Liquid Damage
- When any liquid reaches the logic board corrosion occurs quickly because it is accelerated by the powered circuitry.
- Disconnecting the charger and holding down the power button for 10 seconds to send the Macbook to sleep is the best plan.
- Keep the Macbook inverted to use gravity to steer the liquid away from the logic board.
How liquids hurt electronics:
- Galvanic corrosion (aka electrolysis) starts immediately as electrical current flows via the liquid eroding some metals and depositing it elsewhere.
- Liquid damage and repair is not covered by Apple warranty. Apple will know from tell-tale moisture detectors inside that turn red.
Liquid Spill Inspection
Liquid Spill Inspection takes about 2 – 3 hours of work and always receives the highest priority in my workflow. Its aim is to determine if liquid has reached the logic board and prevent further damage.
The steps I perform are:
- Open case, disconnect & remove battery, disconnect all cables and remove logic board from case
- Microscopic inspection of the logic board on both sides for evidence of liquid or corrosion. Remove where found
- Inspect remaining openings such as USB, audio jack, fan vents
- Clean where appropriate using isopropyl alcohol and swabs and/or ultrasonic bath cleaning
- Turn on, test functionality and provide detailed report to customer with photos.
- Re-assemble device and return to customer
It gives you peace of mind to know your logic board has avoided damage or if it hasn’t the damage has been halted. If it has been damaged then it includes the effort to remove corrosion by swab or ultrasonic cleaning as appropriate. The keyboard, trackpad and screen wont get the same attention but can still get corrosion but compared to the logic board they are relatively cheap items to replace if they fail in the future. Due to the nature of what has happened this service offers no warranty.
Apple Shop and Approved Resellers
Apple will not repair under warranty if there is any evidence of a recent or past liquid spill.
Besides the logic board Apple always replace the keyboard and trackpad if they think there was a liquid spill.
The total cost usually approaches 80% of the cost of a new MacBook.
How a Liquid Spill Causes Damage
A single drop of liquid (even water) reaching the logic board is the start of big trouble. Corrosion is accelerated by electricity and it starts eating away at the circuits in your computer immediately as a modern laptop is never off. Photos here show spaces where electronic components have fallen off the circuit board as a result of galvanic corrosion. 95% of electronic components on the logic board are critical [to some function] and with corrosion it is only a matter of time before a failure prevents your device starting.
Your computer might still work after spilling a drink over it but at circuit level it is being eaten alive if there is any liquid on the board! Apple have stuck tell-tale detectors on your board (see photo) and if they have turned red any warranty is void and they will quote to replace the entire logic board costing 70 to 90% of a new laptop.
So:
Keep drinks well away from laptops
Don’t allow condensation in your laptop: keep it out of steamy bathrooms and keep it out of checked in baggage on aircraft which may get extremely cold.
Use a keyboard protector – about £4 which can save your device
If a disaster happens – disconnect the charger, turn it off and call me.
