Electronics and water are not friends, but it is possible to restore electronics that have been damaged by water! Here at Broadshield Restoration in Boerne, we specialize in large scale construction projects, such as restoring homes after natural disasters like floods or when a pipe bursts or a sewer backs up into your basement. In today’s blog, we’ll share some tips for caring for water damaged electronics, both big and small, and explain our water damage restoration process.
If you experience water damage in any form, know that the longer you wait the worse the damage gets — and that goes for something as small as a broken phone all the way up to a broken foundation. If you experience any type of water damage, contact us and we’ll assess the situation and create a water damage restoration plan. If you’re in need of our services, get in touch today!
Does water damage kill electronics?
The short answer is yes, sometimes. The long answer is: it depends on the water and the device. For example, if you poured pure, distilled, unionized water on your electronic, it probably won’t short out. In fact, many of your electronics are washed in unionized water to remove any debris before they are assembled.
The problem is that we’re hardly ever using pure water. Water damage is caused by mineral-rich water, which is a great conductor of electricity and shorts circuits pretty quickly. If your electronic device is turned off, though, the water isn’t going to suddenly make a circuit and kill the device. Unfortunately, even if your device was off at the time, it doesn’t mean that it wasn’t damaged because water can corrode the piece over time, making water damage restoration more difficult.
Corrosion
Sometimes, when electronics are water damaged, they can work for a few days and then suddenly stop working. It can feel like a trick, especially if you dropped your phone in the sink and thought it had magically survived! The reason for this delayed damage is corrosion. Think about when you pop really old batteries out of a remote and that grainy, white, paste-like substance you see on the battery. That’s corrosion. Scientifically speaking, corrosion is the breakdown of a material caused by a chemical reaction with its environment. In this case, the combination of metal, water, and oxygen. There’s no specific time frame for this breakdown to happen, which is why your phone can break days or weeks after exposure to water.
Cleaning Corrosion
The good news about corroded electronics is that they can be cleaned, as long as the corrosion hasn’t gone too far. Just like with any water damage, the sooner you start the water damage restoration process the better! Electronic devices can be taken apart and swabbed with isopropyl alcohol, baking soda and water, and even vinegar to gently remove the corroded material. It’s important to be very careful, though, as any additional liquid has the potential to cause further damage. We highly recommend hiring a professional to fix your water damaged electronics. They’ll be able to assess the situation, let you know whether the device can be repaired, and create an action plan to fix the device.
This process is similar to the way that we approach larger water damage restoration projects here at Broadshield Restoration. It’s important to call our restoration company as soon as water damage occurs, and we determine the extent of the damage, begin water damage cleanup, and perform any construction repairs necessary to get your home or office back to the way it was before — or better! If you’ve been the victim of a flood, broken pipe, or other form of water damage, get in touch today!
Types of electronics that can experience water damage
While most people think of their cell phones when they think of water damaged electronics, it’s worth mentioning that there are plenty of other electronic devices that can be damaged by water. In fact, our restoration company primarily sees damage to larger electronics that are damaged in a flood or burst pipe rather than cell phones being dropped in the sink.
There are electrical devices running through your entire home powering nearly everything! Some of lighting and wiring is designed to work in dirty water, like a fountain or water pump, but it’s highly unlikely that the wiring in your home is designed to serve this purpose. Any time that your wiring is exposed to water, or even excessive moisture (think damp basement, ceiling above a shower) it can be compromised. Water and electricity are a dangerous combination — yet another reason to call Broadshield Restoration in Boerne for fast, high-quality water damage restoration.
If a flood or other form of water damage has occurred, one of the first things you should do is turn off all utilities to the home. Any live cords or cables that are touching the water are extremely dangerous. When our water damage restoration team gets to the scene, we first make sure that the home is safe to enter, and then make sure that all exposed wires are replaced. We also check to make sure that any internal components that have been corroded are restored or replaced as well. Any wiring that has been exposed to water needs to be examined by a qualified professional, because, as with the example of a phone working and then breaking a few days later, the same can happen to your wiring. You don’t want to be using corroded, compromised wiring thinking that they’re safe when they have the potential to cause damage to your home or to those within your home.
Other electronics in your home that may be damaged should be deactivated and unplugged. You should not turn on any of these devices until a thorough examination by a professional, like a member of Broadshield Restoration team, has been performed. If you are in need of water damage restoration in Boerne, contact us today
BroadShield Restoration Services
When it comes to water damage, our Boerne-based professionals have seen it all! There is no job too big or too small for us to handle. Water damaged electronics — especially large electronics or the electrical wiring of your home — can be extremely dangerous. It is vital that you not enter a flooded home until a professional, such as someone from the fire department, has deemed it safe. Turn off all utilities to the property. And whenever water damage occurs, you need to act quickly to avoid further damage.
If you have been a victim of water damage in Boerne, our restoration specialists can help. When you hire Broadshield Restoration, you can trust that we’ll provide you with the highest-quality services at an affordable price. Plus, along with being construction experts, we also help you through the disaster insurance process. And not only do we offer water damage restoration services, we also restore damage caused by fire, wind, tornado, hail, and sewer. Contact us today if you are in need of our services, and keep our number close when disaster strikes.
