THIS THREAD IS FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE A WATER DAMAGED NEXUS 5, OR HAVE JUST DROPPED THEIR NEXUS 5 INTO WATER. READ NOTE BEFORE REPAIRING
NOTE: The water indicator (shown as the red square in the photos) is located just above the sim card tray. It is only a few millimeters away from the edge of the phone which makes it VERY SENSITIVE to water. It turns from white to pink/red if it has been exposed to water.
My phone dropped into the toilet and was submerged for only 0.5 -1 second. This was enough for the indicator to go off. If you do not want to open up the phone, check the sim card as mine had small pink/red residue on it after I took out the sim card.
The location of the indicator makes it very easy for the indicator to go off. I can easily see how rain, extreme humidity, or even a small pool of tap water could make it go off if the sim tray is not inserted properly, let alone if it was submerged.
Helpful Resources/Guides: Nexus 5 dropped in toilet, recovered: http://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus5/comments/1wf4gu/guess_who_dropped_their_nexus_5_in_the_toilet_a/
Nexus 5 water repair SUCCESS STORY: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2618121
How to open Nexus 5: http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nexus+5+Teardown/19016
Opening Nexus 5 (more detailed) http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2542873
Repair guide (some steps are controversial, caution) : http://www.reddit.com/r/LifeProTips/comments/1npt9v/this_actually_works_if_you_drop_your_phone_in/
REPAIRS:
Read links/stories above for steps to recover Nexus 5, my method has not proved successful thus far. Please read the thread for other methods too.
The general consensus is to:
1. MOST IMPORTANT: Turn the off phone immediately. If your phone is off, don't attempt to turn it on or you will risk damaging the internals.
2. Use a cloth/paper towel to immediately soak up water around phone.
If you do not want to open up the phone for warranty purposes:
3. Place phone in an airtight container with activated silica gels, or with rice for few days.
Note: This is not the best method if the phone was submerged for a relatively long period or if you spilt coffee/soft drink on your phone. There is a high risk of corrosion with this as the water may be trapped inside for a long period of time causing internal parts to corrode. Other methods have proven more successful. Alternatively people have had success (in this thread, please read) by drying out their phones via traditional methods like using blowdryers etc. when the device was exposed to water for a SHORT period of time. Make sure you err on the side of caution when using heating methods as to not damage the internals, never use anything that would make the device too hot.
OR
If you don't mind opening up phone (fairly certain indicator has gone off and want to void warranty). If I could go back in time I would probably use this method:
3. Open up the phone by prying off the back (method in the link above), remove the battery and carefully assess the areas and components that have collected water. Remove the water and dry it out as much as possible. This may be enough if the phone was not fully submerged.
For more serious cases: For coke/coffee/saltwater or if the phone has just been sitting there a long time after water exposure:
- A lot of people have had success by washing the phone with deionised water first and then submerging it in pure ethanol (without battery). This serves to clean the phone of the contaminants and to prevent corrosion. (especially if you dunked in it coffee/soft drink). Theoretically the water/ethanol would not conduct electricity due to the lack of impurities in them.
-If you have left the phone untouched for a while without cleaning it, there may be some build up of corrosion. People suggest scrubbing the white corroded area off using small/light brush strokes of a soft bristled toothbrush either after the wash phase (deionised water) or just after the submerging phase (ethanol)
Many different methods suggested in links above. Make sure you read through the thread, there are various success stories here too.
My case:
As soon as I dropped it into the toilet, I turned it off straight away. I dried it off with a paper towel and stuck it in rice for a few days. Then I moved to a sealed container of silica crystals for about 5 days. Then I let it dry on table for another 2. Then it did not turn on, unresponsive. Did not charge or get recognised via USB. This was probably not an optimal repair method. The methods above may be more useful. But if you know the indicator has gone off, it would be best to open up the case straight away to drain the water out.
Then I opened up my Nexus 5 (after a week of deciding what to do). I could see small amount of corrosion around the sim tray area, usb insert area and others around the phone. Then I dipped the motherboard and into a bowl of isopropyl, enough to submerge it for 5-10 minutes. Then used gentle movements of a toothbrush to focus on corroded areas. I am now just letting it dry.
I will update this thread if the repairs are successful.
Update: Phone is still unresponsive, it may be that the battery is dead or one of the parts do not work at all. Any suggestions?
UPDATE 2: Ended up just buying a new Nexus 5 back in March, old one is just sitting here in the cupboard still unresponsive. I may try to buy a battery to see if it's a battery problem but for now I'll just leave it. Not sure if it would sell much for parts.
