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So, I wasn’t paying attention and my hand slipped. The phone hit the side of the sink, back popped off, and the battery came out. They were submerged for less than 5 seconds before I fished them out. I dried them off with a towel, waited a few minutes, then popped in the battery and tried turning it on. It vibrated like it usually does when I boot it up, however the screen stayed blank. Is there any way for me to easily salvage this? I really don’t want to have to get a new phone.
Hi, Water damage repair is never easy. As you know water and electronics and electricity are not a good mix. The impurities in the water causes corrosion and provides circuit paths for the electricity which were not in the phone’s operating design and could damage the components. First do not turn on your phone and then you need to remove the battery as soon as possible from the phone to minimize further damage. Then you need to dis-assemble the rest of the phone and clean all the affected parts using Isopropyl Alcohol 90%+ (available from electronics parts stores) to remove all traces of corrosion and water. Do not use “rubbing alcohol” as in some cases this is only 70% IPA or less, can contain scents and is not as effective. If you do check the label to verify the amount of IPA Here is a link that describes the process. Electronics Water Damage As always with electronics, especially surface mounted PCBs be gentle when handling and especially when brushing away the corrosion. You do not want to remove any components from the board. Hopefully after you have done all this the phone might possibly work correctly again. Here is a link to the ifixit guide(s) for repairing your phone. Samsung Galaxy J3V Repair If this process seems too daunting, take your phone to a reputable, professional phone repair service, experienced in liquid damage repair and ask for a quote for a repair. If you decide to do this, do it sooner than later.
