONLY if additional flood coverage was added.

There's no shame in recommending these systems go to a shop to have a pro check them out. If this flood water made a muddy mess of everything, that's what I would recommend. He will have necessary tools, equipment, and experience. Well, maybe not with floods, but spills happen, and then it is usually sticky Coke, or coffee full of sugar and cream.

[Digerati]

A few things you can do.

(1) Remove the battery
(2) Do NOT disassemble the PSU - it has plenty of vent holes - use compressed air if worried about accumulated moisture - ensure you are using an "oiless" compressor equipped with a moisture and particulate filter. Cans of dusting gas may help, but care must be taken to avoid freezing the moisture. Yes, a hair dryer is fine, from a distance. Keep your fingers on line with the target - if you fingers get too hot, back off with the hair dryer.
(3) The optical drives are probably gone - the gears and mechanics for the tray mechanism are probably gummed up and the lenses are probably too dirty to clean without scratching - but it would not hurt to try and see if they can still read data - with an expendable disk.
(4) Let the computers dry for a week or longer, depending on the humidity of the environment. You can even put them in the sun and let them bake. Turn them over periodically to let any accumulated water in cracks, cavities, and crevices to run out.
(5) If this were my machine, once I was sure everything was totally dried out, I would connect a PSU Tester to the PSU to make sure all my voltages are there, then use the PSU (with the tester connected) to power up the opticals, drives, and fans external to the case to make sure they spin up fine before connecting them to the motherboard. If the HDs spin up fine, I would attach them to another computer and try to pull off any data.

It is true that hard drives are not waterproof, but they are sealed pretty well, designed with filters to allow air to pass (to equalize atmospheric pressures) but block particulates. They may be fine.

Warranties will not cover this. Homeowners or rental insurance might, if flood coverage was added. Normally, damage from flood waters is covered ONLY if additional flood coverage was added.

There's no shame in recommending these systems go to a shop to have a pro check them out. If this flood water made a muddy mess of everything, that's what I would recommend. He will have necessary tools, equipment, and experience. Well, maybe not with floods, but spills happen, and then it is usually sticky Coke, or coffee full of sugar and cream.

[chickmazta]

Sir Digerati, thank you very very much for your immediate reply and for explaining your solution to me as detailed as possible. This is a big help for us. I also have one last question sorry for being abussive, 2 of my friends just delivered their whole system at my house just this morning together with the crt monitors. You might be wondering why they are sending me their pc's...The location of my house is on a higher ground. Our village has the best sewerage system in the land (I guess ^_^) As of now our place is dry but all of my friends house are still on flood. I'm just helping them out, as I do not need their money.

The question is, what do we do with those crt monitors? Is there a possibility that the tube will be filled with water? Do we need to take the back cover off and dry them out? Some of my friends are saying that their tv are now working fine. TV's and crt monitor both have tubes right? So my guess is let them dry too. We'll as of now I can't say much about the status of their pc but all of them are in my garage. And I have 4 industrial fans place on the four corners of the HUGE table a 15x15 feet table ^_^ A big big tnx again for your reply,ciao^^

[Digerati]

I'm just helping them out

It sounds like they are blessed to have you as a friend.

The question is, what do we do with those crt monitors? Is there a possibility that the tube will be filled with water?

The tubes are probably in the best shape of all - there is no way any moisture would get inside them unless the "envelope" - the glass was damaged, and that's pretty hard to do with CRTs, they are design to withstand very high pressures.

TV's and crt monitor both have tubes right?

CRT TVs (not LCD TVs) and CRT monitors both have a [picture] tube. CRT = cathode ray tube. The primary difference is TVs have a tuner (radio receiver - broadcast TV uses radio waves) and a monitor does not.

You can certainly remove the cover to help speed the process, but they are very well ventilated too so it is not necessary for drying. That said, I think the covers should be removed so you can inspect the interiors. If dirt and sediment sat in there and is now caked all over the electronics, it should be cleaned. Unfortunately, CRT monitors tend to be older, and that means there could be components inside that are constructed with materials that don't take well to water. This could be switches, relays, and potentiometers/variable resistors.