Please feel free to post other helpful resources or your own experiences on saving a water damaged nexus 5.
NOTE: I am from Australia. The cost to repair a water damaged Nexus 5 was a fixed cost of $290 AUD (16 or 32gb) if you send the phone to manufacturer (LG). Water damage is not covered under warranty but LG still accepts repairs out of warranty at a fixed price. The lady on the phone said that they would replace the motherboard. Opening up your device will void your warranty so please be aware of this before you try to repair it.
NOTE 2: If you live in the US, google has confirmed it does one time replacements no matter what. Read below: http://gizmodo.com/google-will-apparently-replace-your-nexus-5-no-matter-h-1630258357
You did it wrong. You must pull battery asap, and clean evening with alcohol
I feel this needs to be asked, had you conducted business before your phone went for a swim in the porcelain pool? ;D
GR0S said:
You did it wrong. You must pull battery asap, and clean evening with alcohol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At the time I was still considering whether to send it back for repairs. Pulling the battery out requires taking the phone apart and voiding warranty. But looking back I probably should have opened it up straight away.
Phone is still unresponsive, is there any way to check which individual module or part of the phone doesn't work? I have a feeling some are working while others are not. Do electronic repairs shops have tools to test this?
Parts are easy to obtain: http://www.etradesupply.com/lg/android-models/lg-nexus-5.html but it is just a matter of knowing which part to get, that is assuming the main motherboard/CPU is still functioning.
eastpac said:
Phone is still unresponsive, is there any way to check which individual module or part of the phone doesn't work? I have a feeling some are working while others are not. Do electronic repairs shops have tools to test this?
Parts are easy to obtain: http://www.etradesupply.com/lg/android-models/lg-nexus-5.html but it is just a matter of knowing which part to get, that is assuming the main motherboard/CPU is still functioning.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you say phone is unresponsive do you mean that it won't come on at all?
sent from my neXus 5
OuncE718 said:
When you say phone is unresponsive do you mean that it won't come on at all?
sent from my neXus 5
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Click to collapse
Yeah it didn't turn on after I took it out from the silica gels. Also after I cleaned/submerged the phone parts in isopropyl and reassembled it doesn't turn on at all. I tried plugging into computer too but it didn't work either.
eastpac said:
Yeah it didn't turn on after I took it out from the silica gels. Also after I cleaned/submerged the phone parts in isopropyl and reassembled it doesn't turn on at all. I tried plugging into computer too but it didn't work either.
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Click to collapse
The computer did not recognize the phone? Most times when a phone is off the computer would at least make a sound once plugged in. How was your battery life before the incident? Was the phone almost dead?
I would probably take the phone back apart, clean it one more time with the alcohol and a soft brush toothbrush, dry it with a blow dryer (on its coolest setting so you don't damage anything) and then put it back together.
Use this site as a guide and do a side by side comparison. Maybe you forgot to plug a cable back in. http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nexus+5+Teardown/19016
Good luck!
sent from my neXus 5
OuncE718 said:
The computer did not recognize the phone? Most times when a phone is off the computer would at least make a sound once plugged in. How was your battery life before the incident? Was the phone almost dead?
I would probably take the phone back apart, clean it one more time with the alcohol and a soft brush toothbrush, dry it with a blow dryer (on its coolest setting so you don't damage anything) and then put it back together.
Use this site as a guide and do a side by side comparison. Maybe you forgot to plug a cable back in. http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nexus+5+Teardown/19016
Good luck!
sent from my neXus 5
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Click to collapse
No I tried it on a few computers, didn't manage to make it get a sound or anything. Battery life was normal before I dropped it. I can't remember what percentage it was on exactly when I dropped it, if I had to guess i think it was on 10-30%?
Yeah I'll give it another go with the cleaning. Should I submerge the screen in isopropyl too? I've only done the motherboard, bottom grill and cables so far. I left the battery out.
Also with the brushing I'm scared I'll break something: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QHn3ItE7ME But am i meant to use as much force as this guy in the video? I was way more gentle than that
If its a soft tooth brush and only a soft tooth brush then I'd say go in for the kill. Lol. That's about how much force I used on my Galaxy Nexus when it had water damage and I recovered it with no issues at all! Use your discretion though. Use as much force as your comfortable with and make sure to thoroughly dry it. I'd also clean the battery connector but with a DRY brush. Maybe that's where the issue lay.
sent from my neXus 5
Were there number 2 floaters when you dropped it? Did you soak it in rose water?
