Moisture in H2O Remedy?

[sticknstring]

Mine fell in the minnow bucket a few weeks ago.. It was floating but I think the rubbers were both open... Anyhow the unit got moisture in it and the display is now fogged up and has been for 2 weeks. I took a hairdryer on low and it cleared up momentarily but refuses to disappear. Any suggestions? I had a watch that did the same thing and it took a few months for that thing to clear up...

[cliffy]

I have no idea if this would work or not...but how about putting it near a de-humidifier in a small closet...see if you can suck all the moisture out of the area. Just an idea.

[shamalex72]

I heard about putting electronics in a bowl of rice and cover with a lid for a day or so. The rice is supposed to suck the moisture out.

[Tony Holland]

Retuned mine to Cabelas after mine did that. Gave me exchange no questions asked without reciept.

[PerchJerker]

I was going to suggest rice, in a gallon-size ziplock bag.

[RobertELee]

Definetly try to return it, might be best to call Lowrance. It sounds like they are pretty good about some of that stuff. If none of that works put it into a bag of plain white rice, should clear up in a couple days.

[sticknstring]

I ordered mine through Jolly Marine in IA... I'm not going to return it... It was my fault. The rice does sound intriguing however - I'll give it a shot tonight and see if it works... Thanks for the advice guys.

[youngie22]

Rice in ziplock worked for me on my cell phone; took the battery out and let it sit; worked in 24hrs

[sticknstring]

Well guys... The unit appeared good as new after a two day rice bath but after 30 minutes out of the bag crystals starting forming on the display again... Not good. How much rice are we talkin here??? I had a gallon ziplock filled about 2" high with rice... Any other thoughts? I'll try Lowrance and see if I have any options as well.

[schweady]

I would talk to folks who do camera repairs. They see lots of units that took a swim. Maybe some experimenting with sealing the unit in a tupperware tub of silica gel, rather than rice.

From howthingswork web site:

"Silica gel can absorb about 40 percent of its weight in moisture and can take the relative humidity in a closed container down to about 40 percent. Once saturated, you can drive the moisture off and reuse silica gel by heating it above 300 degrees F (150 C)."

Whenever this would happened to the crystal of my old watch, I'd hang it over a light bulb at night. The wet spot would come back when it cooled, but it was a little smaller each day. May be worth a shot, as long as you dont melt the screen face.

[ChuckN]

I dropped a cell phone into a lake once. I pulled the faceplate off and then placed it over a forced air vent in my home. I rotated it daily on the vent.

Absolutely no problems for years after that.

I looked at my H2Oc and it appears the faceplate will come off, but once you do something I'm sure the warranty will be voided. Tough call. At least open every possible place air can enter to dry it out (battery compartment, removeable rubber seals).

[sticknstring]

Yeah I really don't feel like ripping the faceplate off. The rice sucked out about 90% of it so at least it's functionable again. I'll have to get my hands on some silica gel to snuff out that final 10% and keep it near a mild heat source the next few nights... that should take care of it. I appreciate all your help & suggestions! It'll be nice having the unit back in action on Milly this weekend!

[Hotspotter]

De-humidifier. That's what those units are supoosed to do, suck moisture out from the surrounding area. After wet cell phones, walkie talkies, and digital cameras, I can vouch for an overnight stint over the fan of a dehumidifier.

Joel