Skip to main content

Saving an iPhone 6 from Water Damage

The other day, my cousin was thrown into a pond with his clothes on.  You know, a really funny thing, unless, of course, he has his iPhone 6 in his pants pocket.

Panic ensued.  "Quick!  My iPhone!  It got wet and is acting all weird!  What can be done?  Should I get some rice?"

The reality is that rice cannot absorb a significant amount of water from the inside of a tightly-constructed device.   Happily, I was there, and I happened to be there with my small electronics tool kit.

The iPhone was powered up at the time it went into the drink (no surprise), and the screen was flickering. It was back at the Apple logo, and it soon fully booted.  But the display was fading in and out.

How I saved this iPhone 6:

First, I tried to power it off.  No luck!  It wasn't turning off.  Nothing was actually working.  So I grabbed my small electronics tool kit and opened up the iPhone.  I'm very familiar with iPhone disassembly and needed no instructions, but then again I've worked inside dozens of iPhones.  Most people can use the ifixit guide for help.  But remember, time is of the essence!

Upon opening, dang, there was water EVERYWHERE.

I quickly disconnected the battery and used some facial tissue to mop up some of the water.

From there, I removed the display, the SIM tray, and the logic board.  Of course it is important to keep track of all the little screws - and that's not so easy in the heat of the moment.  I continued to mop up the water along the way.

I didn't remove any other parts - so I basically had the logic board in hand.  I made sure everything was as dry as I could make it with some tissues.

The Somewhat Aggressive Dry-Out

Then I turned on the kitchen oven and set the temperature to 165 degrees.  I put the logic board alone in the oven on a piece of parchment paper and let it get nice and warm for a few hours.  I flipped the board several times over the hours to ensure there was decent airflow over the entire board.  My intent was to help quickly evaporate any hidden water remaining in, under, and around logic board components.  I left all the other parts (the housing with battery, and the display) in a safe, airy place to dry out.

Later that day I put some dry silica gel packs in  tuperware container, and then I added all the iPhone parts to the container.  I sealed it all up and let it sit for two days.

After those days went buy, I opened the tuperware container and inspected each part.  All of the little formerly-white water damage indicators were triggered red, but otherwise it all looked good, with no evidence of water and no water stains.   I re-assembled the phone and powered it up.

The phone successfully started (yay!), and then I tested each feature of the iPhone.  It worked perfectly, except that there was a little bit of staining under the glass of the display panel.

Success!  An iPhone saved from serious destruction.  I am confident that if I left the phone alone, all that water would have done a lot of damage.


Popular posts from this blog

Fixing a SodaStream Jet, part 1: Disassembly Guide

I've had my SodaStream Jet for years, and once in a while something has gone wrong. Disassembly is the first step to repair.  Start with this article to see how to disassemble the SodaStream, and then once you have that down, scroll through my other articles to see how I repaired specfic SodaStream problems. SodaStream Jet Disassembly Guide Tools Required Flat head screwdriver Phillips head screwdriver 1. Remove the Carbonator.  Duh. 2. Remove the black panel lever The front big black tilt lever needs to be removed first. Removing this panel is tricky, but it isn't impossible. Looking up at the bottom of the black panel, there are two tabs, one on the left and one on the right. These tabs fully secure the panel in place. The trick is to use a flat-head screwdriver under the plastic to gently lever the tabs out of the way.  Note in the pictures how I approach these tabs with my screwdriver.  I usually release the left side first, and then I release ...
Read more

Installing a CarPlay radio in a Honda CRV

I ended up buying a 2013 Honda CRV and decided to replace the stock radio/CD player with an upgraded unit.  This was far easier and cheaper than I imagined, but the hardest part was selecting a unit to buy  This article covers how I made my choice.   The basic form factor for my CRV head unit Selecting a Unit The Car I have a 2013 CR/V, which is the same series of all of the CR/Vs from model year 2012 through 2016. Therefore it was important to find a radio unit that fits this model. The CRV has steering wheel radio controls, and I wanted to use them.  This uses a technology called CAN-Bus, which is kind of like USB for cars.  Therefore, a CAN-Bus capability would be able to leverage all these steering wheel features.  In addition, the CRV has a backup camera that would be nice to tie into. And of course I wanted to leverage the existing speakers and USB port. Form Factor I wanted a unit that had a big display, and I wanted a unit that was easy to purchas...
Read more

