Drying my camera out

scraggs

scraggs

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Keith
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After an eventfull day on the river kayaking I could do with a bit of advice.
I swapped kayaks with someone and I left my canon S110 in with them, along the river a swan decided it would have a go at them tipping them out and my camera got a soaking.
After getting them over safely to the bank I took the battery out straight away, the camera was in a case and there was water in there but not huge amounts.
Once we got home we put the camera in a bowl or rice grains (my girlfriend assures me she heard of doing that some where) I realise it is probably screwed but does anyone have any better ideas to try dry it out, it's worth a try.
 
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No, she's right. Cover it in rice in a sealed bag if you can or in a bowl and cover with lid / cling film and foil (uncooked of course) and put in a warm place. Leave for a day or 2 to let the rice draw the moisture out and with fingers and everything else crossed ...
 
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Presumably it was tuned off which is better than being turned on when dunked.
I'd resist turning it on for most of a week for best chance, with any luck hardly any got near the vulnerable circuitry anyway, but wetting is not always fatal unless it was salty water.
 
Buy yourself some packets of silica gel off of eBay, and get a cardboard box. Remove / open as many bits on the camera as you can but leave the body cap on. Leave it for a few days & you should be ok.
The rice trick will work, but you also have lots of milling powder around from the rice which is not ideal for cameras.
 
Luckily it wasn't turned on and was in fresh (although murky water), I have covered it now and will try it next weekend.
 
Hopefully there is always insurance?
 
No insurance on this one, it was my own fault for not taking it out, luckily my phone and truck keys were in the back but were in a sealed bulkhead.
 
@scraggs Silica gel.... can get it off Ebay for next to nothing. Get a large Tupperware... place camera in it with LOTS of silica gel... seal the lid... place somewhere dry..... leave it as long as you can. The gel will absorb all the moisture from the atmosphere within, and the lid prevents any more getting in. It will be a completely dry environment.

The bowl of rice thing will only help with initial exterior moisture, and the open bowl will probably mean the rice is absorbing as much moisture from the environment as it is from the camera.

Tupperware... silica gel (lots)... stick camera in... seal lid.

If no lubrication was removed from mechanical parts, and you've not powered it up, there's a good chance it will live if interior water was not severe.


Get insurance.
 
If you have household insurance it may be covered. Lots of policies cover this sort of thing, not just the specific camera ones.
 
Paddysnapper said:
Congratulaions to your Girlfriend...Best thing to do, it should be O.K...:)
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As a stop gap, but as David says;

Pookeyhead said:
The bowl of rice thing will only help with initial exterior moisture, and the open bowl will probably mean the rice is absorbing as much moisture from the environment as it is from the camera.

Tupperware... silica gel (lots)... stick camera in... seal lid.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for the advice.
With the insurance, it would probably cost more than the camera in the long run if I claimed on household insurance, let it be a lesson to me to take everything out next time :)
I have some silica on order so will keep it in the rice until that arrives then swap over.
 
Fingers crossed it works again. The rice thing is right as well as the silica gel (check shoe boxes for it!). The thing is it'll only last so long before it stops working again. The corrosion on the components inside will eventually be an issue.

If it doesn't turn on and you're tech savvy, there's no warranty on it and you want to take a punt (I take no responsibility if you do this) then you can take it apart and clean the components with iso-propyl alcohol to remove the corrosion or most of it as that could be preventing the current transferring through the PCB. You can use the steralising alcohol wipes you get for injections etc as it's the same thing. The only thing to note is that if the corrosion has got so bad that fragile parts probably will break but I doubt it's got to that extent so quickly. Again it's your choice and I take no responsibility if you do it. I did this with my mothers laptop. She spilled a sugary drink on it and it wouldn't turn on. I took it apart and cleaned it all up with the wipes and it worked for a while after that. IMO it's better than throwing it in the bin if it doesn't work.
 
Hi,
I have just been down the beach and got caught by a freak wave that covered me and my Nikon D800 and 24-70 f2.8 in saltwater and seaweed!
My question is, apart from sponging it off with warm fresh water when I got home, what else could I do to help prevent permanent damage? I know both are "weather sealed" but not sure how well sealed they really are.

Hs anyone else been caught like this? I was kicking myself as I normally spend 10 min watching the tide/waves to make sure I don't get caught out...

Would be good to hear any help, thanks...
 
It's pretty well sealed. Wipe off with a very damp cloth and clean water. Do not remove the lens, cards, battery etc. Just wipe off with a wet cloth. Very good chance no harm will have been done.

There's a chance something got past the lens element... that's the biggest risk there. The body will probably be OK though.
 
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Time for an update
I put the camera in silica on Wednesday and tried it today, it works however the lcd display has staining inside it, but I understand there is a chance that may clear with time, so will leave it in silica for longer, but at least it is useable, and there is no marks on any shots taken with it.
Thanks for the advice everyone.
 
I am pleased to say that the staining is going, I now need to look really hard to see it.
So yes all in all a result
 
andy main said:
Hi,
I have just been down the beach and got caught by a freak wave that covered me and my Nikon D800 and 24-70 f2.8 in saltwater and seaweed!
I was kicking myself as I normally spend 10 min watching the tide/waves to make sure I don't get caught out..
Would be good to hear any help, thanks...
Click to expand...

Placing the camera in a clear plastic bag with the lens in the open end is a good waterproofing option. An elastic band round the front of the lens is all that is needed. You operate the camera from outside the bag. Easy to keep out unhappy accidents.
 
If this happens to anyone else, as an alternative to waiting for silica gel to arrive from Ebay, you could try these: http://www.amazon.co.uk/151-Product...TF8&qid=1435233078&sr=8-1&keywords=damp+traps

Most of the "cheapo" stores (Poundland, Homebargains, B & M, etc.) have them for £1 each. If I remember my "A" level chemistry, they use anhydrous Calcium Chloride as a de-humidifier. They can't be re-used like silica gel, but for a quid that's hardly an issue.

Dave
 
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