Computer got some beer inside the chassis.

[funkymonky]

I set my drinks on top of my PC case... but I also don't use open cups. However, even if something did totally spill, it would be pretty hard to get it in the computer.

That's disgusting, I can imagine the hundreds of ring marks left by the drinks. I don't care about what my case looks like, but it better not be dirty.

 

[Bill_Bright]

even if something did totally spill, it would be pretty hard to get it in the computer.

Of course that very much depends on the case. Many cases have vents on the top for fans or radiators.

 

[hat]

Fair point. My case has no such vents at the top... didn't think of that.

 

[ratirt]

Fair point. My case has no such vents at the top... didn't think of that.

His does That's how the beer got the PC tipsy

Today he is going to try it out. Different Graphics card. From what he told me his Vega56 is probably gonna stay "hangover" forever

 

[Mussels]

bunnings (hardware store, famous for its sausages in bread here in aus) around here sells push-pump bottles of isopropyl alcohol that have turned out great for saving liquid spilled hardware, since it dries out fast and the 'spray' action gently cleans shit off

 

[Jetster]

Just let it sit for 2 weeks

 

[Ferrum Master]

I set my drinks on top of my PC case... but I also don't use open cups. However, even if something did totally spill, it would be pretty hard to get it in the computer.

I am using huge glass on my table, well I even drink tea from it... the best is, that if you accidentally move it it will not trip and spill everything out. That glass can hold 0.7l actually.

Spoiler: 18+ unintentional advert.

 

[witkazy]

Idea for the future cos history likes to repeat itself

works for beer too

 

[Vario]

The machine should be carefully dissassembled and allowed time to dry out. Using isopropyl alcohol preferably 91% or higher, clean all of the remnants off the circuitry with a very soft tooth brush. I had a friend do this twice, both times killed his motherboard but the rest of the parts were fine and I rebuilt it for him. He kept hooking his drink with the mouse cord and upending it into the top vent on his HAF912. After I rebuilt his machine the second time, I ended up sealing the vent off with a piece of scrap plywood and a gasket. First time was soda second time was water.

 

[MrPerforations]

I did the same thing to my power switch on my cosmos with some cider, I just swapped the power to the reset button and left the power switch disconnected.
I must rip it to pieces and try to clean it soon.
I have a can of 20 year old acrylic protective lacquer that a friend gave me, its used to coat the pcb's and prevent just this kind of thing.
I dragged it out as the LN2 guy's don't seem to know about it, which is odd.
i would think it would be a must for the alcoholic and caffeine addicted computers as it should help them shrug off last nights binge.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Isopropyl alcohol is a solvent! It is great for dissolving many resins. And I note most PCBs are sprayed with resins to prevent moisture from getting into the substrates and to help prevent oxidation/corrosion. Also note some plastics are affected by isopropyl alcohol too. This is why I suggested and recommend using electrical contact cleaner. It is designed to displace moisture and clean electrical contacts and circuit boards. It is also safe on plastics.

I use ~91-93% isopropyl alcohol on many things - especially when cleaning old TIM off CPUs and heatsinks. But I make sure to avoid getting it on the motherboard. In fact, I do not recommend its use on circuit boards - at least not without testing it first in a small spot on the board that has no circuit runs or components.

 

[John Naylor]

We had an executive secretary to the president who refuded to jump on board when the PC era arrived until they could get her old dication system with the foot pedal working. When she arrived, (she started half hour later than everybody else) she hit my extension and said she was having trouble.

When I arrived:

Question 1 - How does this foot pedal work, I can't get it to do anything ? .... it was her mouse.

Question 2 - Is this tray supposed to hold my coffee and keep it warm ? ... no, that's where you put CDs

Question 3 - How do I connect the tape recorder and my headphones ? You don't, well you could but that's generally only done when you use voice dictation software to automatically transcribe recordings. The questions stopped. Transcribing those tapes, getting coffee and mailing out stuff were basically her only responsibilities and I guess the thought of bei g replaced by a program captured here thoughts.

I did get a Question 4 about 2 weeks later. I had shown her how to fax thru the puter but my phone rang and she said ... "I dunno what's wrong but Im having trouble sending a fax". It took 2 -3 minutes before she said that the document wasn't in the computer, ... it was paper and "I'm holding it against the screen and pressing enter but nothing happens"

 

[Grog6]

I've put electronics in the dishwasher for a lot of years, it works fine.

One place I worked bought me a dishwasher, after some complaints.

