Did you spill water on your Macbook or PC Laptop?
First things first: Turn off your computer immediately and unplug it from your charger. If you have a laptop with a battery that you can remove externally, remove that ASAP as well. When there is liquid inside of your Macbook or Laptop, the worst thing possible for the machine is to have electricity going through it.
It is a very common desire to try and test your machine after a spill by turning it on again, but this is a mistake. You actually risk increasing the damage exponentially as this quickly spreads the corrosion across your circuitry. With liquid damage, the sooner you are able to get your machine in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing, the higher the likelihood that your computer will be fixable.
Fixing liquid damage is extremely advanced work. Very few shops in the Sacramento area do actual liquid damage repairs. Most companies are only able to replace your hardware rather than repair it, which is very expensive. The Apple store for example does not do actual liquid damage repairs… all they can do is replace your components (or more often than not try to sell you a new machine outright). What most people don’t realize is that a good percentage of the time, your computer is fixable without having to replace anything at all.
At Yoga Bear Computer Repair, we are true liquid damage experts. Please call us today at 916-800-3035 to discuss your particular case, or continue reading below for more information on liquid damage repairs.
What is water damage and how is it repaired?
The moment liquid gets on the circuitry inside your computer, it conducts with the electricity and a corrosion is formed almost instantaneously. This corrosion is like a rust, but it spreads like a mold. It can spread surprisingly fast, especially when the computer is turned on. The more moisture there is, the quicker the corrosion spreads. Liquid damage doesn’t only occur when a drink is spilled on your computer – it can occur just from having your machine in a very humid environment. In rare cases, even sneezing on your keyboard can cause corrosion to start forming.
Sometimes after a spill a computer dies immediately. Other times it can continue working for weeks or even months before eventually having issues. This basically has to do with where the corrosion is on your logic board, and where it spreads. Once it hits certain areas, your computer can no longer function. Because of this, each liquid damage repair is completely different and unique from all others that came before it. As liquid damage repair technicians, we never know what we are going to find until we open the machine and get to work. This is another major reason why it is so important to have your machine looked at quickly after a spill – as sometimes the damage can take time to settle in. The sooner your machine is worked on, the higher the chances of repair success.
Step one for repair is open the machine and completely disassemble it so that the machine can start to dry. Once we are confident that all the moisture has evaporated, we systematically clean your circuity under a microscope with a very specific type of alcohol and brush. Depending on where the corrosion formed, we sometimes have to do some micro soldering as well to get your system back in order. The hope is that once we re-assemble your machine, it powers and boots up good as new, as if nothing ever happened in the first place.
How is this different from the Apple Store and other computer repair companies?
Most companies do not do actual liquid damage repair. It is extremely advanced work, and they do not have the technology or the skill set to do this level of repair. At the Apple store for example, they will not even attempt it. You have two options – either replace the damaged components (usually extremely expensive, typically starting around $900), or purchase a new machine. Apple loves liquid damage, as it is their golden opportunity to tell a customer, “Sorry, now you need to buy a new computer”.
Other companies in town, while cheaper than the Apple store, are still only able to start replacing components. When you replace components instead of repairing, you almost always have a more expensive repair on your hands.
At Yoga Bear Computer Repair, we do actual circuit level liquid damage repairs on your existing hardware. Our goal and hope is that you do not need to replace anything, and that we are able to fix the hardware you already own. When we are successful at this, our customers end up saving a fortune in comparison.
What happens if we are unsuccessful with your liquid damage repair?
With liquid damage repairs, there is no way to be certain whether or not a repair will be successful until we try. As stated above, every repair is different. There are things that increase the odds of success however. Water spills will have higher success than something think and sugary like chocolate milk. A spill that happened within the last week will have higher chances of success than a spill from three months or a year prior.
Regardless, we will never know whether we can succeed until we try. Our success rates however are very high!
In the event that your liquid damage repair is unsuccessful, there are still always options at your disposal. Like other companies, we can start replacing the components that are damaged an un-fixable. Even if we are forced to go this route, we are almost always cheaper than the competition as we have access to inexpensive refurbished logic boards, and high quality parts that we do not mark up in price for a profit. One way or another, you will almost always save money with liquid damage work when using us compared to others. More importantly, you will usually get a higher quality repair as well!
Lastly, if you decide that you do not wish to fix a machine should replacing components be necessary, at the bare minimum we can at least attempt to recover all of your data from your hard drive. We want to be sure that you get something for your money.
Please click the link below to schedule an appointment today or call us at 916-800-3035