[Q] Water Damage & Boot Loop - Thunderbolt Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Oh hey guys. I need your help! I did that awful, stupid thing where I dropped my phone into the toilet. I immediately took the battery out and placed both pieces of my phone into a Ziploc with rice for about 2 days. When I popped the battery back in, the Tbolt booted fine, but as I was checking my messages, it began turning itself off and on.
I am rooted (running liquid thundersense with no previous problems), so I tried to just manually boot into recovery and restore. But as it keeps turning itself off and on, I can't get it to do this. I tried charging my battery externally, but that did not help.
Thank you in advance!

Trying placing it on top of something which produces dry heat. I placed my phone on top of the cable box for a day when water leaked onto my screen. I've also tried this on another phone which was completely submerged in water. Second phone took about 2 days to dry. It has the same problem as yours, it kept rebooting.

More water questions
I left my phone out overnight and am experiencing the same rebooting. My battery water indicator is red, but I was just going to buy a new battery and send it in to Verizon. Will they know there was water damage if I don't send a battery that has the water damage indicator turned red?

jasonadiehl said:
I left my phone out overnight and am experiencing the same rebooting. My battery water indicator is red, but I was just going to buy a new battery and send it in to Verizon. Will they know there was water damage if I don't send a battery that has the water damage indicator turned red?
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Click to collapse
Did the whole phone drop in the water? I have taken this phone apart many times and they have those water detector right underneath the kickstand. If they open it they would know for sure. Not to burst your bubbles but I don't want you to get charge full price.
I've heard dumping the phone on a 99.9% alchol and let it dry takes the rest of the water out .
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App

It didn't drop in water but it got sprinkled on. Can I see this under the kickstand indicator without taking the phone apart? Also, if I send it in and they find water damage does that mean I have to pay full price or could I just tell them to send me my sort of working phone back? Thanks so much for the information.

I think once your send it that's that. You can't get your phone back (qoute me if I'm wrong). If you just sprinkled it then I highly doubt it that you got the water indicator behind the kickstand (inside wise).
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App

Related

[Q] Vibrant wet ... ):

Ok so I accidently bumped my fence which had my phone on it which had a pot of water next to it. Then my phone dropped in it and i pulled it out as quickly as possible and took out the battery. FYI: My phone was still working underwater. HUGE MISTAKE. I popped in my battery to see which things worked and etc and also when i booted my phone back up the battery dropped 20%. Then i took out the battery, sim card, and sd card and let it dry in the sun. My camera is all foggy and stuff now. Can anyone help me fix my camera, speaker and battery?
*EDIT* Also my speaker was jacked up too i think because the speaker wasnt sounding very clear.
*EDIT* #2 The good news is that my battery strip thingy didnt turn red/pink. Its still white.
No problem, because you got the insurance from T-Mobile - Right?
If you do then it is covered. Water damage is specifically mentioned as covered.
If not . . . hmm, since the dot is still white you might still have a chance. Usually there is more than one though. The one near the battery is for a quick spot check, often there is also one inside for confirmation. Provided everything is ok, and it is still under warranty, maybe removing all signs of water (water marks, fog, ect.) and then attempting warranty fulfillment MIGHT work.
But my phone is rooted lol... so should i restore it before i do?
wierdoha said:
But my phone is rooted lol... so should i restore it before i do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want, but from the several times here that I have seen where ppl send in their rooted Vibrants for warranty repair (usually GPS), it does not seem as if T-Mobile/Samsung really give a d4mn.
One word for you ...rice. put your phone in a bag of rice for 24 hours and don't touch it. After that take it out and clean it all up, put your battery back in and it should work perfect.
I actually washed my wife's phone and this worked. Hope this helps
Sent from my Simply Galaxy 3.3.....totally badass Rom!!!!
Yea right now my phone and battery is in a bowl of rice. Its been in there for about 5 hours. Hope it works
is rice like a dampness soaker?
movieaddict said:
is rice like a dampness soaker?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It absorbs humidity.
By the way, in the future don't put the battery back in until you've let everything dry as long as possible. Any water could short circuit the phone if you put the battery back in.
I would think also about very detailed disassembling and let dry very very well for long time before trying powering the phone.
alcohol is good for wiping off some certain parts but it can break the screen seal
Hope That Helps
Depending on your own morals, you could probably still get a warranty replacement after the water inside dries out. T-Mobile won't open the device up to check for internal water damage most likely, so if your sticker is white then you should be fine.
And FYI, bleach on a Q-Tip will turn all red water damage stickers white again.
I put my vibrant/battery in rice for 24 hours exactly and now everything works perfectly!
Speaker, battery life, camera, everything is ok
So happy.
Thanks forums!
awesome DUDE i have dropped my vibrant at least three times in water and what can i say THIS THING IS a beast my microphone doesnt work anymore but ehhh small price to pay actually does anyone know where i can find a replacement mic ive looked everywhere
XPLANE9 said:
Depending on your own morals, you could probably still get a warranty replacement after the water inside dries out. T-Mobile won't open the device up to check for internal water damage most likely, so if your sticker is white then you should be fine.
And FYI, bleach on a Q-Tip will turn all red water damage stickers white again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't waste your time with bleach and q-tip, just ask for the replacement and when it comes, take off the new sticker with a hair dryer, 10 seconds or so, and tweezers. Then replace the water damaged one with the new one. Just like operation.

