possible water damage to a PSU

[BatouRem]

About a year ago I rebuilt my computer and ended up with an extra PSU, Part of a newegg bundle. Seasonic Focus Plus for anyone who's wondering. I didn't need it at the moment  so it went in the garage. Thats when the fun stuff happened. I apparently placed a milk jug with water and biocide next to it and somehow it leaked all over the Box causing the box to get completely waterlogged. I have no idea how long it sat like that. The boxes started molding, so apparently it's been a while. I don't remember opening the PSU but apparently I did and took the actual unit out of the bag it came in. It has water droplets maybe better described as sweat or something on the outside of the PSU. I'm sure it's not safe to use right now, but if properly dried is it safe to use or am I just going to have to throw it out?

[CommanderAlex]

I wouldn't trust the power supply anymore if it's been sitting like that for who-knows how long. Recycle at a E-waste center to dispose of properly and not pollute the environment.

[Bismut]

9 minutes ago, BatouRem said:

but if properly dried is it safe to use

It might? Very questionable though, you could use it for some old PC you don't care about, but nothing important that would be a loss if blown up.

 

6 minutes ago, CommanderAlex said:

Recycle at a E-waste center to dispose of properly and not pollute the environment.

That's a good option as well.

[Beerzerker]

13 minutes ago, BatouRem said:

About a year ago I rebuilt my computer and ended up with an extra PSU, Part of a newegg bundle. Seasonic Focus Plus for anyone who's wondering. I didn't need it at the moment  so it went in the garage. Thats when the fun stuff happened. I apparently placed a milk jug with water and biocide next to it and somehow it leaked all over the Box causing the box to get completely waterlogged. I have no idea how long it sat like that. The boxes started molding, so apparently it's been a while. I don't remember opening the PSU but apparently I did and took the actual unit out of the bag it came in. It has water droplets maybe better described as sweat or something on the outside of the PSU. I'm sure it's not safe to use right now, but if properly dried is it safe to use or am I just going to have to throw it out?

That was a total waste, you should have stashed it instead of tossing it.
Seasonic is a major brand of PSU's many go for, you just trashed what was probrably a good PSU unit that could have come in handy later.

[Zando_]

24 minutes ago, Beerzerker said:

you should have stashed it

What do you think putting it in the garage is...

 

35 minutes ago, CommanderAlex said:

I wouldn't trust the power supply anymore if it's been sitting like that for who-knows how long. Recycle at a E-waste center to dispose of properly and not pollute the environment.

^^^ pretty much this if it sat for a while, as corrosion would be a concern if the water was just sitting in it till it evaporated. 

[CommanderAlex]

4 minutes ago, Zando_ said:

^^^ pretty much this if it sat for a while, as corrosion would be a concern if the water was just sitting in it till it evaporated. 

Or, you just like the special effects and are into pyrotechnics and want to blow up a cheap system you're willing to sacrifice. 

 

/s

[manikyath]

this might be the rare case where i suggest to take your power supply apart.

 

as long as it's been unplugged for a LONG time there's no charge in it, and as long as the 'fluids' didnt cause any corrosion, there really isnt any reason why the power supply should be bad.

 

so.. with extreme caution i say..

disassemble it as far as you can, inspect the case and PCB for any 'growth', corrosion, or other debris that doesnt belong there. if there's crud, wash it away with gentle soapy water and a brush. make sure no soap stays behind on the case or PCB (rinse with clear water if necessary); and ideally rinse the PCB with isopropyl alcohol afterwards. as long as the PCB itself looks like nothing has corroded it should be fine.

dry off the case parts manually, gently dry the pcb parts you can reach with a paper towel, and let it air dry for at least a week or two before reassembling the power supply. (ideally, air dry it with active airflow across the components)

to test it, ideally put some form of low current rating fuse (i actually have a specific 3A breaker for this) in front of the power supply. then enable power to the power supply (ideally from an external switch) and test in the following order. if a test fails, unplug and dispose the power supply. only if it passes, continue testing.

- test if the chassis is reference to ground with a voltmeter, it should read 0 volts. (EDIT: ground, as in a grounded outlet, not a ground pin on the power supply itself.)

- test the +5vsb rail, it should be roughly 5 volts (+/- 10%)

- use a resistor (or really.. a paperclip or something is fine...) to pull PS_ON to ground. the power supply should spin up as normal.

- measure the output of a molex plug, specificly 12 volts should be roughly 12 volts, and 5 volts should be roughly 5 volts.

- measure the output of the 24-pin. all the voltage rails should read within spec, all the grounds should be ground.

 

if all that is good, i'd say chances are pretty good it's survived the ordeal.

if at  any point the power supply makes a pop or crackling noise (aside from maybe the fan bearing being absolutely screwed up..) disconnect it IMMEDIATELY.

if the breaker trips, dispose of the power supply.

if any of the voltage rails are out of spec, it's probably not suitable as a computer power supply anymore.

 

also, i say specificly to reassemble the power supply to test it, so in case a component goes thermonuclear on you the power supply casing is there to protect you. dont be an idiot and hug your power supply while connecting it to mains for the first time. essentially assume the worst and hope for the best.

[Beerzerker]

On 1/24/2023 at 12:31 PM, Zando_ said:

What do you think putting it in the garage is...

 

^^^ pretty much this if it sat for a while, as corrosion would be a concern if the water was just sitting in it till it evaporated. 

I misread what was posted, I thought they had said garbage instead of garage.

My bad, my F'up.