# [SOLVED] Spilled water in PC, after drying No Internet



## guinelle1 (Nov 21, 2010)

Ok, i was not sure where to post this, so i figured here is the best bet. i have a homebuilt rig: AMD fx-6100, Asus m5a88-m, nvidia GTX550 ti, 8 gb ram, running win 7

To make a long story short i spilled water in via the top case fans. i didnt even know it happened until my keyboard and mouse quit working, i shut the computer off, blew it out, dried for a week. upon the first re-start everything worked fine. i thought i was in the clear. next day i have no internet/network connection. im using the integrated lan direct to my router. tried a restore, reinstall of drivers many times. fresh install of windows, and nothing. everything else seems to be working fine. my options are settled basically to a cheap network card or replace the mobo. unless i can find a small network card i dont think there is a enough room between the graphics card and bottom pci slot. 

i have basically came here as a last resort before making a purchase hoping someone with more knowledge can help me out. thanks in advance.


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## Panther063 (Jul 13, 2009)

*Re: Spilled water in PC, after drying No Internet*

If you installed a wireless card in the 1st PCI-e slot above the graphics card there shouldn't be an issue.


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

*Re: Spilled water in PC, after drying No Internet*

Electronic devices oftentimes suffer more physical damage than electrical damage when cold water is poured onto an active motherboard. The sudden change in temperature can easily crack solder joints and chips. You could examine the motherboard closely with a magnifying glass to see if you can detect any damage. However, even if you can the odds are slim that you could repair the motherboard.

If you can't fit a PCIe network card there are also PCI network cards. These can be had for as little as $10 with off-brand names but better branded cards (e.g., Intel) are around $30-$50. Since a new micro-ATX motherboard can be had for as little as $50 and you experienced other issues (even though they seem resolved), a new motherboard may be the better option. If you do go the motherboard route, first check to see if your CPU and RAM are on the QVL for your new motherboard choice.

Examples (not per se recommendations, check for compatibility):

Intel PWLA8391GT PCI PRO/1000 GT Desktop Adapter - Newegg.com

ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3 AM3+ AMD 760G + SB710 HDMI USB 3.0 uATX AMD Motherboard - Newegg.com


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## guinelle1 (Nov 21, 2010)

*Re: Spilled water in PC, after drying No Internet*



MPR said:


> Electronic devices oftentimes suffer more physical damage than electrical damage when cold water is poured onto an active motherboard. The sudden change in temperature can easily crack solder joints and chips. You could examine the motherboard closely with a magnifying glass to see if you can detect any damage. However, even if you can the odds are slim that you could repair the motherboard.
> 
> If you can't fit a PCIe network card there are also PCI network cards. These can be had for as little as $10 with off-brand names but better branded cards (e.g., Intel) are around $30-$50. Since a new micro-ATX motherboard can be had for as little as $50 and you experienced other issues (even though they seem resolved), a new motherboard may be the better option. If you do go the motherboard route, first check to see if your CPU and RAM are on the QVL for your new motherboard choice.
> 
> ...


 
im thinking a new motherboard is good idea too. i dont know if there might be any underlying damage that may surface in the future. ill update with my progress.


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## Wizmo (Apr 3, 2011)

*Re: Spilled water in PC, after drying No Internet*

When I teach my Comp-TIA courses I emphasize the '15 foot exclusion rule' for food and drink around computers. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! No food or drink within 15 feet of any electronic equipment is always better than dealing with the consequences! :grin:

I see the results of the violation of this 'rule' almost daily in my repair operations. :banghead:

__________________
In this world there are too many politicians and far too much politics.

Poly - meaning many
tics - meaning blood-sucking parasites


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

*Re: Spilled water in PC, after drying No Internet*

Although food and drink were prohibited in my biology labs, for obvious reasons, I would always get a few students who habitually pulled a drink out of their backpacks the second they sat down. One girl was drinking a strangely-colored beverage from a bottle and when I asked her to put it back into her backpack started into a tirade of how she was an adult and not a child and could clearly tell the difference between her drink and the reagents we were using. I then picked up one of the chemical solutions and held it up next to her drink -- both bottles contained a liquid of _exactly_ the same color and consistency. I do love it when teaching points just fall into my lap.


