Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Technical Help and How To's Water in LCD screen - Any suggestions?

I don't know if we have any hardware experts here that have any idea how to fix this, but I figured I'd ask.

Yesterday it poured like there was no tomorrow. I walked from one end of campus to the other on my way home from work, with my laptop in my backpack. I have never had problems with my bag leaking, but of course this time water somehow got into the bag and seeped into the laptop screen. Now there are sort of puddle-shaped places on one side of the screen where the light gets brighter or darker.

I turned it off as soon as I realized what had happened and removed the battery, so I don't think it's in danger of shorting out, but I don't know if the screen will be permanently damaged. I called my father, as I do when anything in my computer breaks <g>, and he suggested tipping it on its side and propping it open at about 90 degrees. That way if the water can get out, it should drain out on the desk. I put some paper under it so I can see if any water comes out, and I put some little plastic film lids under the laptop so that it won't be sitting flat on the desk and resting in whatever puddle of water comes out. But so far it doesn't look like anything has come out of it, and it's been about 18 hours.

I looked at it a little bit ago, and there appear to be spots in the puddle shapes. I am hoping these are places that have dried out? I cautiously turned it back on (and it didn't explode!) and took some pictures with my camera phone, but of course I didn't think of doing that last night so I don't know if it's changed at all. (The pictures are here if anyone thinks looking at them would be helpful; I think this one is the clearest.)

If nothing helps, I might try taking the screen apart, but Dad said not to do that if I could avoid it, as I'm likely to accidentally break something else while I'm at it (getting to a laptop screen involves taking apart just about everything else first).

Does anyone have any suggestions? In the meantime, I might go look at backpacks that won't leak on me...

Kaylle

Ouch, Kaylle! Don't have any solutions, unfortunately, but did want to sympathise! {{{{hugs}}}. Hope someone can find an answer for you!

LabRat

Hi,

I ask my husband about it.

If inside get a new screen!

If you found someone that open it up and repair turn to be very expensive.

Sorry !

I know this may sound silly, but you may try blow drying your laptop at the low setting (don't hold the dryer too close maybe 6 to 10 inches away and aim for the seams in the screen assembly) or setting up a portable fan to blow on the screen. Otherwise, I would leave the machine off, even a few days if you can stand it, until you think it is really dry and then try booting up.

AmyN

Just a quick update... I left the computer on its side all day again today, and this time I had the photos to compare it to and evaluate the difference. The puddle shapes do appear to be receding, albeit very slowly, off the side of the screen. They definitely do not reach as far left as they used to, and there are larger spots in them which I assume are places that have begun drying out. The places that used to be underwater appear to be fine now, which gives me hope!

A couple of the websites for spilling water on your laptop recommended using a hair dryer, and I did briefly last night to make sure the rest of the laptop was dry. But now that the water seems to be receding, I'm reluctant to blow air on it as that might push it farther into the screen instead of drying it out. I'll wait a few days and keep an eye on it.

Part of me really wants to open up the screen casing just a little so it can get a bit more ventilation, but as I said you have to take apart pretty much the entire laptop before you can get to the screws that hold the screen casing, so I guess that probably isn't such a bright idea. I've done some very minor laptop maintenance before, for myself and my friends, but this is way beyond the scope of my experience and chances are I'd mess it up <g>.

Anyway, thanks for the advice and the sympathy! There might be hope for me yet

Kaylle

I kind of had the same problem with my cell phone accidentally being put into the washing machine... I just laid it down somewhere (screen turned down, but I don't think that is possible with ur laptop..) and left it alone for a week (!!!) and after that, it worked like it hadn't been put into the washing machine at all, except for the fact that it was a little cleaner.. ^^

So I hope waiting a little bit will do the trick for you too..!! And otherwise -and if none of the other advises works-, I'll give you my condoleances with the death of your screen..

If it's any consolation, I've accidentally put a USB memory stick through a washing machine and had it come out OK, and I've deliberately put a couple of keyboards through a dish washer cycle - no detergent, of course - to clean them. Water on its own doesn't mess up electronics, the harm if any is done by the contaminants in it, and any damage done by electricity conducting through it before it dries.

Forgot to say that the keyboard thing was keyboards that were so full of dirt and hair that they initially weren't working properly, and hadn't responded to vacuum cleaning - I really don't recommend this except as a last resort. Another way to do it is with a power shower. It blasts out the crud, leaving the contacts clean enough to work (if you're lucky).

i would go with what AmyN said, the air conditioner leaked on to my tv and made the screen go all wired and if take a blow dryer to it like where the vents are you maybe able to dry it up. it worked for me