Screen flickering after being dropped in water, do you think I'll be able to save it?

[Resendetra]

Screen flickering after being dropped in water

My boyfriend and I actually both have the Galaxy S5 Active, but I figure I'd post in this forum, because it's more active when asking questions.

Tuesday night my boyfriend ended up dropping his phone while working in a water tank at work. The water he said was only ankle high, so he didn't think anything of it when his phone fell in the water, because he has used this same phone in the pool before, which was much deeper. He said that he grabbed it out of the water immediately and tried to turn on the screen to see if it was okay, the screen started to flicker, so he pulled the battery out as fast as he could. I delivered him rice at work so he could stick the phone in it and that's where it's been sitting since that night. We have tried turning the phone on, and at first, it would flicker right away, now it will be okay for a few minutes, and then start flickering.

We've just been keeping it in the rice though, because I'm not sure what else to do at this point. I've been looking over the phone and the battery to see if the water damage stickers have turned color. The one on the battery is pink, but the one underneath the battery is still white. I have not yet tried taking the phone apart to see what color the internal sticker is though.

It doesn't seem like it was that drenched in water. He doesn't understand the concept of water resistant, so he keeps saying water proof. I even asked if he made sure the back cover and USB port cover was on tight, he said that he always makes sure it is. With the flickering taking longer to happen, will his phone get better after awhile?

EDIT - Great, now the screen won't turn on at all. When you hit the side button, it flashes green and then goes black. The touch screen still works though, which is odd.

 

[Rukbat]

Re: Screen flickering after being dropped in water

The water he said was only ankle high, so he didn't think anything of it when his phone fell in the water, because he has used this same phone in the pool before, which was much deeper.

The pressure of dropping it into the water might be higher than the force of its being in the water. Remember, the phone is water-resistant, not waterproof. Enough pressure and water will get in.

I delivered him rice at work so he could stick the phone in it and that's where it's been sitting since that night. We have tried turning the phone on, and at first, it would flicker right away, now it will be okay for a few minutes, and then start flickering.

Read Oh, no! My Phone got Wet!

We've just been keeping it in the rice though, because I'm not sure what else to do at this point.

Once it started to flicker, it was headed for the repair shop. You immediately pull the battery on a wet phone, you don't immediately turn it on - that's like immediately electrocuting it.

I've been looking over the phone and the battery to see if the water damage stickers have turned color. The one on the battery is pink, but the one underneath the battery is still white. I have not yet tried taking the phone apart to see what color the internal sticker is though.

If you do (take the phone apart, you void the warranty.

It doesn't seem like it was that drenched in water.

A room with 90 degree air at 99% humidity can destroy a phone almost as quickly as a 200 foot deep lake.

He doesn't understand the concept of water resistant, so he keeps saying water proof. I even asked if he made sure the back cover and USB port cover was on tight, he said that he always makes sure it is. With the flickering taking longer to happen, will his phone get better after awhile?

We can hope so, but I doubt it, unless the only thing that got damaged was the battery. Put your battery into your phone (the worst it can do is drain some current from the battery, which you do every time you use it). If it still flickers, the phone is damaged and needs a new screen, a new motherboard or both. If not, a new battery is only $10 at Amazon.

 

[AZgl1500]

Re: Screen flickering after being dropped in water

It is too late now,

but when anything that is electrical gets wet, you must immediately remove the power.

And you do NOT EVER put power back on that device UNTIL AFTER it is totally dry.
Not almost dry, but completely and totally dry.

When you boyfriend put that battery back in, he damaged the phone and Samsung will NOT warranty it.

He has one chance now, and hopefully the battery is not in the phone as we write.....

disassemble the phone completely, remove the SIM card and the SD card,
and the Qi wireless charger if one is there.

do NOT put it back together.

get a vacuum bottle somewhere, or make one, it is easy.

Any container that has a lid that seals tight will work.
Borrow a vacuum pump or go to Harbor Freight and buy one, they are $40 or less when on sale.
Mityvac Vacuum Pump - Save on Mityvac Pumps at Harbor Freight!

Take one of the hose barbs supplied with that pump and punch/drill a hole in the lid of the container. Glob some glue on it, rubber glue, Monster Glue, whatever, don't matter... and fix that hose barb to the lid so the pointy part looks to the outside world.

put the phone parts inside the jar/container and tighten the lid. hook up the pump and pull the vacuum down to 26 inches and hold it there for a minimum of 3 hours. Longer is much better, over night would be perfect.

With moisture now already under the screen lamination, it is going to take longer probably to get all the water out.

Guarantee that this will fix it "IF" something electronic is not already fried.

A hell of a lot cheaper than taking it to a store to get it fixed, and they sure don't have a vacuum pump.

 

[Glen Little]

Thanks for the idea of putting the phone in low pressure to get the water out - that just saved my phone!

I'd dropped it briefly in water, and after drying it in rice and on a cold air vent for hours, the screen still would not show reliably, cutting in and out when powered on.

After seeing your advice about a vacuum pump, I rigged up something simple at home and it worked well. After an hour or two, the phone worked!

 

[Chris Kim3]

if it flickers green.. the water got into your processor and your screwed u cant fix it...

 

[Cassandra Swoboda]

Blow on the openings of phone and pull off back and blow into electronic parts inside that is what I did and my screen went from blank to glitchy now it works and

 

[Cassandra Swoboda]

Take off back and put in front of heater off and on

 

[Cassandra Swoboda]

Take off back and put in front of heater off and on