Severe weather such as hurricanes, heavy rains, and flooding usually bring lots of water--something that doesn’t mix well with electronic controls. When Mother Nature interferes with your workflow, here’s what you need to know when you’re in recovery mode.
Safety First
No piece of equipment is more valuable than the lives of you or your crew. When handling wet electronics, the first step is always to ensure that all power is disconnected and test to verify that all sources of electricity are not connected. Then, make sure each machine is switched off and remove any batteries that might be present. These steps will not only ensure personal safety, but also minimize further damage of your equipment.
Next Steps
Once it’s safe to proceed, electronic devices need to be thoroughly rinsed, dried and cleaned before they can be tested or repaired to remove any contamination. Oil, dirt, and signs of corrosion (i.e., green, encrusted areas) should be removed using cotton swabs and isopropyl alcohol or other fast-drying electronic equipment cleaning products.Then, the device needs to be thoroughly dried to remove all traces of moisture. Fans, infrared lamps, electric heaters, and even hair dryers can be useful for drying electronics, but it’s important to ensure that components are not overheated in the process. Once all equipment has been completely dried, it’s safe to attempt to power the device and test for operation. There are many factors that affect the repairability of the controls including contamination in the water, if the circuit was powered on while submerged, and length of exposure.
Professional Restoration
Electronic devices may be small, but they are complex and should only be repaired by experienced professionals. If cleaning and drying your equipment did not restore equipment operation, it’s not recommended to try any repairs yourself as you run the risk of further damaging the parts and making a professional repair more difficult or even impossible.Call the Pros
If you have electronic controls that have been damaged by severe weather and flooding, our engineers and technicians can help. If we cannot repair your devices, we offer replacement parts for a variety of equipment--even rare brands and obsolete machines. When your electronic controls are damaged or destroyed, Control System Labs will get you up and running.