Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Garmin Edge - Through The Washing Machine

Stupid is as stupid does. After I found it it turned on and then shut down again. I have it drying out in front of a hairdryer (low heat). Any other tips, messages of hope appreciated.:(

it is water proof and made of durable construction..........so keep you fingers crossed. if the bouncing around didnt crack the screen hopefully all else is fine. let us know. later.

My Garmin Etrex had a blurb in the manual (don't know where that is now) about how deeply it can be submerged and for how long. I concur with the previous poster that, if the agitator did not damage it physically, you are probably stuck with one clean, but fully functional unit.

Caruso

My Garmin Etrex had a blurb in the manual (don't know where that is now) about how deeply it can be submerged and for how long. I concur with the previous poster that, if the agitator did not damage it physically, you are probably stuck with one clean, but fully functional unit.

Caruso

I cna't seem to find it on the Garmin site then again my searching kungfu is not that good. I vuagely recall the Garmin units are tested to 30mins submergence according to IPX standards. I could be wrong.




Stupid is as stupid does. After I found it it turned on and then shut down again. I have it drying out in front of a hairdryer (low heat). Any other tips, messages of hope appreciated.

For the recordard The Sanyo 4920 cellphone can survive a full wash, rinse, and dryer cycle. Purely accidental. My washer detergent and auto fabric softener dispenser. I was out for a quick run to get something for a family member andI normally put the phone in a bag butI took a fleece because it was cool out and the fleece had a velcro pocket. Well I put the phone in there and when I got home shortly after I took off the fleece and put the fleece sweater aside. Now I was prepping a load of clothes to wash and thought I'd wash the fleece as well not knowing I had the phone in. The phone is ALWAYS ON. I did not realise the phone was in the fleece till the dry cycle was over and I went to take the clothes out and starting folding them. While folding the clothes something felt odd so I checked and was shocked the cellphone went through the wash and panicked. I checked online with some people and they calle dup a website (sorry I don't have it on me right now but I remember what I did as per the instructions) that explained what to do in such a situation.

What you want to do is /NOT/ power up the unit right away. Doing so may short out the device and possible fry the unit. What I did was take the battery out (the phone was dusty before and now it's Mr. Clean, clean :o but not the wayI wanted to lean the phone), shake for any water left inside, then rest on a warm surface to dry. The monitor was the ideal place for this or try the top of the fridge. Where ever it's got constant warm works best. You should dry at least 48hrs before first power up. After 48hrs and the unit does not power up then you dry another 48hrs then power up again. If it does not power up the second time then you know the unit is in need of service. My fingers are crossed for you mate. I was worried as my phone was just shy of a year on it's contract/warranty. This never happened to me before but heck just one night out in a rush and crap happens. After about 6 hrs drying I noticed the screen had moisture under my phone so I was lucky to unscrew most of the screws except the ones covered by tape and used a thin razor knife (exacto) and lifted the phone cover slightly up. The cover would not come off completely because of the screw under the tape. I did not remove the tape just incase I needed some warranty work. After I managed to open the screen up I put a very thin precision screwdriver to keep that screen from closing so all the moisture can evaporate out.

After 48hrs later I put my battery and phone back together and powered up. The screen lihgting up made my day dispite the slight 'drab/tint' on the white background but it's still working. Most amazingly is that all the memory in the phone was still there. Contacts, names, calls, etc. About a few days later I noticed the drab/tint in the white areas o the screen disappear so I assume it was slight moisture on the LCD area which I thought all evaporated away.

I'm just amazed the li-ion battery did not explode in the dryer. I dry using meduim heat but it does come out a little hot at times on the clothes. I charged my battery right away. THe phone works 95% like new except some random times when the charging signal comes up when I've already unplugged the phone from the charger. When I turn the phone off when it does that the screen says "charging" :eek: . Oh well one lesson learned is buy a cellphone case on day one right away. I normally buy one but somehow I could not find one I liked withthis phone for some time as everything was clip and twist turn then the metal clip style which IMHO is solid and won't move when you're riding fast and you can dummycord it to the "D" ring while slipped on your pants.

Anyways, hope that gives some hope and explains some things.

Hairdryer therapy seems to be working. Unit powers up, searches for signal and still has all the rides stored in it. It randomly shuts down though.
Still, I am encouraged and given the above posters suggestions I will just leave it for 48 hrs or so before I try again.
Mr Garmin sure builds a tough beast.

Edge is still shutting down randomly. Was able to download last ride and took the poor thing off to the service agent where it will be exchanged. Vale.:(

for future reference, if an electronic item gets wet like that, the worst thing you can do is power it on. let the unit dry for several days if necessary before powering on.

I have an old Sony "sports" cassette boombox (the yellow one, no cd player). I take it with me sailing. Last summer I capsized & it got pretty wet. I tried it several times after & it wouldn't work. After about 1 month I tried again & it worked. No computer components involved, so I don't know if this experience carries over, but give it a good chance.

for future reference, if an electronic item gets wet like that, the worst thing you can do is power it on. let the unit dry for several days if necessary before powering on.

+1

I have had success with this exact strategy. Do not power it up. Get the battery out of it immediately. Let it dry for a week.

Should you spill a liquid on a computer keyboard, the preferred strategy is to soak it in distilled water because it has no mineral particles that actually do the shorting between tiny electrical traces. Then let it dry for several days before powering up. Another strategy is to soak an electronic item in alcohol to absorb water from tiny crevices.

I poured a full latte into my laptop a few years ago (a Dell, I hadn't given up PC's at the time). Cost $950 to repair. Most expensive cup-o-joe I've ever had and it taught me a good lesson.

Say ETZ, did you get yourself a new Edge?

Yes, exchanged unit for a new/reconditioned one.

Etz,

Wow was Garmins service?

I just put mine through the short wash cycle (25 minutes) with "perfume and dye free" detergent. It powered up, then i turned it off immediately, but there is a rattling sound.
Etz, you exchanged yours... what was their policy?

I once had to rescue a television from a "melted" pumpkin my ex put on it and it filled the TV with Pumpkin juice. I unplugged it, brought it into the back yard, opened it up, sprayed it out with a hose, and then let it dry for a few days before turning it on, and it worked for 5 or 6 more years.

So, I agree that letting wet electronics dry completely is a good recipe for success.

Bad things happen when electronic items get dowsed while turned on however. I lost a cell phone to a toilet that way. :o

If something like that happens, the electronic item may be submerged in alcohol (well, pure that is, not the booze from your cabinet of course). The alcohol is hydrophobic which means the water will be pushed out and replaced by th alcohol, which, due to its nature, evaporates much faster than water...

Cheers,

Amox