Waterlogged Lumia 920

[Rahul Gondane]

Hello everyone, I bought a Lumia 920 on the first day of Indian launch (11 January 2013), but a few weeks later it completely stopped vibrating, so got a replacement on 10 February 2013. A couple of days ago, I was riding back home and it started raining very heavily, I got drenched with the phone in my pocket. When I got home, the phone was wet, but working perfectly. I wiped and dried it off, and have had no problems whatsoever. But there was always dust in the FFC that I decided to get rid of.

Today when I went to the Nokia Care center, the guy says that he won't be able to clean it because the internals are waterlogged. He says that he is able to do it, but there's a 99% chance of something malfunctioning so he didn't. Effectively, according to him, the phone might die anytime and he won't disassemble it and dry it because there's "a lot of water" inside.

Also, he says since waterlogging is not in the warranty, if he tried to take it apart and dry it, something might malfunction and won't be covered in warranty. And apparently if the phone dies somewhere down the line, I can't get it fixed or replaced either because of waterlogging.

It doesn't make sense that even though there's water inside the phone is working perfectly and it cannot be dried out because there's a risk of malfunction. Thoughts and suggestions?

 

[miodrage]

Actually this makes perfect sense. Sorry to bring it to u like this, but after water damage the device can function flawlessly just until it suddenly dies. It will happen, and it is just a matter of time. What happens is that water corrodes the elements inside, and once the corrosion gets to some vital part, its hasta la vista baby. I was writing about these issues, and believe me, I have some experience with water damaged devices, as I was repairing them several yrs ago.

 

[rockstarzzz]

Actually this makes perfect sense. Sorry to bring it to u like this, but after water damage the device can function flawlessly just until it suddenly dies. It will happen, and it is just a matter of time. What happens is that water corrodes the elements inside, and once the corrosion gets to some vital part, its hasta la vista baby. I was writing about these issues, and believe me, I have some experience with water damaged devices, as I was repairing them several yrs ago.

What he said minus "as I was repairing them several yrs ago"

 

[arkavat]

Put it in a bag of rice for a few days! Not kidding! It works great on sucking out all the water from electronics without doing any harmful damage.

 

[Rahul Gondane]

Alright, so what do you suggest I do?

 

[johninsj]

Alright, so what do you suggest I do?

put it in a bag of rice for a couple days to dry it out(you should power it off first - always power off and if possible pull the battery on any electronics that get wet!), and forget ever getting any warranty service on that phone since all the water sensors are tripped now.

 

[Rahul Gondane]

Hmm, will do. Will it make a difference considering it's been a week or two after the rain drenching incident?

 

[johninsj]

Hmm, will do. Will it make a difference considering it's been a week or two after the rain drenching incident?

Who knows. Do you live in a desert? If so, perhaps the moisture is all gone already.

 

[miodrage]

Rockstarz: I was repairing the water damaged phones, if they were immediatelly powered off, we dissasembled them, put the parts into an ultrasonic tub, evaporate all the moisture within 6-9 hrs (could go up to 24 hrs depending on the tub), then reassembled, and powering the phones on. After a short prayer, 85% worked, the other 15% was junk.
I am just saying that water does serious damage, but not immediatelly, months can pass, with the device working flawlessly, then just one day its dead. Gone. Caputt.

 

[Muessig]

Since this damage occurred as an act of nature and couldn't really be helped - it was in his pocket so he tried to shelter it from the rain while he was on the move is he still not entitled to a replacement?

I could understand if he dropped it in the sink or something but just as a result of rain? I have experience of phone companies being very stubborn about water damage on a phone in the past, too. I had to phone up my contract supplier who refused to give me a replacement after they gave me a phone that had previously been water damage but send the phone to me as a refurbishment. I sent the phone in for repair for something completely separate and they blamed it on the water damage the phone had suffered prior to me owning it. Of course they didn't believe me and refused to give me a replacement. I phoned them for 6 weeks and argued with them about the whole thing. Eventually they caved in and I got a replacement.

 

[miodrage]

Muessig: is there a way u can prove that ur phone was daamged by water as an act of nature? I mean come on, every1 can serve that as a story, an if every1 would get a replacement, the dealers would go broke. U got lucky, but u were persistent and it resulted with a new phone. Good 4 u. But many ppl won't be that lucky, because water damage is not covered by a warranty.
I do not know the laws and possibilities in every country. Here in Serbia, u would have to be extremely lucky to get a new device. I think that there r better chances of winning in a lottery. But that is just here.

 

[nikhilr51]

Muessig: is there a way u can prove that ur phone was daamged by water as an act of nature? I mean come on, every1 can serve that as a story, an if every1 would get a replacement, the dealers would go broke. U got lucky, but u were persistent and it resulted with a new phone. Good 4 u. But many ppl won't be that lucky, because water damage is not covered by a warranty.

^This guy knows his stuff.

I'd suggest OP turn it off and stick it in a bag of raw uncooked rice for 3-4 days or so. Then Just use it till it dies (which will probably be within 12 months depending on the extent of the water damage). So i'd start saving up for a new one. Maybe if luck is on your side it could last for longer, however odds are against you.

 

[Rahul Gondane]

Thanks for all the replies. So basically I now have a ticking time bomb and can't do anything about it

 

[Rishabh1995]

Nokia put up something for your woes:

Nokia guide to saving a Lumia Windows Phone from drowning | Windows Phone Central

:winktongue:

 

[Rahul Gondane]

Unfortunately doesn't say anything about the apparently sudden death that might befall my poor 920 sometime in the future

 

[WorzelGummage]

Unfortunately doesn't say anything about the apparently sudden death that might befall my poor 920 sometime in the future

It's a shame the 920 doesn't have a removable battery because the proper way to rescue a water logged phone is to first pull the battery and then thoroughly clean the phone in distilled water. This cleaning process removes any salt and mineral deposits left behind by "normal" water which is what actually causes the corrosion to take place. Once it's had its shower of distilled water, the drying process can then take place.

 

[miodrage]

WorzelGummage: nope, not distilled water but isopropil alcohol with distilled water in a ratio od 1:2 (50% mixture). The water will do the cleaning u stated, but the alcohol which is not corrosive will help it evaporate faster. After that as I mentioned several times ultrasonic tub to evaporate all the moisture, and finally a short prayer after reassembling the device and before powering it on.

 

[Rahul Gondane]

Sooooo, anything else I can do for my Lumia which might die anytime?

 

[Dex Da Rex]

This is why I would like to see nice waterproof/ life proof case for 920. I have a cracked screen from last week but since had it from launch day, still would like to have a nice life proof case when I get the screen fixed.

 

[Rahul Gondane]

Seems rather harsh that I have to live with the fact that my phone can die anytime. Maybe I can get that mobile insurance thing which says it covers water damage.