Dropped it in water
What to do in the next ten minutes matters more than anything that happens afterwards. Start here.
Also searched as water damaged phone repair, my phone got wet.
Mon to Sat 10 to 6
What causes it
- Current flowing through a wet board, which is what actually kills devices
- Corrosion, which starts within hours and continues for weeks
- Residue from anything that was not clean water, which keeps attracting moisture
- Charging while wet, which is the single most damaging thing people do
What to do right now
- Turn it off and leave it off. Do not check whether it still works
- Do not charge it and do not plug it into anything at all
- Take the SIM tray out if it has one, and dry the outside
- Do not put it in rice. It does nothing useful and it costs you time
- Bring it in the same day if you possibly can
What you are seeing.
The same complaint covers several different faults. Find the line that matches and you have already narrowed it down.
- It went in and still worksThe most deceptive outcome. Corrosion starts immediately and keeps going, so a phone that survived the swim often fails days or weeks later.
- It will not turn on sinceDo not charge it. Putting power through a wet board is what turns a recoverable phone into a dead one.
- The screen is patchy, discoloured or flickeringLiquid under the display. The panel may be the least of what is wrong.
- The speaker is muffled or cracklingWater in the mesh. Sometimes it clears, often the driver has already gone.
- It charges intermittently sinceCorrosion in the port, and charging a corroded port makes it worse quickly.
- It was fine and has started restarting weeks laterClassic delayed corrosion. Tell us when it happened, because it changes where we look.
Work out which one it is.
This is the one problem where what you do in the first hour matters more than what anybody does afterwards.
If none of these is clearly yours, that is what the free diagnostic is for. It costs nothing and it is the step that stops people paying for the wrong repair.
What we check at the bench.
- The board under a microscope for corrosion and residue
- Which rails are shorted, before anything is powered up
- Whether the battery has been compromised
- What can be recovered if the device itself is beyond economic repair
What it costs.
Liquid damage is assessed before it is quoted, because nobody can see inside a wet phone from a counter. The assessment fee comes off the repair if you go ahead.
Whatever it turns out to be, you get the price before anything is opened, and there is no fee if we cannot fix it. Every completed repair carries a 360-day warranty on the part we fitted and the work we did.
On your device.
What is different about this fault on each one.
iPad
Mac
Laptop
Samsung
Google PixelCommon questions.
No. It is the most persistent myth in phone repair. Turn the phone off and bring it in.
Often yes. Phones arrive here working weeks after a soaking and are still recoverable. The assessment tells you where it stands.
No, and no honest shop covers it. Corrosion carries on afterwards in ways nobody can predict, so a warranty on it would be a promise we could not keep.
Often, and it is worth saying that is the priority before we start rather than after.
Current flowing through a wet board, which is what actually kills devices. Corrosion, which starts within hours and continues for weeks
Water Damage Treatment starts from €25 depending on the model. No fix, no fee, so if we cannot repair it you pay nothing.
Turn it off and leave it off. Do not charge it, do not plug it into anything and do not press the buttons to see if it still works. Dry the outside, and if it has a removable tray take the SIM out. Then bring it in as soon as you can. Every hour it sits wet, corrosion spreads further across the board.
No. Rice pulls a little moisture from the air around the device and none from inside it, and it leaves starch dust in the ports. Meanwhile the liquid is still on the board corroding it. Rice is the reason a lot of devices that could have been saved arrive here too late.
Often, and it depends far more on what the liquid was and how long it sat than on how wet it got. We open the device, remove the board and clean it properly, then work through what is still faulty. Clean water caught early is usually recoverable. Salt water, coffee and anything sugary are much harder because they keep eating the board after they dry.
Yes. Corrosion carries on under the shields where you cannot see it, and devices that work perfectly for two weeks then die are the single most common water damage story we hear. A clean now is far cheaper than data recovery later.
We quote after we have opened it and seen the board, because there is no honest number before that. The diagnostic is free and if we cannot bring it back you pay nothing.
Card or cash at the counter when you collect. You get a firm price before any work starts, and it does not change unless we find something else and you agree to it first.
Customer reviews
Bought a phone at imend, Drumcondra, near DCU. What could have been a difficult experience for an untechical minded person like myself was made so easy by the very helpful staff member who ensured my phone was up and running smoothly with everything working well before I left the shop.
Excellent service pleasure to deal with this is my 3rd time purchasing a phone from them.
Excellent experience with the team in imend. My husband 50th birthday present was a phone charger and holder for your car and it wouldn't stay attached to his Audi dash. The guys in imend put two devices together to get it working. Very happy Hubbie and wife- lovely guys to work with and they even threw in a birthday charging gift.
Hi, iMend, Drumcondra just fixed my phone ringer for free! I left this review to thank the staff member for being so kind. Excellent shop on the corner of Richmond Road and Drumcondra Road.
Excellent repair service in Dublin well recommended shop.
Excellent customer service and clear explanation of specifications and features of all the mobiles by taking time with out hesitation and offering good prices as well Note : Highly recommended to buy electronic gadgets.... enjoy shopping
Dropped it in water? Bring it in.
Free diagnostic, a firm price before any work, and a 360-day warranty on every completed repair.
Book a repair 24/7 · No fix, no fee · 360-day warranty · Free diagnostic