Fixing a SodaStream Jet, Repair #2 - Broken Fill Button

My Soda Stream Jet's fill button broke, which means I can not longer carbonate water by pressing the pushbutton. This caused all sorts of grief in my household. Here is how I managed to repair my Jet to give it another 10 years of life (hopefully). First, a look at the button The fill button on the top of the SodaStream is actually a simple lever. Pressing down on the button moves a pin that does the actual work of pressing open the Carbonator's valve. Unfortunately, the axis point is fairly thin and can see a lot of stress. That's where my Soda Stream button cracked. [ I think the usage tip here is "don't over-press the button like a gorilla, it doesn't do anything but put high stress on the button."] Cracked levering point of the button The Pesky Lever Retaining Pin The Fix It was pretty easy for me to replace the button: Take off the back of the Soda Stream and remove the carbonator. Push out the the button lever's steel retaining pin. This takes qu...
Read more

Repairing the Roland HD-1 V-Drums pedals

I have a Roland HD-1 V-drum kit that is about 15 years old.  It was sitting for years when I got it, and when I put it all together it was clear that the pedals were not working.  Boo!  Time for a repair. Roland HD-1 Pedal Hammer under a Heat Gun. How the HD-1 pedals work With the Roland, a pedal actuates a variable resistor.  When you step on a pedal, it presses on the variable resistor.  Putting force on the pedal reduces the resistance of the resistor. A little force results in a small decrease in resistance.  A high amount of force greatly lowers the resistance.  The HD-1's computer detects this and makes the appropriate sound. There are two important parts to this mechanism: the electronic resistive strip, and a rubber hammer which presses on the strip in a variable way.  There is no internal difference between the left and right pedal. The guts of each pedal is identical.  Where it goes wrong with age Looking at mine, the problem was wi...
Read more

Fixing my Wahl 9918 Groomsman Beard and Mustache Trimmer

Not everyone would bother repairing a $25 beard trimmer, but why not fix something for under $5 instead of spending another $25? My  Wahl 9918 Groomsman Beard and Mustache Trimmer  has admirably performed its beauty duty for many years, but the time came when the battery just wasn't holding a charge any more.  Most people would just put the trimmer in the trash and buy a new one, but I figured I could repair my otherwise excellent Wahl and save some money. In fact, even high priced trimmer and rotary shaver brands, like Norelco and Remington, can be easily repaired using a process similar to the one I used to fix my Wahl.  Read on to find out how. I opened up the Wahl by popping off the black plastic faceplate with a tiny flathead screwdriver, which revealed two screws.  By removing the two screws I was able to easily open up the unit, revealing the guts of the device. Backplate off, Revealing the screws The internals are rather simple: a motor, a...
Read more

Old Apple gear that keeps on ticking

I've been dealing with Apple computer gear for a long time, as have my friends and family. Here is a list of the old gear that me and/or my friends have in active service.   Note that this gear is in real service, and isn't treated as museum pieces or as part of a retro-computing hobby. 2008: Apple Airport Express, draft-N, first generation 2009: Apple MacBook, late 2009 (utility use only) 2010: Apple iPod nano, 6th generation 2013: Apple Airport Extreme AC 2015: Apple TV HD (4th generation) The big winner here is the Airport Express, which is modern enough to do its job, and it just keeps on going.  The device that my friend runs has been in operation for more than 125000 hours.  It received its most recent firmware update on 28 August 2018, 10+ years after its initial release. In terms of security: it has no open, unpatched CVE vulnerability reports.  Many generations of other routers have come and go while this one keeps going.
Read more

Other Posts

Show more