Sent from Nexus 5 (?) on Slimkat
yeh found a couple of mars bars on the screen when I took it out and mountain dew dripping from the sides.
haha nah it was clean at the time, just fell in from the towel rack
Phone probably short circuited when powered on
Sent from my Nexus 5
Little bit of trolling, sorry,
Feel really sorry for the guy who lost his nexus 5 coz of water damage, but I couldn't help but giggle at times at the process he was making himself go through trying to save the nexus, all because of a 0.5 to 1 second of water. Here is the process that I went through with my phone.
Dropped my Xperia Z Ultra a few days ago in a bubble bath tub, then spent about 5 - 8 seconds just looking for it, because of the bubbles.
Then I found it, Wiped it off immediately on my chest, it was soaked, then I turned it on. then I got into the bath tub with it, then watched some YouTube, visited xda forums, after that decided to watch some porn, then my wife started banging at the door "what the hell are you watching!?" then I got out, Wiped phone with towel. Then ate some chicken with rice, with my phone next to it not inside it.
Anyway think the nexus 5 is a gorgeous phone, that I would of have definitely wanted it if I hadn't experienced relaxing bath tub times, that all started with the original xperia z.
I still envy people that I had seen using it, I think it's the most beautifully designed phone ever created. With Sony and Htc as close second.
Sent from my C6833 using xda app-developers app
dicecuber said:
Phone probably short circuited when powered on
Sent from my Nexus 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are the chances of a short circuit fairly high in circumstances like this? Any way to confirm if all components are dead? I'm assuming that would probably kill off the motherboard/cpu so cleaning it won't do much in that case. But might i'll give it another clean just in case
bucho2004 said:
Wiped it off immediately on my chest, it was soaked, then I turned it on. then I got into the bath tub with it, then watched some YouTube, visited xda forums, after that decided to watch some porn, then my wife started banging at the door "what the hell are you watching!?" then I got out, Wiped phone with towel. Then ate some chicken with rice, with my phone next to it not inside it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL cheers man, i'll be sure to quote that at my nexus's funeral to remind it of the life it could've lived
How about getting wet with Salt Water !
Hi all, great thread, glad I found it. Want to hear another "got wet" story?
My Nexus 5 (and an iphone5) was in an Outdoor Products "dry sack" on an ocean boat ride in Brazil. This one at outdoorproducts.com, their 3-pack-ultimate-dry-sack
Caution! It was properly sealed, but still let saltwater in through the seams from splashes. The phones basically sloshed around in a cup of water before I knew it. Defective or wrong material to trust. In any case, the phone didn't work after, dead. To repeat, neither phone was ever submerged or dunked.
So I didn't have any isopropyl alcohol, but here they have something similar, ethyl alcohol (for cleaning, usually 46% solution). I knew that the rest was "hydrated" so I searched for a more pure form; found a 98% bottle. It is very hard to find (banned from sale because flammable) but I found a source. So I submerged the phones in this ethyl alcohol for 5 min. then let them sit in rice inside one of this company's "dry boxes" (which I should've used instead, kick to rear).
After 2 days, my Nexus 5 turns on! And, charges... and connects to wifi and receives messages. but the phone screen is like a tie-dye t-shirt. "Touches" won't unlock the screen, so I can't access apps to retrieve data. And, the phone won't connect over USB to the Android file manager.
I'm hoping a technician/hacker back in MA can open the phone, take out the 16gb internal storage (Sandisk SDIN8DE4 16 GB NAND flash) and get my valuable photos/videos off !
---------- Post added at 05:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:36 PM ----------
I was just googling... from ifixit's forum a moderator said that it was possible to read data from a NAND chip. He mentioned some sites, and from their I found a data firm, eprovided.com -- fyi this is no endorsement. I'll have to call them Monday to see if they can do chips from wet phones!
@placker have you tried hooking it to a different computer? Have you had the android file manager connected with this device before this incident, or did you install it just now? Have you tried booting to fastboot?
Just curious if it recognizes via fastboot
Sent from Omni Nexus 5
@AndroidSlave
thanks for the reply -- the phone had previously worked fine with the Android File Manager (used on Mac). That was my big hope... but alas no.
I don't know how to do fastboot... I've started/hard-shutdown the thing many times. Believe it or not, the phone's alarm clock just went of at 8pm. No way to shut if off since I can't bypass [what I think is] the lock screen. I can see the wacked video screen changing in response button presses of volume or the 10-second power button press.
I'll google the technique...
placker said:
@AndroidSlave
thanks for the reply -- the phone had previously worked fine with the Android File Manager (used on Mac). That was my big hope... but alas no.
