What to do

[chriswalrath 0]

It has happened to us all at one point or another with one thing or another. We drop our precious and sometimes expensive items into the creek, the sink, the bath, the surf, the hopper (don't ask). But it's not how you handle the situation, but how you handle the situation that matters. And don't ask.

 

But since you did . . .

 

Now, the more electronic our gizmos get, the more fragile they become. If you were to drop an old Minolta sr-T101 into the water it's more akin to driving a tank through a stream. Sure, you have to take care and make sure that everything dries out, but it is more likely to survive the affair. But what about today's gadgetry?

 

D-SLR's, electronic PhD's (push here, dummy), GPS devices and cell phones. We are all about proving that the one did not get away. Or just to catch a beautiful scenic that visually describes the zen-like sensations we are experiencing streamside to show our buds or prove to the little missus that we were where we proported to be.

 

So, what if it does end up in the drink? In a perfect world, there is a tech down at the next bend in the trail. If you have someone you can get it to and cash is not so indispensible that you can by immediately a replacement, take any container you have handy and fill it with water. Keep the thing immersed in water and take it to your repair person. This way you do not introduce air onto the circuitry which can cause bad and corrosive things to happen. They can clean your gear properly.

 

In the absence of such luxuries here is what you do. Take out the battery. DO NOT POWER ON A WET ELECTRONIC DEVICE. Aside from a nice jolt, you will almost certainly fry the bugger. Take out the battery. Take everything home. Take out a freezer bag and put a cup or two of rice into it and then place your gear in with it. Place it into another bag, a bigger one. Make sure that there is air in the outer bag. Place all of this into the fridge. The rice and the fridge (air-conditioned environment) will suck the moisture out of Holly Lake if there were enough of it. DO NOT TOUCH IT FOR THREE DAYS.

 

Then do one of two things. First, send it off to a repair center. If you choose to just see if the thing works, here is the best procedure for doing so. Secondly, take the bags out of the fridge. Leave them on the counter for an hour. Then remove the inner bag from the outer. Two bags instead of one are to help the gear acclimatize to room temperature more gradually thus reducing the risk of condensation from too rapid an increase in temperature. After removing the inner bag, allow it to sit for another hour before opening it and removing the contents. Let them sit for another hour before assembling SD cards, SIm chips, batteries and whatnot. Then flip the switch and see what happens.

 

Hope it never happens, but if it does I hope this helps.