Liquid damage
Water & liquid damage repair
A phone in the sink, a drink across a laptop, a console that took a spill — liquid damage is a board-level problem, and it gets worse every hour. We clean the corrosion off the logic board under a microscope, recover your data first, and tell you honestly whether it is worth saving. Walk in at our Arlington, VA lab, or mail your device in from anywhere in the US.
Don't use rice, don't charge it, and power it off. Water rarely kills a device on contact; corrosion does, in the hours and days after, as dried minerals bridge pins and eat solder joints. Get it to a board-level lab fast. We ultrasonically clean and de-corrode the board, recover your data first, then repair the damage. The $65 diagnostic applies toward the repair.
Water rarely kills a device on contact. What kills it is corrosion: the dissolved minerals and salts left behind as the liquid dries, bridging tiny pins on the logic board and eating solder joints for days or weeks after the spill. That is why a phone can seem fine, then die a week later. Our job is to stop that process — disassemble the device, ultrasonically clean and de-corrode the board, repair what the liquid damaged, and get your data back. Skip the rice, and don't try to charge it.
After a spill: what helps, what hurts
| Action | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Power it off | Do | Stops current driving corrosion |
| Put it in rice | Skip | Too slow, reaches nothing |
| Try to charge it | Don't | Current accelerates the damage |
| Get it to a lab fast | Do | Corrosion spreads by the hour |
| Ultrasonic board clean | Do | Removes corrosion rice can't |
The gap between today and next week is often the difference between a clean fix and a replaced board.
Signs of a board-level fault
- Won't turn on after contact with water or liquid
- Worked at first, then died days or weeks later
- Won't charge, or charges hot / erratically
- Screen has lines, blotches, or no backlight
- Speakers, mic, or cameras stopped after a spill
- Powered-off phone or laptop with photos and files on it you need back
Honest by default
Every board starts with a $65 diagnostic and a written report — exact cost and timeline before we touch it. The fee applies toward your repair.
Does putting my phone in rice actually work?
No — and it can make things worse. Rice absorbs moisture far too slowly to reach water trapped deep in the board, dust and starch can get into ports, and while you wait, corrosion is already spreading. Rice mostly just feels like you're doing something. What matters is powering the device off, not charging it, and getting it to a lab fast.
How fast do I need to act after a spill?
As fast as you can. Corrosion starts within hours and accelerates while any power source is connected, so don't try to power it on and don't charge it — that current actively drives the damage. Get it to us quickly; the difference between today and next week can be the difference between a clean fix and a replaced board.
Can you recover my photos and data if it won't turn on?
Often, yes — and we go for your data first. Water rarely reaches the memory chip itself; a board that won't boot usually just means the surrounding circuitry is corroded, not that your files are gone. We clean and repair the board to bring it back, and when a board is too far gone, we can read the NAND/UFS memory chip directly. We only access what's needed, never sell your data, and handle every device securely.
What does the repair involve, and what does it cost?
It starts with a $65 written diagnostic — we open the device, inspect the board under a microscope, ultrasonically clean off corrosion and mineral deposits, and find every component the liquid damaged. You get a written report with the exact cost and timeline before any repair work, and the $65 applies toward the repair. Liquid jobs vary too much to quote blind, which is why we look first.
Is it even worth fixing a water-damaged device?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no — and we'll tell you straight. Many liquid-damaged phones, MacBooks, tablets, and consoles come back to full health after a proper clean and a few component repairs. But some boards are corroded past the point of being worth it. If yours is one of them, we'll say so, prioritize getting your data off it, and you won't pay for a repair we don't believe in.
Can I mail in a water-damaged device?
Yes — we accept tracked mail-in liquid-damage repairs from anywhere in the US. Sooner is better, so power it off and ship it without charging it. We log and photograph your device on arrival, document its condition, keep you updated, and ship it back safely. Walk-in at our Arlington, VA lab is welcome too.
Why liquid damage needs a board-level lab
Most shops handling a wet device wipe it down, swap a part or two, and hope. That ignores the real enemy — corrosion under the chips and shields where a cloth and a toothbrush can't reach. As an independent board-level lab, we ultrasonically clean the logic board to strip corrosion from the spots you can't see, then repair the failed components under a microscope and recover your data first. No manufacturer program limits what we're allowed to open, and we'll always give you an honest call on whether a board is worth saving.