Stop a Wet Hoverboard From Permanent Water Damage
Sometimes the weatherman gets it wrong and you end up with a wet hoverboard. It wasn’t supposed to rain that day. You took out your hoverboard and while you were out the sky went from perfect and clear to dark and menacing in no time at all.
Now, because of the rain or a puddle you ran into, your hoverboard got wet. What do you do? We all know that water and electronics don’t mix. But, if you are quick on your feet, you can fix a hoverboard that got wet and avoid it from becoming bricked. Here’s how to repair a water-damaged hoverboard.
First thing is to power off your wet hoverboard as soon as possible. The sooner the better. The longer the board stays on, the greater the chance the water will seep into a place it doesn’t belong and cause all sorts of trouble. By turning off the power, you stop the flow of electrons through the electronics and prevent shorts from occurring due to loose water.
Wet Hoverboard Diagnosis
Take your trusty screwdriver and remove the access panels covering the electronics and see where the water has accumulated.
Disconnect the Battery
By this point your hoverboard should be powered off. But it never hurts to disconnect the battery, just in case. Actually, its probably best you do disconnect the battery to avoid any further hoverboard water damage.
The Old Rice Trick
Human beings drop their phones in toilets more than every other species on the planet. We’ve all done it. When it happened they said, “put it in rice”, which sounded ridiculous at the time. But it worked. The same trick can be applied to your wet hoverboard parts.
If your wet hoverboard has seeped into the motherboard, carefully remove it and unplug it and put it in a bowl of rice for 12-24 hours. Same goes for your co-boards (i.e. sensor boards, gyroscopes) and your battery. If you went through a particularly nasty puddle, go ahead and carefully clean these hoverboard parts with rubbing alcohol and Q-Tips after they have been completely dried.
Drying out the chassis
With the major components removed, take a paper towel and very gently dry off the inside of the hoverboard chassis. Be sure to dry off the tips of the cables especially. It may be best to leave the chassis open and empty for at least 24 hours, just to make sure all water has evaporated.
Moment of Truth
After your hoverboard parts have dried completely, carefully return the pieces to their locations and secure all cable connections, then power on your device to ensure that it still works.
If Things Didn't Go Well
If you weren't able to save your wet hoverboard due to too much water damage, there's still hope. This hope comes in the way of installing new hoverboard parts. If your hoverboard still turns on, that means you have a chance. Read our free hoverboard repair guide and order the parts that match up to your symptoms.
