Water inundating a home affects everything it comes into contact with to
some degree. The quandary for the homeowner trying to sort things out is
deciding which items can be saved and which must be discarded. This
is particularly true of electronics, as these are usually very vulnerable to
water damage and typically costly to replace.
First, be aware of some specific rules dealing with wet electronics:
- Don't turn on electronics that are suspected of exposure to water or high levels of water vapor. Leave them off and unplug the unit.
- Don't try to dry electronic components in a microwave oven or conventional oven.
- Don't open up wet electronic items yourself to let them air-dry. Refer that job to a qualified electronics technician. Your water damage specialist can usually recommend one.
Here are some ways water damage typically will affect electronics:
High Humidity
Water flooding a house raises indoor humidity into the extreme range. Water vapor in the
air easily penetrates electronic devices and condenses on circuit boards and
other components. As long as the device has not been powered on, a professional
technician can usually dry and clean these components in a cost-effective
procedure
Rainfall or Splashing Water
Rain may contact electronics inside the house if the roof is damaged in a
storm, for example. If standing water is present, splashing may affect
electronic components in otherwise dry areas near the water. If direct rain or
splashing has contacted an electronic item, professional drying and cleaning
can often restore them, as long as there was limited contact with water.
However, note that this recovery process must begin ASAP as corrosion affecting
circuit boards begins rapidly after water exposure.
Water Submersion
In most cases, electronics totally submerged under water are not recoverable
or not worth the high cost of attempting professional salvage. Replacing the
unit is usually more financially viable. If data storage devices such as hard
drives are involved, these components can be removed from the wet unit and are
a good candidate for recovery services that can rescue the data, but this
service can run high, as well.
