Moisture in Phone Won't Disappear after Drying in Box for Nearly a Week

Andysjunks on 04/01/2022 - 11:07

I made a mistake by having too much confidence in the IP ratings of my Oppo Find X2 Pro and took it down the swimming pool for photos, it had a few moments where it submerged in pool water for few minutes in my pockets. Everything worked and when I got home I submerged in fresh water in a bowl to flush out the salt and chlorine. That evening the phone phone suddenly turned off but can be turned back on and stay on for few minutes each time. Untill I noticed moisture in the lens and realised I am f…ed. then comes the rice and silica dry packs in a sealed container.

It has been 5 days and the phone can be turned on and everything works, but when I do a benchmark test and as it starts to get warm, within 3-5min I can see moisture starting to appear on the lenses. I turned it off immediately and back in the drying box…

Now, my question is will the moisture ever come out?? I know the longer it stays moist internally the less chance it will come out alive…

I'm putting budget aside for a new phone till a good deal appears, but really would like to get this one back alive and go as far as it can.

Mobile

Comments

  • MS Paint on 04/01/2022 - 11:17
    +6

    This could take several weeks or even months as you are trying to drawer moisture out of an almost perfectly sealed device.

  • pegaxs on 04/01/2022 - 11:22
    +4

    And as much as youtube would have you believe, rice in a sealed box is NOT the best at absorbing water.

    You need some proper desiccant, lots of it, a sealed container and heat. You cant just pop it in a bag of rice and leave it in your cupboard.

    • Andysjunks on 04/01/2022 - 11:26

      Thanks mate, never thought of this..

      • Quantumcat on 04/01/2022 - 11:27

        If you visit a hearing aid shop they might be able to sell you a drying box. Just a box and crystals that will absorb moisture, for when people accidentally wear their hearing aids in the shower.

      • pegaxs on 04/01/2022 - 11:27

        You put the phone in the air tight container with the desiccant. Seal the container. Put the container in direct sunlight or near a heater. The heat will cause the water to humidify and the desiccant will pull the water out of the air. Desiccant (including rice) does not work if the water is inside the phone and in its water form (the droplets you can see) it will only pull humidity out of the air. The only way to get the water to humidify/evaporate, is it add heat.

        • kmwa on 04/01/2022 - 16:24
          +1

          To accelerate the process, put the airtight container with phone and desiccant in the fridge (not freezer) at night, and put in direct sunlight during the day. This will cause "breathing" through any hairline cracks, with warm moist air being expelled during the day, and cold dry air being sucked in at night. The "breathing" process will expedite the removal of any moisture from inside the phone
          Source? Experience with junction boxes on offshore platforms, where the opposite thing can happen, with moist air being drawn into the junction box as it cools during the evening, and condensing to liquid water inside the box at night.

  • kds123 on 04/01/2022 - 11:23
    +3

    I used a food dehydrator from Kmart on the lowest setting. That worked for mine when the moisture absorbers/rice trick didn't work for me

  • universe on 04/01/2022 - 11:23
    +1

    Better off taking it to a phones repair shop and having them open it up to dry the internals. Otherwise you'll be turning it off and on for a good month.

  • Ocker on 04/01/2022 - 11:23
    +1

    Make a claim under guarantee??

    "OPPO Find X2 Pro is splash, water, and dust resistant, and has been tested under controlled laboratory conditions with a rating of IP68 in compliance with IEC 60529 standard.

    For the IP68 rating, the first digit '6' means no "harmful" dust or dirt seeped into the unit after being in direct contact with the matter while the second digit '8' guarantees protection in water up to a maximum depth of 1.5 meter for half an hour."

    • mbck on 04/01/2022 - 12:08
      +1

      Ip ratings are tested under strict conditions, as well as using fresh water (as in distilled). Also the phone is submerged, and not moving around.

    • rektrading on 04/01/2022 - 12:11

      a bowl to flush out the salt and chlorine.

      .