[Q] Galaxy S 2 always thinks it's plugged into USB

I am pretty sure this is a warranty claim but I wanted to run it by the community. Excuse any poor typing I'm literally on a mountain right now.
I think some moisture got into the bottom port. My s2 always thinks it's plugged into a computer. I get samsung kies connection prompts when I get into the os and battery usage tracker shows the phone as charging when I look at usage with wild spikes up and down. Can't toggle USB dev mode because it always tells me to remove USB cable. Luckily I got a tibackup just a few days ago that I offloaded to my memory card.
When I power it down I immediately get the green battery showing it's charging. In a few seconds it starts flashing between that and a battery with a temperature gauge and a exclaimation point.
Only way to get her to turn on is by plugging into a power source and holding down power.
Did a factory reset same problem. Won't be able to reset the kernel till I get home in 10 days.
Any ideas or straight back to phones 4 u warranty claim? If water damage then insurance claim ( loved my baby. Thanks
mate please in case you returned it tell me if they accepted it. I have the SAME problem :|. please tell.
Get some rubbing alcohol solution (Isopropyl alcohol) from your local pharmacy.
Pour it into a bowl.
Remove the battery cover.
Remove the battery.
Dip your phone into the bowl, and swirl it around.
Place on an air conditioner to have the alcohol and water sucked out from the dehydrated cool air conditioned air for overnight. If it is winter, put near the heater which also has dehydrated warm air.
Place battery into phone.
Turn phone on.
See if you have the problem again.
No, I am not joking.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isopropyl_alcohol
I'm having this same exact issue - I've even had my phone unplugged for about 2 hours, yet when I go to battery status, it says it's only been on battery for 2 seconds... how did your warranty replacement go?
There was somebody on a Dutch forum who has the same problem.
His phone was wet.
And if it is water damage, i hope for you that you have warranty and dont have big water problems ...
netchip said:
There was somebody on a Dutch forum who has the same problem.
His phone was wet.
And if it is water damage, i hope for you that you have warranty and dont have big water problems ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
had it sealed in a ziplock bag, so no outside water got in - perhaps it got too hot in the bag or there was moisture in the bag when it was sealed? (I should've put in some silica gel or something..)
Hello,
Sorry for going MIA.
Basically I returned this to phones4u, sent it in, and they processed a warranty replacement. They didnt say anything luckily about water damage but I think its because on a rainy day some water got into the bottom. From what I could tell they cleaned up the connector at the bottom with alcohol or something - it was spic and span when i got it back and the phone worked ok.
Side note, I recieved it and saw they scrached up my phone pretty good so i complained and sent it in a second time. Recieved it and the scratches were gone, but to do this they did a new screen replacement.
THe new screen had a bright red stuck pixel. I thought I could live with it but it drove me nuts as my original screen was perfect. So i went back to phones 4 u and sent it in a third time, this time they're saying they will just give me a swap. So although the problem was fixed a mess ensued and now i'm sitting around waiting for my "swap" and next surprises with dealing with them.
THey have been ok though I'm almost sure there is water damage on that phone but they dont seem to have picked up on it, i hope i can get it swapped and then dont have to worry about water damage again.
Cheers.

