Liquid damage
and Moisture Intrusion Prevention
1. What is the main cause of moisture contamination to the electronics on a cell phone?
- There are numerous scenarios where moisture/liquid can contaminate a handset. Even trace amounts of liquid will cause the board and circuitry to become permanently damaged. Liquid can enter the unit from any situation where excessive moisture/liquid levels are present. The handset does not necessarily have to be splashed, soaked or immersed in liquid to be damaged, excessive humidity and slight moisture can be just as dangerous to the circuitry.
- Keep your handset away from anywhere wet or moist. (Kitchen windows, steamy bathrooms, sweaty pockets, wet hands, rainy days, near drinks/drink spills, bar/pub tops, tables are just some common areas).
- Remember it doesn't have to be water, any liquid type including chemicals and moisture will cause damage to the Circuit board and components. Common areas where moisture can enter a handset: Data connector, charging port, antenna, headset jack, camera, keypad, SD card slots, speaker and microphone holes, display. A mobile phone is designed to be mobile and to be carried around, however it is not waterproof or splashproof. Like any electronic device such as a digital camera, camcorder, portable DVD player and laptops you must ensure that it is kept away from wet and moist conditions.
- Remember it is your responsibility to keep your handset dry and clean.
2. Is the circuit board in a cell phone within a sealed area to reduce/stop contamination from moisture?
All handsets are designed to withstand normal wear and tear and every day use. However as previously mentioned, no electronic hand held/portable product is 100% water / liquid proof unless specified.
3. Is it possible for the circuit board to have been compromised while the phone was under construction/repair?
Mobile phone manufacturers have strict guidelines for production of cellular products. The manufacturing process only uses chemicals that are approved and not hazardous to the integrity of the handset and its internal circuitry. It is extremely unlikely that a handset would leave a factory liquid damaged as these must pass rigorous quality and final functional checks. Telegistics follows the same manufacturing principles in its repair and servicing process's.
Our senior staff have over 30 years collective experience within the cellphone repair and manufacturing industry in the UK, Europe, New Zealand and South Africa. We only use approved procedures and chemicals. TLG has strict quality checks in place for liquid damage.
4. My handset has been in for previous repair/s now it has been deemed liquid damaged. Why has this only been identified now and not on the first job?
In most cases TLG will spot liquid on first inspection and notify the store and customer of our findings, however if the damage is slight it may be missed and picked up during a later repair.
Unfortunately liquid damage can often be very difficult to spot, even for the most experienced technicians. The fact that even the tiniest spot of liquid can begin to damage a products circuit board is crucially important to understand.
The following images show a case of liquid that is very slight and often needs magnified inspection at close level to identify.
These images were taken at close zoom and show how tiny the liquid damage is. It is key to remember that even this small amount will bring the unit out of warranty for all manufacturers.
As Telegistics uses only approved chemicals and non corrosive materials in our repair processes, handsets and boards can not sustain liquid damage whilst undergoing repair.
This type of damage occurs where the handset has been placed in humid conditions or where excessive moisture or liquid is present (see above guide).
More examples of slight damage:
Here (this has been closely magnified) we can see staining on the plating around the PCB (Printed Circuit Board). This is slight, however it is deemed as liquid contamination and out of warranty.
Same type of damage here, with the plating around circuits stained, slight but still liquid damage.
Liquid damage has a devastating effect on electronic components and boards. It can take days or even weeks to begin to show (this is dependent on the liquid type, environmental conditions, the PCB or board type).
This can make the more obvious signs of liquid damage less easy to spot straight away. As time progresses, most cases of liquid damage will get progressively worse.
The following images are cases where the damage is extensive and the corrosion to the handset is severe. These are much easier to spot for technicians and will normally be spotted on first inspection:
In summary, it is not always possible for Telegistics to diagnose liquid damage at the first sign of device failure. However, whether diagnosed on the first repair, or on a subsequent repair, a couple of points remain constant;
- All forms of liquid damage are deemed out of warranty by manufacturers.
- TLG is unable to confirm when the liquid entered the unit, how it entered and what substance caused the liquid damage. We are only able to confirm that it is present.
As with all process and procedures Telegistics strives for continuous improvement. We do see it as our responsibility to provide as much information in such cases as quickly, and as openly and honestly as possible.
Our technical staff are given feedback and training to improve the repair and inspection process. We always endeavour to deliver the best service first time and on every job, however cases of very slight damage do present a challenge and will be missed from time to time.