Help! Spilled water on my laptop!

S

sunnysky

New Member
Yesterday I was walking and I spilled 1/2 of bottled water into my bag, which had my laptop in it. One edge of the laptop (the side near the back where the batteries are) got wet. I got towels to mop up the water, but out of my stupidity I tried turning it back on and I did not remove the battery until 30 min later. Note: during the spill, my computer was in hibernate mode and not connected to the AC.

I let it dry overnight and 24 hrs later, then I put in the battery and nothing happened. I took out the battery and connected the power cord, and interestingly, the power light (at the front of the computer) turned green. The other light (I believe it represents the CPU) flickered and then turned orange. However, the computer did not turn on.

How much longer should I wait? Also, do the lights tell me something? What are the chances of recovery? Should I keep on waiting (and hoping), or should I just get it repaired? How much will repair cost? (really don't want to spend $)

My computer is still within the warranty period but my warranty doesn't cover accidents. btw it is a Sony VAIO laptop :(

please help...I feel so upset :( thanks
 
Even if i was in "hibernate" mode, the board still had elecricity going through it...
but out of my stupidity I tried turning it back on and I did not remove the battery until 30 min later.
Click to expand...
*facepalm*
Yep. You be going to the repair shop. ;)

You could wait for a while longer and remove the RAM and HDD and check all your connections and make sure everything is dry, then hook everything back up and hope for the best... but I'm willing to bet it still won't turn on.

I would turn it on warranty personally. If they ask what happened, I'd say "I dunno - quit working - what water?" - If it's dry, and it didn't "water-stain" any of the paper labels, I don' know how they would be able to tell that it had water spilled on it with any certainty...
 
Hey, thanks for the help. I was finally able to take out the hard drive and using an external adapter, I was able to back up the data. I put the hard drive and battery and everything back, plugged on the AC power cord, and stuff actually appeared on the screen! however, the screen is very very dark, and the words on the screen are barely visible. I can barely see anything...but now I can make out the faint outlines of my log-in screen (with my username and password field). It's just soo soo dark I can barely see anything. What does this mean?

I will try to call the Sony customer service, maybe they can help me (i didn't want to do it until I had backed up all my data).
 
I would bet that is is screwed up and cannot be repaired without replacing parts. I would opt for the warranty, and just don't say anything about the water...
 
I'm scared about applying warranty though...the warranty doesn't cover accidents. Even if i don't mention water... So my question is, will the technician be able to detect that my comp had water spilled on it? Will there by "telltale signs" like water marks and stuff inside my comp? (also, please only answer this question if you have a lot of experience opening and fixing comps)

(I just fear that the technician will come to repair it, open up my comp, see the water damage, refuse to repair it, and still make me pay tons of $$$)

thanks
 
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Aside from mildew stains, you should be fine haha!

No, I think you shorted out your backlight... maybe that's fixable.
 
i know this may seem like a dumb thing to ask but it can be over looked. did you try to turn up the brightness using the function key and the key labeled for the brightness at the same time? cause remember you did remove the battery and there was no ac power at one point.
 
As long as there isn't any paper on the parts that got wet, you should be fine. And I doubt they'll send someone to your house - you'll likely have to take it in. And all you have to do is say that nothing was spilled on it that you are aware of... just say it was fine one day and the next it quit working and you don't know what happened.

I don't see how they could make you pay anything for not fixing it. I think you're just way too paranoid.

Of course, the alternative is to admit your mistake and pay full price to have it repaired with a clear conscious. It's your call. ;)
 
thanks everyone for the replies!

yeah I did try the brightness thing...didn't do anything :( Also, I plugged in an external monitor and it worked, and all my files and stuff are intact.

thanks deanj20, oh I just realized you already mentioned the water-stain paper labels in the first post--oops, my bad for not reading carefully and asking the same question again lol. I'm just guessing but hopefully none of my paper labels got wet (I heard that usually these labels are under the keyboard, and luckily my keyboard didn't get wet at all). Well after some inner debate I called 'em and they agreed for the repair. :)
 
cool. post back and let us know how it goes. HP replaced my laptop when it got soaked in beer one time for only the shipping fee. I was honest and everything... still not sure how I lucked out on that deal...

I figure those big name computer companies can spare a free fixing here and there... :D

In return they get a life time of product loyalty and my recommendation to others for their products. (BTW - I'm a big fan of HP/Compaq, and have used their products for fifteen years. Excellent customer support and care in my experience)
 
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