I don't know how to do fastboot... I've started/hard-shutdown the thing many times. Believe it or not, the phone's alarm clock just went of at 8pm. No way to shut if off since I can't bypass [what I think is] the lock screen. I can see the wacked video screen changing in response button presses of volume or the 10-second power button press.
I'll google the technique...
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Click to collapse
Do you have a PC in your home? I am curious to see if anything gets recognized on a PC. My Mac (I am a Mac user) is finicky while my windows device works fine.
If u can get it recognized in fastboot you may be able to pull your data without issue...
If I were you I would first see if I could get it to be recognized on a windows PC
Sent from Omni Nexus 5
Hey guys, two days ago I was using my s4 Active on the bathtub to test the Aqua mode on the camera. After that when I tried to charge it it wouldn't charge. I've been using different batteries and an external charger to keep it running before going to my provider and check if the warranty will cover it.
Yesterday I read that alcohol may work to fix water damage, so I poured some 80% rubbing alcohol onto the usb port and basically the entire back of the phone. I let it dry in the sun for about 20 minutes and when I turned it on the screen was completely ****ed up, there are like blubs under it, as if the alcohol got under the screen, i can barely see it and now the touch capability won't work. Is there any way to fix this or is my phone lost?
nachochaves said:
Hey guys, two days ago I was using my s4 Active on the bathtub to test the Aqua mode on the camera. After that when I tried to charge it it wouldn't charge. I've been using different batteries and an external charger to keep it running before going to my provider and check if the warranty will cover it.
Yesterday I read that alcohol may work to fix water damage, so I poured some 80% rubbing alcohol onto the usb port and basically the entire back of the phone. I let it dry in the sun for about 20 minutes and when I turned it on the screen was completely ****ed up, there are like blubs under it, as if the alcohol got under the screen, i can barely see it and now the touch capability won't work. Is there any way to fix this or is my phone lost?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You did what? I....I just..........just send it in for warranty replacement, say it is water damaged, and leave it at that.
By chance, did you leave the battery in it when you did this? If so, take Devo's advice and pray for the best because that's your only hope. ANY liquid inside a phone with a battery in it will short things out. Even with the battery removed there are still capacitors inside that hold small amounts of electricity for a period that could be damaged by liquid. Not a very good idea.
Hi, my name is Alan and i just want to share with you what happened recently with my Galaxy Note...
a few days ago the wifi adapter just dissapeared, followed by the SD card, the s-pen and USB functions (i can charge it but my pc doesn't recognize it, even in download mode)... I've seen all of these problems by separate in the forum but not in a whole package.
Sounds like a faulty board... and sounds like it's time to replace the whole phone.
Water damage?
Not water damage.
Not really, i replaced the screen a few moths ago though... but it was fully functional until last week.
On the other hand my 2 years old nephew dropped a XT925 in the toilet lol... it was there for 30 or 45 minutes, i know it's splash resistant but it's not a freaking submarine... a few hours later (after cleaning it xD) i powered up the phone and surprise! it was working, kinda, no signal and when the battery ran out i couldn't charge it back, it was dead, all i had was a nice kevlar and carbonfiber paperweight xD.
i opened the phone, washed the "sulphated" areas (or however it's called... my english it's a little rusty) with isopropyl alcohol, dried it... and voila! it's been more than a year since that and my brother still uses that phone .
hi community,
i went on a trip with my bike, after an hour it started to rain, really heavy rain. as soon as it started i closed the flap for the headphone-jack, and put the device in my trousers pocket. when i arrived at home my trousers were soaking wet. the device turned itself of (short circuit?). every water-indicator turned red, even with closed flaps. i removed SD and SIM, opened all flaps. my device suffers the backplate lifting problem you all propably know about. its still wet on the inside after one night as i can tell from the steamy front and backcamera lenses. some questions:
what can i do in order to get it fully dry ?
when can i try to turn it on ?
in case it is really damaged, is there any way to get some money out of it ?
thanks in advance
put it in a bag of rice for about 24/48 hours to see if it fully drys out
Richy99 said:
put it in a bag of rice for about 24/48 hours to see if it fully drys out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly right. Actually I also took off the back plate and put it at the back of my pc... used the fans to blow my Z for a few days cuz I don't usually shut off my pc.
Try turn it on when you feel it's dry inside. Maybe after 24hr if you don't take off the back plate.