Alconox is used for the more tough contamination; like acetylene residue, which is very fine graphite/carbon particles.
Don't put Dawn in the dishwasher, no matter how good it sounds.
Foam from a very small amount can fill a room in no time.

Yank the batteries first, and use an air hose to blow out all the water trapped under the components afterward, while it's still hot; you don't want it to evaporate and leave residue.

I've done this for over 30 years; the only fails were still contaminated. Carbon is tenacious...

 

[Bill_Bright]

I've used the dishwasher (top rack only, and air dry) for mechanical keyboards too. Worked fine. I generally use no detergent. The heated water seems good enough. If you find you need detergent, I would use as little as possible.

 

[kapone32]

I remember when I was refilling my Alphacool EIsbaer after adding a water block for my GPU. Some of the liquid got onto the board (. I turned on the computer and the board instantly shut down. I took out the board and let it sit for a week. After 1 week I plugged a PSU using the 24 pin and the board turned on fine. I still use it today and that was iver a year ago. It would seem that the ESD on modern boards works great.

 

[Bill_Bright]

It would seem that the ESD on modern boards works great.

Except what you described has absolutely nothing to do with ESD. You did not discharge 10s of 1000s of volts of static electricity from your body through a component mounted on the motherboard. You spilled a liquid that shorted out two or more electrical contacts with a maximum of just 12 volts. Big difference. And actually, odds are it was probably closer to 5V. And it was probably your power supply sensing the short (and resulting excess current) that caused the PSU to shutdown, not your motherboard.

 

[kapone32]

Except what you described has absolutely nothing to do with ESD. You did not discharge 10s of 1000s of volts of static electricity from your body through a component mounted on the motherboard. You spilled a liquid that shorted out two or more electrical contacts with a maximum of just 12 volts. Big difference. And actually, odds are it was probably closer to 5V. And it was probably your power supply sensing the short (and resulting excess current) that caused the PSU to shutdown, not your motherboard.

Interesting thought you may be right

 

[Deleted member 67555]

Take it apart and use something like this.
This particular brand is flammable but that's because it's good for plastic too.
This stuff displaces water as well and evaporates as fast as ether.

 

[ratirt]

Well I've got good news. Either way, honestly when I saw what the spill was in his chassis it almost made me cry. We have cleaned everything and it works fine. The only problem left is the graphics card. That has taken the most hit. We've put it apart and cleaned it but we will need to replace thermal pads. Those mounted got damn dirty and there's no point in reusing them. The question I got for you guys is what pads we should use? There's so many of them. Any recommendation from your side? If you can share your insight I'd appreciate. The dimensions also if you have a specification that works best. Specially the thickness of them. Those that were originally used weren't so great. I saw cracks for some of them which isn't good and should not happen.

Thanks

 

[de.das.dude]

Washing electronic components with deionized water is fine. Just be sure to dry them thoroughly.

i used to wash my gpu with regular tap water. The water was really good at my parents place. Never had any issues. Needed to dry it off for 5 days in a drawer with silica gel.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Not really a good idea because regular tap water (even if filtered) has minerals and other naturally occurring impurities such as sodium, iron, calcium, and but a bunch of other things - including additives like fluoride and chlorine. These impurities would be left behind as a thin layer of residue which may, over time, react with the materials used in the electronic devices. So it is just best to stick with products that are specifically designed to clean electronics. A can of CRC Electronic Cleaner is less than $10. And because it does not leave any residues, the spray nozzle will not clog up, meaning if you are not a frequent user, a single can will last years and still work fine. Better safe than sorry.

 

[ratirt]

Just to let you know guys.
Everything works including the Vega card. we've swapped the thermal pads tested the card and all is great. Actually the temps dropped significantly.
Lucky bastard

 

[Eskimonster]

Awesum happy to hear.

 

[Mussels]

thanks for coming back to let us know the outcome!

 

[jaggerwild]

Hi guys.
My colleague had an accident with his computer and beer. Some of the beer spilled and got into the computer.
The computer was on and it did beeps and some of &*#&^%#(%^) sounds froze and then he pulled the plug.
It's been drying for 2 days but from what he told me you can see the traces of liquid on the graphics card, motherboard and ram.
What do you guys think? Is there any chance it will still work?
Honestly I said that there are basically no chances but maybe I'm wrong or it depends on the spill and components that got wet?

You got nothing to lose, but if it went "beeps and some of &*#&^%#(%^) sounds froze " then prolly need to part it out. As stated keep the parts that didn't get wet like PSU, memory, motherboard, etc.