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## guinelle1 (Nov 21, 2010)

*Re: Spilled water in PC, after drying No Internet*



MPR said:


> Electronic devices oftentimes suffer more physical damage than electrical damage when cold water is poured onto an active motherboard. The sudden change in temperature can easily crack solder joints and chips. You could examine the motherboard closely with a magnifying glass to see if you can detect any damage. However, even if you can the odds are slim that you could repair the motherboard.
> 
> If you can't fit a PCIe network card there are also PCI network cards. These can be had for as little as $10 with off-brand names but better branded cards (e.g., Intel) are around $30-$50. Since a new micro-ATX motherboard can be had for as little as $50 and you experienced other issues (even though they seem resolved), a new motherboard may be the better option. If you do go the motherboard route, first check to see if your CPU and RAM are on the QVL for your new motherboard choice.
> 
> ...


i like that board but i see my ram is not on the qvl list.

i have the Amd Fx-6100 AMD FX-6100 Zambezi 6-Core 3.3GHz Socket AM3+ 95W Desktop Processor FD6100WMGUSBX - Newegg.com

and Corsair CMP8GX3M2A1600C9  CORSAIR DOMINATOR 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMP8GX3M2A1600C9 - Newegg.com

i was looking at a msi board but i cant find the qvl list on there website, or anywhere else for that matter..


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

*Re: Spilled water in PC, after drying No Internet*

Will your case handle a full-size ATX board or is it limited to micro-ATX? A micro-ATX board is going to limit your choices somewhat.


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## guinelle1 (Nov 21, 2010)

*Re: Spilled water in PC, after drying No Internet*



MPR said:


> Will your case handle a full-size ATX board or is it limited to micro-ATX? A micro-ATX board is going to limit your choices somewhat.


its a micro atx case. i do notice my limit in choices, i wouldnt mind getting the same board either, but it doesnt seem to be available anymore


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## Panther063 (Jul 13, 2009)

*Re: Spilled water in PC, after drying No Internet*

If you purchase a different motherboard you will have to install Windows again as they use differing chipsets.


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## guinelle1 (Nov 21, 2010)

*Re: Spilled water in PC, after drying No Internet*



Panther063 said:


> If you purchase a different motherboard you will have to install Windows again as they use differing chipsets.


i understand that and that is no big deal


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## guinelle1 (Nov 21, 2010)

*Re: Spilled water in PC, after drying No Internet*

had the computer off for the past few days since my first post, turned it back on this morning and now its working.... 0_o....


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

*Re: Spilled water in PC, after drying No Internet*

Water in nooks and crannies sometimes takes considerable time to evaporate. Also, many circuit boards are porous and will stay damp internally for some time after getting wet (some newer, high-end circuit boards are constructed to help prevent this). Hope that your system continues working properly now that it has dried. Good luck!


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

*Re: Spilled water in PC, after drying No Internet*

Great story good luck going forward.


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## sobeit (Nov 11, 2007)

*Re: Spilled water in PC, after drying No Internet*

one thing to consider, when you spill water and it drys, a lot of time it could leave mineral deposits that can cause issues. a light wipe down with isopropyl alchohol could get rid of those deposits. make sure the computer is off and cold before doing it. 

the point is basically mute since you said things are working now...but it is something to keep in mind if you should have anymore problems in the next few days.


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## guinelle1 (Nov 21, 2010)

*Re: Spilled water in PC, after drying No Internet*

i used an air compressor with a regulated blow pipe (low pressure) to blow all the water out of the nooks and crannies MULTIPLE times. i did see residue around my usb and ethernet ports and cleaned them out. now with it working i am still wondering if this may affect me in the long run, but i have plenty of backup computers laying around


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## guinelle1 (Nov 21, 2010)

*Re: Spilled water in PC, after drying No Internet*

thanks again for all the replies and posts. Great community on here.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

*Re: Spilled water in PC, after drying No Internet*



Rich-M said:


> Great story good luck going forward.


I have a better one.

Me and a friend went to a pub and drank a lot of beer. The next day his PS2 was full of a liquid that came from the human body and it still worked.  although it did smell funny.


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## sobeit (Nov 11, 2007)

*Re: Spilled water in PC, after drying No Internet*



greenbrucelee said:


> I have a better one.
> 
> Me and a friend went to a pub and drank a lot of beer. The next day his PS2 was full of a liquid that came from the human body and it still worked.  although it did smell funny.


sure would hate to be around it if it overheated...:grin:


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

*Re: Spilled water in PC, after drying No Internet*



sobeit said:


> sure would hate to be around it if it overheated...:grin:


It never has, still works perfectly even though there was at least a litre of fluid poured out of the cd drive. It still smells funny though.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

*Re: Spilled water in PC, after drying No Internet*

I'll bet it does.


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