Spilled tea on my water cooler
Spilled tea on my water cooler
I accidentally poured a full cup of scolding hot tea into my computer. I had a water cooler connected to my EVGA 970, but I placed the fan directly on top of it. The tea spilled onto the fan, causing the system to shut down instantly and attempt a reboot. After disconnecting everything, I removed the power cable, turned off all components, and started taking parts out. I’m unsure what to do next—should I leave some components in my closet for a few days? My RAM is wet, the CPU cooler has bits of tea inside, and the graphics card is dripping as well. Any advice would be helpful. I’ve ordered a computer building kit, isopropyl 99%, and a heat sink just in case. I also need guidance on cleaning it up properly and whether turning it back on now could cause more damage. Also, I don’t know if EVGA covers for spills have any information.
I would attempt to eliminate any remaining residue using cotton-tipped swabs and boiling water (to re-melt sugar and fat). All components were removed. Then allow them to dry for a few days before testing them in the computer. Nigel
You should take out the RAM and any parts that were exposed to water, let them dry completely for a day or two. Using a fan inside the case can help speed up the drying process as much as possible. The outcome depends on how much moisture reached the PCB or components. Also, remember to dry your power supply.
Will placing my components in Rice make any difference if I don't have a fan?
You're looking for a lot of rice for all the hardware, right? Like, a ton! 😄
Until you find a grain of rice stuck somewhere you can't remove.
Ok so I have cleaned my pic and let evoparation take place after the last 2 days. I have put it back together however I have plugged my old graphics card in, upon startup I have no video to my monitor it starts up and turns off with the power button ok but I'm guesssing because it's not getting video from a new graphics card that my motherboard is fried? Correct me if I alcohol wrong but I probably am I don't know that much about PCS. I daren't put my old graphics card in just yet I want to use my old working card to fault find. Any tips. Thanks
Based on whether you added anything to the tea, simply drying the parts might not be sufficient.
- Milk has fat and alkaline calcium that could leave a residue.
- Sugar dissolved in the tea might create a hard residue.
- Lemon is acidic and could lead to corrosion.
Nigel
I used full fat milk in my tea with 2 sugars. The kettle was fresh out, so it was extremely hot for about 30 seconds. After that, I've been troubleshooting and now understand the keyboard and mouse USB ports might be the issue. It's unclear if it's a motherboard problem or a case-related one—what should I purchase if both are affected? Thanks.