CF cards got wet

amumonamission

amumonamission

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I had an accident involving a cup of tea and 5 CF cards this afternoon. I dried the tea off straight away and put the cards in rice in a Tupperware container. The more I'm sat here thinking though the more I think it's a waste of time because I'm never going to be able to trust the cards again now that they have got wet am I!! Or is this method fail safe? Probably not! Feeling very cross with myself right now as they were all Sandisk Extreme ones too :bang::mad:
 
I'd sling them personally. But you could dry them, test them, test them some more and then maybe use them with a backup card recording the same data.
 
I've put them through the washing machine before and aways worked fine once dried out. They still get replaced and only used as an absolute last resort though just in case.

But they do come up nice.
 
ryanyboy said:
I'd sling them personally. But you could dry them, test them, test them some more and then maybe use them with a backup card recording the same data.
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None of my camera have that facility so not going to bother. I would be silly to take the risk. So cross with myself! Will teach me not to put them away wont it!
 
They will be fine.

For a test I froze some in solid ice for 8 hours then melted them in a saucepan.
 
from memory the Extreme Pro's are advertised as being water resistant, shock proof etc. Might be worth doing a search or even contacting Sandisk directly to ask the question.
 
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MWHCVT said:
If I use them for paid photos they would be replaced simple as that reminds me I need to order a new card to replace the one that was lost during my bumper car episode
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Yeah I'm think that I might keep them for my daughter as she has expressed an interest in learning, was going to start her with my 400d so might give her these too if they still work, they're not completely wasted then.
 
ryanyboy said:
You can't be sure of that.
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Can't be sure of what?

CF cards are remarkably resistant to water. For one thing to holes are too small for most water droplets, for another they are fairly airtight. They are rated to way over boiling temperature. It's remarkably unlikely that anything sensible involving a cup of tea would damage them. If it has, you'll most likely spot it straight away.
 
Even if they are fine, are you prepared to take the risk? Plus, they'll always be that voice in your head, telling you that they're about to fail :eek:
 
johnnypanic said:
Even if they are fine, are you prepared to take the risk? Plus, they'll always be that voice in your head, telling you that they're about to fail :eek:
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OK. Would anybody like to explain to me what there is in tea that can make solid state electronics fail after a period of time?

Immediately, maybe. But what can a hot (far from boiling) liquid do that will cause problems later?
 
JonathanRyan said:
OK. Would anybody like to explain to me what there is in tea that can make solid state electronics fail after a period of time?

Immediately, maybe. But what can a hot (far from boiling) liquid do that will cause problems later?
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It's the fact that they got wet that bothers me, not the fact that it was tea.
 
bass_junkie83 said:
I've put them through the washing machine before and aways worked fine once dried out. They still get replaced and only used as an absolute last resort though just in case.

But they do come up nice.
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Even better if you iron them after:rolleyes:
 
amumonamission said:
It's the fact that they got wet that bothers me, not the fact that it was tea.
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Tea will be far worse than (say) distilled water, especially if it has milk and sugar in. But I really think there's no problem. I would have washed them afterwards to remove any tea/milk/sugar residue.

Part of the same test involved a washing machine and a tumble drier. The tumble drier destroyed the data on the SD cards but the CF cards were fine. SanDisk reckoned it was the static.
 
JonathanRyan said:
Tea will be far worse than (say) distilled water, especially if it has milk and sugar in. But I really think there's no problem. I would have washed them afterwards to remove any tea/milk/sugar residue.

