Salt Water vs. Camera---HELP!!!!

[eyesofnangel]

I took a salt water wave while I was photographing Hurricane Irene...my camera was not protected (I know its a horrifying thought, just didnt expect to get 'waved'). I immdiately went home and took it apart, wiped it and packed both the body and 75-300 lens in rice...
What else should I do?...(and the scarey question) Will it still work?

[RLucas]

Was it submerged? Was it off when you caught the wave? Have you tried to turn it back on? Water is bad enough, but salt water is super corrosive. You may want to send it in and have it looked at to be on the safe side before you try anything else. I would get the battery out asap, if you haven't yet?

[eyesofnangel]

I was shooting and got side blinded by the wave. I took the battery and CF card out when I got home (which included a small detour cause I saw an egret on my way home) It worked to take a few egret pics.
I havent taken it out of the rice yet (just over 24 hrs now) We lost power so I dont have proper lighting to really inspect it.
I am not quite sure who in my area would be able to take it in for a cleaning either. I have always done my own.

[Doug Pardee]

You should prepare yourself for needing a new camera. For electronics, even fresh-water damage is generally considered irreparable by most shops; salt-water damage is much worse. You might be able to get it working for a short time, but corrosion is almost inevitable.

Sorry to give you bad news.

[eyesofnangel]

I just called 7 shops in the area, 6 wont even look at it. One said leave it in the rice for another day then they will look at it, and help me find a replacement...
How devastating!
Catching waves just aint so cool anymore...

[kirbinster]

When anything electronic gets hit with salt (or toilet) water the best thing is to immediately turn it off and remove the battery. Then flush it with tap water or better yet distilled water to remove the minerals or other impurities. Then place the item in a ziploc bag with lots of uncooked dry white rice for 24hrs. The rice acts as a descicant and extracts the water that may be inside.

[eyesofnangel]

Originally Posted by kirbinster

When anything electronic gets hit with salt (or toilet) water the best thing is to immediately turn it off and remove the battery. Then flush it with tap water or better yet distilled water to remove the minerals or other impurities. Then place the item in a ziploc bag with lots of uncooked dry white rice for 24hrs. The rice acts as a descicant and extracts the water that may be inside.

I did that except I didnt flush it, but wiped it...When we get our power back on, I will inspect it then with proper lighting and see.

[Tzetsin]

Ok, i just want to start of by saying that i own a computer repair shop, and while i've never seen ocean salt water on electronics, I've seen plenty of Ichiban brand noodles poured over laptop keyboards which then seeps in over the mother board. Believe me when i say there is ALOT of salt in THAT. ;D


I havnt NOT been able to resurect one yet.

all is not lost

there is hope

what you need is anhydrous alcohol.

not 70% rubbing alcohol

99.9% rubbing alcohol.

I dont know what life is like where you live. but anhydrous alcohol has been banned from drug stores in my city (damn you meth labs!) So i get mine from the veterinary supply store.

Even electronic boards that are already starting to rust can be cleaned with with this stuff, it works AWSOME. Qtips n alcohol. lots of time. thats all you need to make this thing work again.

Rust isnt "inerently" bad for circuit boards... its not untill you run a current through them that things die. the rust will carry a current, and the rust usually bridges contacts on circuit boards causeing the flow of electricity to end up in places it shouldnt be. thats bad.

So get some of this stuff. 70% will not work, must be 99.9% and clean everything. It will leave a white powdery residue when it dries, just wipe it off with a cloth..

I've even used soap and WATER to clean computer motherboards. water isnt as bad as you think it is. its only bad if you dont do anything about it.

[High_Speed]

Originally Posted by Tzetsin

Ok, i just want to start of by saying that i own a computer repair shop, and while i've never seen ocean salt water on electronics, I've seen plenty of Ichiban brand noodles poured over laptop keyboards which then seeps in over the mother board. Believe me when i say there is ALOT of salt in THAT. ;D


I havnt NOT been able to resurect one yet.

all is not lost

there is hope

what you need is anhydrous alcohol.

not 70% rubbing alcohol

99.9% rubbing alcohol.

I dont know what life is like where you live. but anhydrous alcohol has been banned from drug stores in my city (damn you meth labs!) So i get mine from the veterinary supply store.

Even electronic boards that are already starting to rust can be cleaned with with this stuff, it works AWSOME. Qtips n alcohol. lots of time. thats all you need to make this thing work again.

Rust isnt "inerently" bad for circuit boards... its not untill you run a current through them that things die. the rust will carry a current, and the rust usually bridges contacts on circuit boards causeing the flow of electricity to end up in places it shouldnt be. thats bad.

So get some of this stuff. 70% will not work, must be 99.9% and clean everything. It will leave a white powdery residue when it dries, just wipe it off with a cloth..

I've even used soap and WATER to clean computer motherboards. water isnt as bad as you think it is. its only bad if you dont do anything about it.

I can vouch for this as well. I've soaked complete motherboards in buckets of distilled water and 99% alcohol overnight, then rinsed them off and let them dry (that's a VERY important part). Put back together, good as new. The key is not to get the water inside things like storage devices, etc, as it's much harder to dry things like that out. Also, you can use a air hose (with low pressure) to help air dry things.

[eyesofnangel]

I actually used Dawn and warm water after sitting for two days in rice. Then cleaned everything again with my camera cleaning solution and swabs. Other than opening the camera to clean the sensor, I have no idea how to get 'inside' it. The camera is working as of right now, but even the local shops said it may work for a little while.
The lens on the other hand had some crystalizing on the glass lens. I am not sure if that is perminately damaged yet or not. I cleaned it the same way I did with my camera. I havent tested it as of yet.
I think the strongest alcohol we can get is around 90%, but I will look around and see what else I can find.
I believe sea salt is stronger and more corrosive than table salt and food salt since it is 100% pure with not additives.
I am still keeping my fingers crossed that I make have saved my beloved camera...but time will tell. I cancelled all my paying shoots for the next two weeks, just in case.