Learn Something New: Why you shouldn't try to turn on a water-damaged electronic
We all know that water is bad for electronics. Most people don't know exactly why, but knowing how water affects your circuitry can save you countless hours of grief and regret later on. So let's learn!
Circuit boards are the basis of any electrical component you own. They work by connecting semiconductor and other surface-mount devices like transistors, resistors, diodes, and micro-controllers that are soldered onto the board.
Think of your board as a tiny city. Those light green lines that travel throughout the board? Those are traces. Think of them as streets. They're conductive, which means electricity flows through them. Each little device that's soldered to the board is like a building with a specific purpose. If one little device fails to operate correctly, a lot can go wrong.
When you add water to the equation, the streets flood fast. If your device is off, there's a good chance there isn't enough power flowing through the streets to hurt your buildings. But as soon as you try to send power through the device-- by turning it on, or plugging it in to see if it's okay-- tragedy hits your tiny town.
See, water is conductive too. Extremely conductive. So when the power on your board meets with water, the electricity surge is magnified to far beyond what those buildings are designed to handle. In time, your circuit board is fried.
Sometimes it happens the very first time you turn the device on after the spill. And sometimes, damage takes months for you to notice. That means that even if your computer worked fine after you spilled water on it, it could be doing major damage every time you turn on the device or plug it in. This can result in even more extensive damage than if the effect had shown immediately.
Sometimes the damage is too extensive to repair. But sometimes (and often, with us!) the damage can be fixed! Our logic board techs are brilliantly skilled at understanding and repairing the intricate damages a Mac's logic board can face.
The next time your Mac's logic board takes a dip, don't hesitate to show up at our door. We're experienced in emergency management, and with us, your odds are good.
ReaniMac
1653 N. La Brea Ave.
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11:00am - 7:30pm