Part of the same test involved a washing machine and a tumble drier. The tumble drier destroyed the data on the SD cards but the CF cards were fine. SanDisk reckoned it was the static.
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The tea had milk in but no sugar, i'm sweet enough ;)

I probably still wont use them for paid work but wont chuck them out, will let my daughter use them :)
 
Getting electronic components wet whilst powered is the kiss of death but I would be surprised if the CF cards were damaged unless you failed to completely and quickly dry them off before putting them in camera or reader.
 
most cards and usb pens are quite tough, ive washed usb pens a few times without realising and the data has been fine and they have continued to function. i certainly wouldnt throw them if you do chuck them this way ;)
 
it's the sugar that usually does the damage when a cup of tea / coffee gets spilt
i would wash them in clean water to wash away any remnants of the tea and leave them to dry

iv'e heard of cameras being dropped in rivers etc it destroys the camera but the memory cards are usually fine once they have been dried properly
 
I'd be quite confident in them too once they are dried, although I wouldn't use them for critical or paid work until I had tested them thoroughly for a while with less crucial stuff. I'd also recommend sticking them on a radiator to dry, on top of a thin towel or some kitchen roll probably, heat works better than rice usually for that sort of thing.
 
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I once had a CF and SDHC card in my trouser pocket put them through the wash and tumble dryer and they are still working to this day.. Thankfully. Hopefully yours still works for you!
 
There was an article on the net about a guy that dropped his camera over board when on a cruse and it was found by a diver 4 months later. The camera was dead but they found the owner by the photos on the cf card
 
Yep they can be pretty tough CF cards,i think it boils down to your confidence in using them again ? :)

Just going to add the amount of time i have spilled tea over my remote controls :oops: and they are all still working.
 
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Here's an SD card that survived 6 years in the Pacific Ocean - LINK

CF cards are sealed to make it extremely difficult for anything to get inside them. If you're not going to use the cards I suggest you take one and try opening it up. If you do succeed you'll see why a cup of tea isn't going to get inside. I would rinse them in tap water (to remove any sugar/etc in the pin holes) and leaven them in the airing cupboard for a week. Then they shouls be fine.
 
I'd actually submerse them in distilled water as soon as possible, to rinse off particulates, chemicals from the tea, and sugar.... then dry. They're probably perfectly fine after that. It's not the submersion in liquid that ruins solid state stuff (assuming it's not powered up when it happens), it's the corrosion, and short circuiting/capacitance that ensues afterwards when deposits are left once the water has evaporated. A good soak in pure, distilled water will ensure that nothing nasty is left after drying.
 
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The only time it's a problem is when electricity is applied while wet, I.e. Dropping a cuppa on a laptop ;) to put it into context, CF are rated much higher under IP standards than say SD cards as the pin outs are exposed unlike CF. Sandisk also have a rubber gasket attached to the pin sockets so they stay bone dry, just like a syringe bottle has a rubber top. Sugar can be the main culprit in the long term as it still has a high conductivity rating so that's why you see people say that their electrical item went on for months and then suddenly died, sugar has a habit of re-absorbing moisture over time, just like coffee granules. In a nutshell, they will be fine, plenty of heat and dry rice should do the trick. 10 days minimum I would suggest, but for the sake of redundancy, don't use them professionally.
 
I used to repair accidentally damaged laptops for a living (long time ago).

Spillages were commonplace and the state of electronics after a coffee or tea was spilt on them was usually pretty bad. Milk was also pretty bad - seemed to cause a lot of oxidisation.

Unless they had been rinsed thoroughly before it had chance to try, I would not be trusting them. Short term was rarely an issue with the tea/coffee spillages - it was normally a few weeks down the line...
 
Flightphoto said:
Sugar can be the main culprit in the long term as it still has a high conductivity rating so that's why you see people say that their electrical item went on for months and then suddenly died,
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Which is why I wonder why you said it will be OK after a few days.

Trust me.... get some distilled water from Halfords... fill a bowl with it... drop the CF card in... give them a good soak... THEN dry them. You'll avoid the longer term problems with oxidisation if you do.

Been there.... bought the t-shirt.
 
amumonamission said:
Yeah I'm think that I might keep them for my daughter as she has expressed an interest in learning, was going to start her with my 400d so might give her these too if they still work, they're not completely wasted then.
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Seems the best solution to something thats niggling in the background for you - will they work / let me down etc. As has been said above, I've read of several going through the washing machine and working fine, but it's easy to say to someone else, they'll be fine - very different if it happens to you and you have to make the choice of whether to use them or not...

Hope your daughter enjoys learning and her new CF cards :)
 
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