      Can I submerge my phone in ocean water or in the swimming pool?
      Answer: The IP certification is in regards to fresh water only. Salt water and chlorinated water are heavier, and exert higher amounts of pressure. So submerging your phone 1 meter into a saltwater bath or in a pool is subjecting your phone to conditions beyond the IP67 or IP68 certification, and you may just end up having a very bad day.
      https://www.gophermods.com/ip68-means-phone/

      • brendanm on 04/01/2022 - 12:35
        +1

        Can I submerge my phone in ocean water or in the swimming pool?
        Answer: The IP certification is in regards to fresh water only. Salt water and chlorinated water are heavier, and exert higher amounts of pressure. So submerging your phone 1 meter into a saltwater bath or in a pool is subjecting your phone to conditions beyond the IP67 or IP68 certification, and you may just end up having a very bad day.
        https://www.gophermods.com/ip68-means-phone/

        Salt water is about 2.5% more dense than fresh.

    • Drakesy on 04/01/2022 - 12:17

      water, and dust resistant

      I have a feeling this may be the sticking point.
      Watch manufacturers dropped the waterproof terminology due to legalities.
      Resistant is the ultimate flaky word.

      Did the phone get dropped/have a hairline fracture in it?

      • Andysjunks on 04/01/2022 - 14:28

        I know it will most likely be a battle if try to claim warranty so I don't really see this as an option.

        The phone has no cracks or any visible blemishes.

  • John Kimble on 04/01/2022 - 12:21

    I just had a similar thing happen to me with my Note 10 Plus. I tried desiccant overnight, didn't help.

    A youtube video said to use a hairdryer on low heat for a bit. I did that for about 1 minute until I saw the condensation disappear, but then within 15 to 30 minutes the condensation reappeared.

    I left the hairdryer on the phone for 5 to 10 minutes, and it hasn't come back, this was last night so I think it's all good now!

    • Andysjunks on 04/01/2022 - 14:52

      Did you aim for the openings on the phone or just gently heating it up?

      • John Kimble on 04/01/2022 - 15:07

        Pointed directly at the camera lenses.

  • Rukiata on 04/01/2022 - 12:35

    it likely has water damage by now. on the motherboard.

    • Andysjunks on 04/01/2022 - 14:41

      I have a very bad record with water and phone. Once rode a bike in one of the heaviest thunderstorm of the year with an iPhone 6 in my back pocket, totally soaking wet and phone appeared to be dead for a few days, but it came back and still working today.

      Another is a pixel phone, been through the worst with full in sea water and sand, problem with the USB port for a few days then slowly came back to normal, 100% and still alive and kicking 2 years later..

      I did nothing to recover both phone because I never thought they had any water ingress… But in the hindsight maybe they did.

      I still hold some hope for my Oppo.

      • Rukiata on 04/01/2022 - 19:06

        read below i think you should learn how to open your phones since u have luck with water lol
        can help in future as well.

        • Andysjunks on 04/01/2022 - 19:30

          Haha, thought about it but so far no phone has died (Oppo in recovering room with question marks) in the past decade so no need to venture into this yet

  • Cave Fire on 04/01/2022 - 16:36
    +1

    … You are not supposed to use it with water around/in the device. Any water droplets going on the motherboard or live components can short it. The backs are able to be removed like most phones, using heat and maybe a razor just on the edge. then you can take the lens out and dry it. I'd do the same as about 2:40 in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2elAKjQj48 You can dry with a hairdryer, then leave in a dry area for a day to aerate. To reassemble you need adhesive b5000 etc which is like $5.

  • Triamble on 04/01/2022 - 23:58

    As others have mentioned heat is the best way to drive out water. I once baked a Redmi Note 2 in my fan forced oven at 60 degC for a couple of hours to get it dry… I did remove the battery first though and checked the temperature with an IR thermometer first. If you don't want to open it up at least pop the sim tray out and leave it in the sun.

  • mrvaluepack on 05/01/2022 - 11:20

    My laptop was water damaged due to kid spilling drink all over keyboard. It wouldnt turn on.

    Waited for 2 months and was about to throw it away, when I thought it couldnt hurt to give it one last go. Lo and behold it booted up and now works fine. Like others have said give it at least a month or 2 before giving up.

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