Recognizing Water Damage in Electronics

Dealing with water damage in your home can be a stressful experience. Once you have experienced flooding or another water damage scenario in your home, you need to quickly assess what items have been affected, determine if they can be restored, and how to restore them. Throughout your home you may find that some of your electronics have also suffered water damage. Even the slightest amount of exposure to water can be harmful to electronics. Depending on the type of equipment, the cause of the water damage, and the severity of the damage, the item may or may not be able to be restored. Read below to find out tips for recognizing water damage in electronics. 

iphone submerged in large amount of water displaying water damage in electronics

What Happens When an Electronics Suffer Water Damage?

If your electronics come in contact with even the slightest bit of water, they have the potential for corrosion. This can happen even if the electronic is off when it is exposed to water. When the metal pieces of an electronic item are exposed to water, the metal begins to corrode. The ions in the water make the corrosion process happen quickly. The more ion that is present in the water, the faster the corrosion takes place. Corrosion is typically known as the silent killer of electronics. Your device could be working perfectly fine immediately after being exposed to water. However, over time, the corrosion eats away at the metal causing it to malfunction and ultimately stop working. This is why recognizing water damage in electronics quickly is extremely important to potentially save your device.

If your device is exposed to water, you could also have a case of short circuiting. Short circuiting is when your device is exposed to water that has impurities in it. This contaminated water makes it’s way to the places in your device where electricity should be taking place. Typically, short circuits happen when your device is turned on when it has been exposed to the water source. 

Signs for Recognizing Water Damage

  • Corrosion will cause the metal on your electronics to have a white or green chalk like substance on the item. 
  • If you notice water spots on electronic devices that have glass screens, it could mean that it has come in contact with water or experienced high humidity levels which is also dangerous for electronic items. 
  • For appliances, it is extremely important that they properly dry out if they have been exposed to a large amount of water exposure. If they are not dried out successfully, they could begin to develop mold, which is a sign they have experienced water damage. 

Finding Water Damage Restoration Professionals in Albany, NY

Recognizing water damage in electronics can be tricky on your own. Hiring a water damage restoration team is the key to addressing water damage in electronics and and getting your home put back together quickly and efficiently. The team assesses the water damage and creates a restoration plan that covers you and your home from point A to point Z.  

Professional Fire Restoration should be the first call you make after experiencing any kind of water damage in your home. We have over 35+ years of experience of turning crisis into calm. We’re here to help you along your path to starting new. Contact us today so we can help clean the water damage in your home and repair it to what it was or make it even better.