[Q] Water Damage,wont switch on

Ok i dropped my GS2 in water the other day aswel but i took it off within few seconds,I kept the battery and phone in uncooked rice overnight.Next morning when i try to switch it on, walla! it started perfectly until it showed low battery. I kept the phone on charge(battery with exclamation mark appeared on screen) then i tried to switch it back On after a while but it just wont start !! HELP
You could try the hair dryer trick..
Swyped from HTC Desire S using XDA Premium
Let it rest more. I dropped my laptop into water in the bathtub, not full of water, but the water was on. Waited two weeks and laptop was fine, no rice was used btw.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S II using the xda premium app.
The rice trick should have done it, I recommend it often, but I fear you may now have damaged the phone by not leaving it long enough and subsequently putting it on charge.
Also note, most phones have water damage litmus indicators in now so your warranty is screwed too.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
alias_neo said:
The rice trick should have done it, I recommend it often, but I fear you may now have damaged the phone by not leaving it long enough and subsequently putting it on charge.
Also note, most phones have water damage litmus indicators in now so your warranty is screwed too.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends really, you can insure a phone at most stores these days and they will replace it regardless if you do. If your household insurance is all risk, this will cover your phone as well. (note both options costs extra money a month)
But if he does not have any of that he is indeed screwed.
Also, when dropping a phone in the water remove the battery and let it dry for at least 1 week. prefered 2 weeks. Do it in dry rice or with those moist absorbing packs you find in shoes and **** these days.
It's very possible only your battery is dead, considering the phone switched on fine and it's only the charging that doesn't work. Buy a cheap battery off ebay and try it out.
I think you might be right, If the phone would have been a goner it wouldn't have started at first.But i just cant find the water damage indicators on battery or phone,just to check if i can get it repaired through warranty
Syrellaris said:
Depends really, you can insure a phone at most stores these days and they will replace it regardless if you do. If your household insurance is all risk, this will cover your phone as well. (note both options costs extra money a month)
But if he does not have any of that he is indeed screwed.
Also, when dropping a phone in the water remove the battery and let it dry for at least 1 week. prefered 2 weeks. Do it in dry rice or with those moist absorbing packs you find in shoes and **** these days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well i guess ur right.Its not the first time my phone got water damaged.In past my HD2 actually sat in water for much much long time but then i kept the phone near heating for 4-5 days and it worked perfectly well.
(although the damage indicators turned red)
chelseafan said:
Ok i dropped my GS2 in water the other day aswel but i took it off within few seconds,I kept the battery and phone in uncooked rice overnight.Next morning when i try to switch it on, walla! it started perfectly until it showed low battery. I kept the phone on charge(battery with exclamation mark appeared on screen) then i tried to switch it back On after a while but it just wont start !! HELP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hehehhe you are so dumb man ;-)
tooo sad
Do you know where are the water damage indicators on GS2 ??
chelseafan said:
I think you might be right, If the phone would have been a goner it wouldn't have started at first.But i just cant find the water damage indicators on battery or phone,just to check if i can get it repaired through warranty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm just speculating about the indicators on the sgs ii, it's common practice for other manufacturers to use them, often in plain sight. The gs ii, may not have any but if it does they're probably inaccessible inside.
Best bet is to examine some tear down photography. Maybe ifixit has one?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
Uncooked rice is inefficient. Not sure why people use that when they can use either silica gel or desiccant, both of which come when you buy certain dry foodstuff or PC cases/computer parts/cameras (or you can buy it from the camera store). Is it worth saving a few dollars and risk the water being in your phone for that much longer?
alias_neo said:
I'm just speculating about the indicators on the sgs ii, it's common practice for other manufacturers to use them, often in plain sight. The gs ii, may not have any but if it does they're probably inaccessible inside.
Best bet is to examine some tear down photography. Maybe ifixit has one?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Samsung-Galaxy-S-2-Teardown/5861/1
Do you see any water damage indicators ?
chelseafan said:
Ok i dropped my GS2 in water the other day aswel but i took it off within few seconds,I kept the battery and phone in uncooked rice overnight.Next morning when i try to switch it on, walla! it started perfectly until it showed low battery. I kept the phone on charge(battery with exclamation mark appeared on screen) then i tried to switch it back On after a while but it just wont start !! HELP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello everybody...
I'm almost in the same situation as chelseafan...
GS2 dropped in the water, switched off, tried to dry it with my hairdryer, then successfully switched on. Everything seemed to work just fine, but then it suddenly died and I couldn't turn it on again.
I probably didn't wait enough to let it dry (a couple of hours) and now it's in a box with rice and silica.
I couldn't find any water detector sticker or similar, is there any feedback for this kind of sensors on the GS2? I was just trying to understand if I can get it repaired in warranty or not...
Thanks to everybody!
I couldn't find any water detector sticker or similar, is there any feedback for this kind of sensors on the GS2? I was just trying to understand if I can get it repaired in warranty or not...
Nope water damage is chargeable .Indicator somewhere under the camera area .
jje
JJEgan said:
I couldn't find any water detector sticker or similar, is there any feedback for this kind of sensors on the GS2? I was just trying to understand if I can get it repaired in warranty or not...
Nope water damage is chargeable .Indicator somewhere under the camera area .
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks jje, I'll try to let it dry some days more and then we'll see... Maybe I'm lucky!
Speaking from experience, rice works, but overnight is not enough, should have left it longer, next mistake is powering it on and charging it, water and electricity do not mix, that may be the stick that broke the camels back, but I hope not in your case.....
sachilleas said:
Link in orriginal post to ifixit
Do you see any water damage indicators ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I see it in the pictures there are two Water Indicator stickers in the phone.
1. In de corner of the battery compartment, down to the right
2. In de back housing, not the battery cover, between the small camera window and the speaker opening.
You can see them in the pictures 1 and 2 of Step 4.
Apparently Samsung uses white stickers with blue/purple crosses on it. They are about 3 by 3mm.
I've been lucky! After 3 days turned off and closed in a box with plenty of rice and silica, my GS2 is back and working perfectly! No issue detected so far!
So, a little list of suggestions after my bad experience:
1- GS2 is NOT waterproof
2- the fastest you take it out from water the best chances to have it working again you have
3- take out the battery as fast as you can and don't turn it on
4- silica and rice worked just fine for me, but be patient, you will need at least 3-4 days
5- be perseverant: after one day of treatement I couldn't switch on my GS2, but atter 3 days everything was ok!
Hope this will help others!
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App

