Re: ATTN: Poster who dropped cell in water

On Sep 29, 2:36 pm, John Henderson <jhenRemoveT...@talk21.com> wrote:
> TD wrote:
> > PUT THAT PHONE IN A BAG OF RICE
> > Dave wrote from Seattle. He dropped his cell phone in the
> > toilet. He thought he heard a tip on the show about how to fix
> > it. But Dave asked, Kim, were you making fun of cell phones
> > being made overseas when you said to put them in a bag of
> > rice? If so, that was just wrong!
>
> > No, I wasnt. If you drop your phone in water, get the phone
> > out fast. Remove the battery and pat it dry. Also, pat the
> > phone dry. If it has a SIM card, remove it. (AT&T and T-Mobile
> > use SIM cards.) The SIM card contains telephone numbers and
> > other data. Allow the phone to dry.
>
> > I suggested rice because it readily absorbs water. You also
> > could put the phone in a bag with silica packs. Or, heat could
> > work. Place it on a television or use a blow-dryer. Do not
> > heat the battery. I would let the phone dry for a few days.
> > For more details, stop by my site and read this tip.
>
> > Hopefully, you have backed up the phone numbers and pictures,
> > just in case
>
> >http://www.komando.com/tips/index.aspx?id=3487
>
> The most important thing is to prevent the phone from
> transmitting while it's wet, because that would likely ruin it
> immediately and permanently (the transmit circuit generates
> high voltages). Hence the advice to remove the battery very
> quickly (before the phone makes a periodic "location update",
> for example).
>
> But what needs stressing is that you must not try to switch the
> phone off before removing the battery, because that would also
> make the phone transmit. Then, and only then, dry it ASAP to
> prevent corrosion.
>
> John

I dropped my first phone, an Erikson, in the Ocean, while playing
around on the beach at Pismo Beach, one year. Salt water of all
things. But the phone kept functioning, sort of. I could place a call,
but the LCD screen was not displaying anything. But I was able to
punch in the number of the party that was driving down to visit us the
next day, telling her what happened, and that I did not know how long
it would keep working. I planned to go to the Cingular store the next
morning, once they opened, to see about buying a used one, ended up
buying a refurbed (Supposedly) phone, with a few extras, all boxed up,
for what I think now was not such a great deal, but felt stuck. Never
thought about taking out the SIMs card to set it aside, drying it. The
CSR swapped it from the old Erikson, to my next one (A Nokia), and I
never had a problem with that SIMs card at all, until I gave up that
service last Feb. going with T-Mobiles prepaid plan.

My son had suggested letting it dry out up on the cars dash board. But
it was too late. I had already purchased the new refurbed one. Now
whenever I am out anywhere with my phone, I keep the cases wrist strap
looped to a belt loop, hooking my phone to that, so nothing like that,
or even someone trying to grab it, will ever happen.