PC got wet
PC got wet
I experienced a water leak in my apartment that made my electronics and PC wet. I tried to dry everything as quickly as possible, but even then, there was a risk of lasting damage. The PC was running when it happened and froze instead of shutting down or starting a fire because it had power. After drying it weeks later, the Raspberry Pi still sparked when I touched it, catching me off guard. Now typing or browsing causes it to freeze briefly (2-4 seconds), then resume. Games run slow and laggy, especially Minecraft. I filed a claim with my renter’s insurance and asked for a repair report, which costs $120 per device. Even after submitting, they requested another report from a different shop if they didn’t approve the first one—another $120 per device. With about ten devices, that adds up to roughly $1,200 just for diagnostics. I’m wondering if this is typical and whether insurance really needs multiple paid checks. Is it possible to get a single report? Any suggestions on handling this without spending what I have?
It could still function, but I'd confirm it's completely dry first. Water damage varies based on what it touched. Many towers have open vents on top, so the water likely reached the CPU heatsink or the back of the GPU. If the keyboard was affected, it probably needs disassembly for cleaning.
Precisely what was affected is unclear. It seems the moisture may have touched surfaces, but not necessarily delicate components like keyboards. Linus covered a recent guide on fixing water-damaged computers, and there’s also a two-year-old clip available.