[Q] Phone in pool advice/help :(

Hey guys, I've been in love with my phone for the past two weeks. Now I'm on Vacay oversees. This phone is so damn light I didn't even realize they were in my swim trunks. Then boom it hit me 1 min later, phone in pocket and in the pool!!
Anyone with experience dropping it water or any advice regarding preventing further damage?
Bury it in a bowl of uncooked rice for a day or more. It will dry it out. There may be damage to the screen, or some contacts may be shorted, but this will help minimize damage. Also give it a few days to heal, some problems might go away as the last bits of water evaporate out.
sosobri said:
Hey guys, I've been in love with my phone for the past two weeks. Now I'm on Vacay oversees. This phone is so damn light I didn't even realize they were in my swim trunks. Then boom it hit me 1 min later, phone in pocket and in the pool!!
Anyone with experience dropping it water or any advice regarding preventing further damage?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont turn it on, put it in rice for 48+ hours.
During those 48 hours, pray.
Good luck!
Damp rid
Go to the hardware and get some damp rid. Place the phone in a small tupperware, place that in a larger tupperware with the damp rid in it and seal for a week. I have received 2 phones this way.
Take it apart and blowdry, that's the only way for sure, assuming you haven't tried to turn it on, good luck...
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
Put in a insurance claim and forget it.
Sent from my EVO using XDA
My OG 4G was submerged and I brought it back to life with no issues.
1. Like others have said do not turn the phone on
2. Do not blow dry the phone, if you have concerns with the contaminants in the pool water you CAN give the phone an alcohol wipe down. Alcohol evaporates quickly and can help to draw excess water out of small crevices while cleaning contacts, boards, etc
3. SETUP a drying chamber like others have recommended. Either using the rice
method or using a desiccant like Damp Rid. Put that in a shoe box along with
the phone and tightly seal it. 3 days minimum up to a full week. It took my
OG 5 days to come around.
That kind of rice works better, long grain, short grain, broken rice, Jasmine?
You need to take it apart and clean it NOW.
Pool water is highly clorinated. Chlorine is a corrosive.
Even drying it out or using rice will still damage the device. The water / chlorine are already in the device. Since its got a non removable battery the unit will still have power running to parts of it.
What needs to happen is
1, file a claim and replace it.
2. If you can get it apart. remove the battery and start to clean it with isopropoyl alchohol or contact cleaning solution.
But my guess is since it actually went underwater the LCD will have spots on it as well.
At this point its probably going to be a bad device.
easy way to turn it off, if on still, hold power for 10 sec, when in off state, hold vol down, boot into bootloader, select fastboot, select power down.
Don't use a blower that will accelerate the oxidation on the circuits.
Sent from my htc_jewel using Tapatalk 2
Thanks for the suggestions guys, I think I might have to say one good prayer in hopes of getting this device to work. Im in the Philippines so my phone doesn't have signal anyways I just mainly up use it as a wifi device, the real problem is when I get home. But if I do file a claim now maybe I'll have one waiting for me when I get back from vacation. Thanks for the help
Let the phone sit for a day or two, or until majority of the water evaporates naturally. (do not put in sun or apply direct heat, as it will make your screen fog and cause bubbles etc.) When majority of the water is out then take a blow dryer on cool or normal (not hot or warm) and apply to phone covering all areas for at least 30 mins. You need to take of the back plastic face plate as it is easy to remove and will easily hold water. If you can watch a video on how to access the batter (if you cant find one there are some for the One X line witch is very similar in build). If water is near the battery or any electrical circuits it could easily fry. If you are unsure if the water is not completely out of it you have either not waited long enough or applied enough air to the phone. Good Luck and Remember do not turn on wet electronics! THAT'S A NO-NO!!!
jr71x said:
Take it apart and blowdry, that's the only way for sure, assuming you haven't tried to turn it on, good luck...
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Blow dry as in a can of air. Not a blow dryer.
Don't forget a pool has chlorine in the water. It may even be worth rinsing. Then blow dry and then let it sit.
Take the rear cover off. Was gonna say remove the battery too, lol. But the sealed tupperware/bag of white rice works. Be patient as hard as that is.
water logged phone
I like the insurance claim option the best also, I suspect that if it comes around, it will never be the same again, and I would be concerned that one day, for no particular reason, it will simply stop working.
Get a new phone, and call it a day. These things happen dude
The key is to get it apart and get every bit of water out/dried, I guess I shoulda mentioned to watch aspects of things to not get hot, however a regular blow dryer on low or cool shouldn't hurt anything, it will be a delicate process. First things first though, get the battery out, do not try and turn it on. I've fixed thousands of microelectronic boards, traces, solder points, and water damage accounts for about 75% of most of what I've seen. If you aren't comfortable with this as most wouldn't be, find someone who is or try some kind of tep, tsp, whatever but it doesn't sound like that's an option... Good luck and follow up, I'd like to hear how it turns out...
Sent from my EVO using xda premium