WARNING!!! There could still be a substantial charge on the anode of the tube (many 1000s of volts) that will sure get your attention if you come across it (it should be bled off by now, but there's still the risk). This connection be where a large cable attaches to the side of the tube.

WARNING!!! The CRTs are under extreme pressures. The forces caused by the void (vacuum) inside the tube are huge. To keep the tube from imploding, the glass is very thick. Extreme care must be given to avoid damaging the tube and cracking it because as soon as that happens, the tube is likely to implode, then spew shards of glass projectiles everywhere.

Good luck!

[chickmazta]

Its a good feeling when you help other people without expecting something in return. I don't want them to experience what I have been thru about 6 years ago. I was nothing, I was nobody and everybody treated me like a trash. We'll enough for that Now I have all the luck I can get ^_^ As of now 4 of the optical drives are of no use anymore got rusty inside no more sign of life but the other 5 are fine. Maybe I'll send those 4 to a professional for repairs. I haven't check the other components cause we're making sure that its really dry inside out. Maybe we'll try to test them on friday just to be sure. Well tnx for the advice. I'll be back on friday for other results.

[Digerati]

Its a good feeling when you help other people without expecting something in return.
tnx for the advice.

Yes it is. That's why most of us are here - just to help folks with their computer problems. No doubt, that's the selfish aspect of it - we get a "warm fuzzy" when we help. And no, we don't expect anything in return, but an occasional thanks is nice too.

The optical drives may just have a dirty lens - assuming the motor spins and the mechanics move freely. There are cleaner disks, but they work by wiping the lens, and if there is grit on it already, the cleaner disk may make it worse. Fortunately, DVD readers are inexpensive, and not normally something most folks need right away, unless they need to install something.

Keep us posted. Good luck and keep us posted.

[chickmazta]

Sorry for the late info. As of now, only one pc has failed to boot because of severe motherboard damage. The owner told me that he tried to turn it on for a couple of times, I don't think we should send it to a professional considering the damage is well pictured. The other 11 units are fine and we haven't replaced any part or component inside the casing. Now they are undergoing some burn-in test for almost 12 hours. And also, the lcd and crt monitors are all been taken care of and are now ok. Thanks to Sir Digerati's detailed guide. Its a very big big help for all of us here. By the way the lcd monitors were sent to a professional for repairs.


Again Thank you very much Sir Digerati for taking our cause and for spending some time to guide us. More power to GeeksToGo!!! ciao^^

P.S. If you still have questions pls pm or reply to this topic TNX again!!! EVERYBODY YELL HERE AHUUWAAA GeeksToGO!!! ^_^

[technospecs]

Sir,


Could you please email me the contact number of the technician where you had the LCD monitors repaired....My PCs were also submerged in flood water for two days, I would like to have them serviced as well... thanks

My email is : [email protected]

Sorry for the late info. As of now, only one pc has failed to boot because of severe motherboard damage. The owner told me that he tried to turn it on for a couple of times, I don't think we should send it to a professional considering the damage is well pictured. The other 11 units are fine and we haven't replaced any part or component inside the casing. Now they are undergoing some burn-in test for almost 12 hours. And also, the lcd and crt monitors are all been taken care of and are now ok. Thanks to Sir Digerati's detailed guide. Its a very big big help for all of us here. By the way the lcd monitors were sent to a professional for repairs.


Again Thank you very much Sir Digerati for taking our cause and for spending some time to guide us. More power to GeeksToGo!!! ciao^^

P.S. If you still have questions pls pm or reply to this topic TNX again!!! EVERYBODY YELL HERE AHUUWAAA GeeksToGO!!! ^_^

[Digerati]

@chickmazta - Well, "Sir" Digerati is more than I deserve, but thanks. I am glad you were so successful. Note that these forums are for "open" discussion so further questions should be done in the open forum and not by PM, so others reading have an opportunity to participate or learn.

@technospecs - please edit your post to remove your email address. Bad guys "troll" forums looking for valid addresses to spam.