If it's eventually dead, sell it for parts. I could use a rear camera
it was in a bag of rice for a few days now. tried to turn it on today, nothing. no vibration, no led or any sign of life. connected it to the charger, to the pc, nothing. im pretty sure the water came in to the loose backpanel, so is there a chance they will replace/repair it? or do the red water indicators void all warranty ?
aanti said:
it was in a bag of rice for a few days now. tried to turn it on today, nothing. no vibration, no led or any sign of life. connected it to the charger, to the pc, nothing. im pretty sure the water came in to the loose backpanel, so is there a chance they will replace/repair it? or do the red water indicators void all warranty ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh they might be wanting to repair it, but it will probably cost you the same as a new phone.
Dsteppa said:
Oh they might be wanting to repair it, but it will probably cost you the same as a new phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's true.. Give it more days and see if it turns on.
It's been a while, but i wanted to let you know what happened.
The phone was irreparably damaged and i took it to the vendor where i bought it.
They sent it to sony. In the form i had to fill out i mentioned that the water damage
is a result of the loose backpanel. In the end sony gave a replacement device for free,
i think it took two weeks or so..guess im lucky
3days ago i slipped besides a pool n got my nexus 6 into the pool without i noticed it then after 10mins i found it submerged in the pool n quickly save it, make it dry with cloth and the screen show blurr display n then gone dark. Back to hotel i let dry n sometimes try to switch on the phone and charge it, and after some research in some forum i got to know that the phone will come back alive after 3-7 days if u quickly dry it in bag of uncooked rice or silica gel and that what im notdoing plus my mistakes is try to switch it on and charge the phone. what should really i do now?
Time to invest in a new device, water damaged isn't covered under any warranty.
If it was submerged in water for 10 minutes, then you "dried" it and turned it on right away and even tried charging it, the phone is done for. You should've instantly removed the battery after pulling it out of the pool, put it into a bag a rice for 4-6 days, THEN tried putting everything back together and seeing what happened. Even then, there's no guarantees that it'd work, I mean, it was dropped into water for over 10 minutes.
RMarkwald said:
Time to invest in a new device, water damaged isn't covered under any warranty.
If it was submerged in water for 10 minutes, then you "dried" it and turned it on right away and even tried charging it, the phone is done for. You should've instantly removed the battery after pulling it out of the pool, put it into a bag a rice for 4-6 days, THEN tried putting everything back together and seeing what happened. Even then, there's no guarantees that it'd work, I mean, it was dropped into water for over 10 minutes.
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Asurion covers any type of damage. I got mine wet about 6 months ago thankfully I had Asurion insurance through Verizon. You only pay $10 a month for peace of mind. But if you make a claim all you do is call them and explain what happened and pay your deductible which is $100. Once you pay the detectable they will send you a like new device, with a return shipping label with in 1 ta 2 business days. Upon receiving the like new device you have 14 days to ship them the damaged device. If you don't ship them the damaged device within the 14 days you will be charged full retail price for the like new device they sent you. If you don't have Asurion insurance and want to get it, it will take 30 days before you can file a claim. Hope this helps!
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
I don't know man i dropped mine in the toilet and its fine lol. Also spilled a beer on it and lost sound and couldnt use the mic, but when i woke up the next morning after fully charging the phone and it worked like new. I'd try the rice thing or try to replace the battery. .
assuming it's paid off and you aren't under warranty, you can scrap your phone for parts or try to fix it yourself. Theres a market for it (housing, etc.) Parts aren't that expensive on ebay, and swappa has a website for selling/buying broken phones. There's plenty of tear down videos on xda too, so it really shouldn't be that hard if you do a little bit of research.
My advice: instead of throwing it in the trash, try to fix it or scrap it
i have dropped mine in a pool too ...and now i have this fkin yellow tint in my screen and i dont know how to get rid of it am so fkin sad bro
RMarkwald said:
Time to invest in a new device, water damaged isn't covered under any warranty.
If it was submerged in water for 10 minutes, then you "dried" it and turned it on right away and even tried charging it, the phone is done for. You should've instantly removed the battery after pulling it out of the pool, put it into a bag a rice for 4-6 days, THEN tried putting everything back together and seeing what happened. Even then, there's no guarantees that it'd work, I mean, it was dropped into water for over 10 minutes.
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Click to collapse
nexus 6 is unremovable battery but ya i think so its time to get a new budget smartphones and save some for nexus 6p later. nexus 6 is really good phones
And I've seen videos where guys put them in sinks full of water on purpose as it is water resistant (not waterproof). Guess they were lucky or it is something from the chemicals in pool water.