|
They were on a island, Long Island.
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done.
Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H
OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre
I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer
Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
|
|
|
|
|
If I remember, they were on Long Beach, which is South of Long Island. Though Long Beach is technically an island, and it is long.
modified 6-Nov-12 11:07am.
|
|
|
|
|
Okay then, he was on a beach. Long Beach.
Happy now you've ruined my one and only chance at a joke? 
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done.
Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H
OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre
I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer
Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
|
|
|
|
|
Rice is a hell of a lot cheaper and more easily available, and you can eat it afterwards
====================================
Transvestites - Roberts in Disguise!
====================================
|
|
|
|
|
Silica won't kill you, and in my house, it actually is more readily available. Honestly we don't eat rice. And they put that gel sh*t in every vitamin bottle, shoe box, jacket pocket, etc.
|
|
|
|
|
Well - on my ground (only) floor. It eventually took on over a foot (30cm) of water - but the PC's were up on table and chairs well before that. Power strips were immersed. UPS's, oddly enough, chirped well into the night (having been lifted above the flood, as well. I suppose they might be OK, as well.
Silica Gel is not so easy to get as rice.
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
|
|
|
|
|
Damn, you took on some water. I hope cleaning the salt off helps everything to work again.
Use what you got. I tend to hoard that stuff when I make purchases. Keep it with my ammo, old tube electronics, and musical instruments.
|
|
|
|
|
Salt water is the worst that can happen to electronic components. The only chance to recover is to immediately flush with large amounts of fresh water and wait until it is dry (this may take some weeks). Then power the device and hope for the best.
Flushing later (that is about more than hour after the first contact with salt water) may be too late. You can check the board using a magnifying glass. When you see a white substance (salt), you can be sure that there is corrosion below.
However, you can always give it a try to wash even if a little bit too late. You may have luck and the system is working. But the system may fail in the future due to corrosion.
When washing later, using de-ionized water is preferred. Isopropyl alcohol can be used after washing with water to shorten the drying time. If there are still some small white plaques, use a tooth brush dipped into isopropyl.
I did not have tried with computers so far, but know the process from experience with yacht electronics and oceanographic measuring equipment.
|
|
|
|
|
Your response seems particularly appropriate and a bit depressing.
Flooding was the 29th - it's already a week. Well - trying is cheap. Replacements won't be mind-numbingly expensive as I'm a bare-bones fan. Three systems - days of configuring.
Perhaps I should look at this as an opportunity to, at long last, upgrade?
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
|
|
|
|
|
I'm sorry that my reply is depressing. I've told customers in the past something similar. Most decided to replace affected parts even when they were working after cleaning. The problem is the corrosion by the salt.
If only the lower side of the motherboards has been in contact with the water you may re-use drives, CPU, RAM, extension cards, and even the housing. But be prepared that steel housings will oxidize.
A problem I forgot to mention are the connectors. If connectors were in contact with salt water, I would not waste time for cleaning because chances of success are low.
I hope that you will have success with at least some parts.
|
|
|
|
|
Leave it be. I like salt on my chips.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
|
|
|
|
|
This is funnier every time I read it.
If I get any of them running I'll put a little sign on each about their sodium content.
+5
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
|
|
|
|
|
Not quite salt, but I've washed boards from laptops that have been covered in soda using a good dish detergent like dawn and hot water. A toothbrush is good for getting stuff around the connectors. Afterwards for drying the board, I've used a small electric space heater and let it dry overnight with the heater blowing hot air on it. The hot air heats up the board and helps water evaporate from under components. One other thing, if there's a removable button cell battery (for the BIOS/ROM settings), remove that prior to washing the board. Good luck.
|
|
|
|
|
Your story reminds me of a printout in one of my "Computer humour" boxes, from around 1980, so I don't have any clip-and-pastable version of it.
This story had the headline "How to steam clean a DEC PDP-11". This computer room had a raised floor, as all computer rooms had in those days. Underneath was space for cabling, but also for pipes carrying steam for the heating of the building. One Friday night (it was later estimated), one of the steam pipes broke. When people came down to the computer room Monday morning, the room was like a sauna, and the mist was so thick that you could see about twelve inches in front of you. The water level hadn't yet reached the floating floor, but it was close (or at least so goes the story as I read it).
The computer people soon split into two groups, one claiming: "It's no use trying - just carry everything over to the dump and order new hardware". The other group insisted: "It's just pure water, and very clean, too. Let it dry up, and let's then see what we can make of it!"
Essentially, the second group were right. A number of cables had to be replaced - the hot steam had ruined the insulation - but essentially, all hardware, like CPU, disks and interface electronics, worked OK once everything was properly dried up.
Now, this was fresh water of the well filtred kind (you don't want dirt into your heating system water), and that makes a HUGE difference from salt water. On the other hand, temperature was above boiling, which is not ideal for neither disks nor electronics. Yet, the electronics did survive.
I guess this isn't necessarily transferable to your situation, though.
|
|
|
|
|
On the New Jersey shore, you should open up a Salt Water Computer Parts store right next to all those salt water taffy stores.
There will be someone fool enough to buy them from you!
PS. Will the salt water taffy stores be selling Double Salt Water taffy now, after Sandy? 
|
|
|
|
|
General 
News 
Suggestion 
Question 
Bug 
Answer 
Joke 
Praise 
Rant 
Admin 
Submit an article or tip
