If you have ever spilled water on your smart phone or I-pad you probably already know that liquids and electronics do not mesh. Many of us have learnt this the hard way, from accidentally dropping our phone in the sink to knocking over our beverage of choice onto our laptop only to find that our devices are rendered useless. While we pretty much all agree that liquids of any description are bad for our electronics, many of us don’t really understand how. According to the knowledgeable experts at Burley Electrical Services water and other liquids can damage your electronic items in more ways than one, sometimes in an instance and sometimes over a period of time.

What Happens When Water & Electricity Meet?

Short Circuit: When a computer short-circuits it is due in part to the impurities in the water or other liquids seeping into the circuitry and causing electricity to flow erratically and damage the device.
Corrosion: Corrosion occurs inside your electronic device where you can’t see it, causing issues over a period time as opposed to something which happens immediately such as a short circuit. Say your smart phone is turned off and you accidently drop it into a glass of water, if you have done your homework you will place it in a bag of rice and turn it on when it is all dried out. There is a good chance it will turn on immediately and work just like before, however as the insides of the phone begin to corrode over time it will eventually malfunction and stop working altogether.
Ruined Batteries: Batteries should always be kept away from liquids, if your electronics are exposed to large amounts of water or other liquids you can expect to see damage almost immediately. As water seeps into the battery it will react with the alkaline inside causing immediate and irreparable damage.
Broken LCD Screen: If water makes its way underneath the glass of your phone or electronic device and it touches the component called the digitizer it will automatically shut off. Once this happens there is no recovery, so if the screen is broken on your phone it should be replaced immediately.

Why Does Water Ruin Electronics?

In a nutshell salt and other minerals that are found in water can damage your electronics when they seep deep into the components of your device interfering with the circuitry and causing them to malfunction. While it can be said that pure water isn’t necessarily a great conductor, water that is combined with impurities is and as such it increases the potential to damage your electronic items exponentially.

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To learn more about residential and commercial electrician services contact the knowledgeable experts at Burley Electrical Services today.