[SOLVED] Water S3 i9300 Dock is connected.

Hey guy's so I was out at a part a couple of nights ago, came back in drunk and started listening to music on my s3, was drinking water so the hangover the next day wouldn't be to bad. I remember moving the bottle slightly and some water come out the top (just a small splash). I didn't think anything of it, if it wasn't drunk i would have turned the phone of right away and put it on the radiator. The next day I went the charge the phone (it had ran out of power and had been switched of all night) for the first 10 mins it was charging fine, then intermittently it started to connect and disconnect some time it would connect thinking it was in dock mode although i was charging it from the main, so i tried charging it from usb from the computer, that wouldn't even charge it at all although the wall socket would, so it was doing this for a good couple of hours, eventually it stopped and i managed to get the battery up to 50% and then it started again, it stopped and again i managed to get the battery p to 100%. So i was using it all day yesterday, I went to charge it today again and it would not charge at all, even from the wall, i thought crap.... so i put the phone on top of the radiator for like 45 mins / 1hr full blast (full heat, very warm) plugged it into the computer (which was not working at all since i got water in it) and boom it started charging! now it has been charging for the past couple of hours i am at 90% or somthing, the dock connected thing has started again but this time it is not disconnecting like it was before so... although i keep getting this annoying dock message i can still get it charged, is there any way i can disable dock mode without installing a custom rom and voiding my warranty, also any ideas why i am getting the dock message? i have a theory that the water, although a small amount when i splashed the phoned, got mixed with some oils or some crap on the case of my phone and is bridging/shorting something inside the usb interface...
I know that is long... thanks for reading and TIA!
- Anton.
Probably you get some water inside the device. Try keeping it on rice for 24 hours and try to use the phone again. Your warranty is already void as the device has water indicators to shows that it got wet.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
JapoGator said:
Probably you get some water inside the device. Try keeping it on uncooked rice for 24 hours and try to use the phone again. Your warranty is already void as the device has water indicators to shows that it got wet.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
Update
Just thought i would update this thread for anyone who has the same problem and comes across it. The problem has slowly petered out, i can still get it occasionally but no wear near as much as i was, i think if i take my phone into a place that has a high moisture levels i.e. a sauna/shower room or something it could play up again and the dried up oils could become loose, but for the time being its running good. but i believe the issue was the water i got on the interface or the home button was ever so slightly mixed with some oils i had on my fingers from eating a curry lol and it lingered a little longer due the the oils resins retaining the water and stopping them evaporating, thats my theory any way hope it helps others out there.
As a final note, if you get water in your phone pop the battery out immediately and get it under a hair dryer or on a already hot radiator to minimize the damage. Even if you turn the phone off and wait till you get home to dry it would be better in terms of stopping things for shorting out etc. The moral of the story is, get a cheap mp3 or ipod touch for listening to music went you are drunk lol.
Peace!

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