water damage

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Gilco2

1556 posts

Uber Geek

#93162 15-Nov-2011 08:03

Hi after reading another thread, thought I woud ask this. How does a phone get water damage when it has never been around water. In 2008 I had a Telecom Samsung W251 I think it was called. Half the time it wouldnt turn on. t was 6 months old. I took it in for repair. Result was not repairable and no warranty due to water damage. I never used it near water and never in rain either.

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nzkc

1572 posts

Uber Geek

#545456 15-Nov-2011 08:32

Its always around water. Humidity. Unless the phone is air tight then some water is going to get in there eventually. Just like your windows, water droplets will condense onto the circuitry.

bener

272 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#545469 15-Nov-2011 09:16

I had a phone with the same issue a while back, it is very hard to dispute and they will charge you the inspection fee and postage costs if you want it back for independent verification.

I had a sneaky suspicion that it was a nice easy excuse as I had also never got the phone wet (humidity aside) - I would have thought a phone should be able to handle the normal effects of humidity etc.

If you have the time/money it could be worth disputing but it will cost you if you don't succeed. Please keep us all posted if you do take this any further. Maybe go through the CGA and look at the terms of reasonable use?

EDIT: I see your issue was actually from 2008, I assume it is well past over by now...

oxnsox

1923 posts

Uber Geek

#545470 15-Nov-2011 09:17

As above, it's really a case of damage by moisture (humidity).

A phone, like any electronic device, isn't just full of the electronics but also has air inside as well. When the phone is in your pocket (or in the sun) it heats up and the air expands. Warm air holds more moisture.
When the phone is on the bedside cabinet at night it cools down, and as it cools the air releases any excess moisture, which as nzkc says ends up as condensation inside the electronics of the device.

Some devices are more tolerant to this than others (perhaps they have the ability to breathe better?) and of course we all use and manage our phones in different ways. You may keep your phone in a jacket pocket or handbag (away from moisture sources), or you may keep it in a breast pocket or close to you skin when you exercise (sweat).

Water damage doesn't mean you've dropped it in a puddle or left it in the rain. You may take care to keep things away from rain and water but there are may other sources of moisture laden air....

bener

272 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#545474 15-Nov-2011 09:19

Surely water damage would constitute 'excessive liquid' on the unit, not just moisture accumulation from normal use? Most people with a cellphone keep it somewhere on their person, I would have thought that would be considered normal use.

oxnsox

1923 posts

Uber Geek

#545478 15-Nov-2011 09:24

bener:
I had a sneaky suspicion that it was a nice easy excuse as I had also never got the phone wet (humidity aside) - I would have thought a phone should be able to handle the normal effects of humidity etc.

A lot of gear have moisture indicators inside them, so it's hardly 'a nice easy excuse'.
Devices are built so compact that there are very small spaces between components, these spaces can easily be filled with water/moisture. Sweat, particularly, contains salts that easily crystallizes into these spaces when the moisture dries... It may continue to work well for 6 months, 6 days, or 6 minutes... no one really knows. But it is known that this effects the reliability of the device.

johnr

19282 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#545491 15-Nov-2011 09:41

Damp houses and charging a phone on the window ledge when its cold outside are not good for handsets

bener

272 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#545507 15-Nov-2011 10:09

oxnsox:
bener:
I had a sneaky suspicion that it was a nice easy excuse as I had also never got the phone wet (humidity aside) - I would have thought a phone should be able to handle the normal effects of humidity etc.

A lot of gear have moisture indicators inside them, so it's hardly 'a nice easy excuse'.
Devices are built so compact that there are very small spaces between components, these spaces can easily be filled with water/moisture. Sweat, particularly, contains salts that easily crystallizes into these spaces when the moisture dries... It may continue to work well for 6 months, 6 days, or 6 minutes... no one really knows. But it is known that this effects the reliability of the device.

Fair enough, it just seemed harsh at the time that I cared for the phone well then they called the moisture damage a non-warranty issue. Like I said before, it is hard to define what constitutes normal use.

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Gilco2

1556 posts

Uber Geek

#545663 15-Nov-2011 16:06

sorry to take so long to reply again. Been trying all day to connect again to geekzone. My phone always looked after. Have air con and dehumidifier in the house and charge the phone by the bed. Nowhere near the window. Surely the phone should be able to handle normal use like that. I could understand if it is used in the rain or dropped in a puddle of water etc. But just normal atmoshere it should be able to handle it. When they said it was water damage, I had to pay $55 for the service and a totally non useable phone on return. I had then bought a second hand unit and it worked well and I gave it to starship in November last year when I bought my DesireHD then.

HTPC Intel Pentium G3258 cpu, Gigabyte H97n-wifi motherboard, , 8GB DDR3 ram, onboard graphics. Hauppuage HVR 5500 tuner, Silverstone LC16M case, Windows 10 pro 64 bit using Nextpvr and Kodi