Water + Amps = ?

[desiancav]

So I have a plastic bin with car amps and all my wiring from my last car all pretty much new. I'm having my house worked on, and these jerks move my stuff and of course it thunder storms and rains like crazy. I didn't realize they had left my stuff out and I come out to see my bin full of amps and wiring completely submerged in the 8th inches of water still in the bin. I literally had to go fishing to get my stuff out. So am I completely screwed? Can I just let my amp dry out? or wash it and dry it? Or use alcohol to clean it? Also, are my wires done? It was a couple hundred dollars worth of wiring.

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[Popwarhomie 5,000+ posts]

Put them in the microwave for about 5 mins to dry them out.

No I have no idea. Personally I would dry them out the best I could with compressed air and give them a few days and hook them up.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

Damnned !! You have a 50/50/ chance they may work again..Take them apart set them in a dry spot,lean them up and put a fan on them for a few days..you might get lucky??? Wiring?? Just hang them up for a few days..prob be fine

 

[Maky]

So I have a plastic bin with car amps and all my wiring from my last car all pretty much new. I'm having my house worked on, and these jerks move my stuff and of course it thunder storms and rains like crazy. I didn't realize they had left my stuff out and I come out to see my bin full of amps and wiring completely submerged in the 8th inches of water still in the bin. I literally had to go fishing to get my stuff out. So am I completely screwed? Can I just let my amp dry out? or wash it and dry it? Or use alcohol to clean it? Also, are my wires done? It was a couple hundred dollars worth of wiring.

I've had water droplets deposited on the innards of some electronics in the past which rendered them unusuable. In almost all cases, opening up & exposing the moisture hit part to afternoon sunlight fixed it.

Try It. Unscrewing the top of your amplifier and exposing the PCB to sunlight. Use a dry cloth prior to soak up any actual visible water if it's still there.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

I've had water droplets deposited on the innards of some electronics in the past which rendered them unusuable. In almost all cases, opening up & exposing the moisture hit part to afternoon sunlight fixed it.
Try It. Unscrewing the top of your amplifier and exposing the PCB to sunlight. Use a dry cloth prior to soak up any actual visible water if it's still there.

MMM.. Not sure Id expose any board to any exposed sunlight/heat..Running a risk of damaging something on the board in my opinion..Diode, cap or ? Id be careful about doing that

 

[adulbrich 5,000+ posts]

Dry the amps out good. Go to Sam's club and get a big ol' bag of rice. Then put your amps in the rice. Set the bag of rice next to a window, so the sun will warm it up.

If the components aren't already damaged, this should work!

Wiring should be ok.

 

[sounds_explicit]

why worry about doing all this? contact the retards who left them outside and file a claim with their company?

 

[adulbrich 5,000+ posts]

Actually, that would be a really good idea^

 

[Timmy13091 10+ year member]

I remember reading somewhere I believe it was Dbr actually washes the Amps .. I'd remove the cover let it dry and you should be ok

 

[adulbrich 5,000+ posts]

They may use mineral oil, which does not conduct electricity.

I don't know, that was just a compete guess. You would think that water would be a bad choice, because the caps would short/discharge. Maybe they want to do that before performing repairs though.

I'd be interested to read about their procedures.

 

[speedyjuarez Premium Member]

where I work some of the guys forget to put O-rings on our tools and they end up flooding 6000 ft under ground. Most of the time the techs just pull out the boards and let them dry, if we are in salt water they clean them up to get the salt water off. We use a lot of safety solvent spray to clean our electronic boards and connections.

Try taking the covers off and letting them dry, you could buy some contact cleaner (safety solvent) and rinse them down. We normally dry off the safety solvent with an air hose but you can let them air dry. Be careful with this spray it burns your skin on contact, our hands are use to it but when it hits your face or stomach it burns bad.

 

[Jepalan]

First thoroughly dry them out using any of the methods above. Rice is good, so is removing the cover and standing amps up in front of a fan for several days.

Don't get in a hurry to fire them up. Sit them in front of fans for several days.

If you have a small room dehumidifier, you can also make an enclosure out of cardboard and run the dehumidifier to dry out the air faster as you blow a fan on them.

Last is to remove any residue/contamination that would cause on-going oxidation/corrosion. This is where contact cleaner comes into play. Especially inside switches & pots.

 

[speedyjuarez Premium Member]

First thoroughly dry them out using any of the methods above. Rice is good, so is removing the cover and standing amps up in front of a fan for several days.Don't get in a hurry to fire them up. Sit them in front of fans for several days.

If you have a small room dehumidifier, you can also make an enclosure out of cardboard and run the dehumidifier to dry out the air faster as you blow a fan on them.

Last is to remove any residue/contamination that would cause on-going oxidation/corrosion. This is where contact cleaner comes into play. Especially inside switches & pots.

Op you could use a soft bristle tooth brush to get any gunk out or for hard to reach places, wire brush would be a no no. IMO

 

[TheFiverMan 10+ year member]

Let them dry out they will work fine. If you know any local shops around you that does electric motors see if you can use their oven.85-90degrees in oven for 6-8 hours will dry them out fine.

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

They should be fine. Water and electronics don't mix because water conducts electricity but with the amps disconnected there is no electricity. When we work on PCB's we wash them with plain old water at the end to get the flux off. As long as you allow them to dry completely before you apply power they should be fine. The only thing you risk is some possible corrosion from being wet too long.

But DO NOT put them in the microwave...Compressed air is a good idea, I wouldn't suggest putting them in the oven unless you know what you're doing. Best thing you could do is just give them time. Put them out in the sun on a hot day and they should dry pretty quick.