would this be a better alternative if electronic get wet?

[Bambi91]

So we have all seen these silica gel pack in things like trainers and some electronics. they are there to soke up any moister in the closed environment so my question is would this be a faster and more efficient than any other method?  Now i do understand you would need a ton of these in order to put some electronics in (gpus/power supplies) but assume you just always saved them up or was to buy a load of them.

[TatamiMatt]

1 minute ago, Bambi91 said:

So we have all seen these silica gel pack in things like trainers and some electronics. they are there to soke up any moister in the closed environment so my question is would this be a faster and more efficient than any other method?  Now i do understand you would need a ton of these in order to put some electronics in (gpus/power supplies) but assume you just always saved them up or was to buy a load of them.

These would help, but electronics, provided theyre not turned on, have no issue getting wet and drying off if given enough time, this will just decrease the time it takes for that drying to occur, in my work place our products come with giant versions of these, like 500g each, i like to take them home and basically use them as an alternative to those little dehumidifiers tubs you can buy

[Skipple]

Assuming that you are able to disconnect the power supply quickly enough, the issue with getting electronics wet is often not the moisture itself, but rather the minerals and deposits that are left behind after the liquid evaporates. This will cause corrosion to the electronic components over time and is the true killer. I would argue that it's much more important to wash electronics with something like isopropyl alcohol to remove any foreign debris than to remove the actual liquid. 

[TatamiMatt]

2 minutes ago, Skipple said:

The issue with getting electronics wet is often not the moisture itself, assuming that you are able to disconnect the power supply quickly enough, but rather the minerals and deposits that are left behind after the liquid evaporates. 

I mean, youre not wrong, i meant moreso spilling a little water onto a turned off component vs giving it a monthly bubble bath to keep it clean though 

[Skipple]

11 minutes ago, TatamiMatt said:

I mean, youre not wrong, i meant moreso spilling a little water onto a turned off component vs giving it a monthly bubble bath to keep it clean though

This is what I'm referring to as well. The act of spelling water on a computer that's disconnected from power will do very little harm. The minerals contained in the water left behind after evaporation are what causes damage to the component.

[Needfuldoer]

The biggest problem with silica gel packs is that they can only take on so much moisture before they stop working. Sometimes you can revive them by baking them at a low temperature (hot air can hold more moisture, so the packs dry out), and the big "reusable" desiccant packs basically have the same stuff inside.

 

I use one of these "closet dehumidifiers" inside an airtight plastic storage bin for storing 3D printer filament. Those closet dehumidifier tubs are also just silica gel desiccant, but they've got some room underneath them for water to drip through so they last longer. The filament bin lives in my basement, which stays at 50% RH thanks to a real dehumidifier, so even after a year there's nothing in the bottom of the container.

 

If you deal with wet electronics that often, you might want to think about getting something like a food dehydrator for drying them out. (Well, first think about preventing your electronics from getting soaked in the first place...)

 

59 minutes ago, Skipple said:

This is what I'm referring to as well. The act of spelling water on a computer that's disconnected from power will do very little harm. The minerals contained in the water left behind after evaporation are what causes damage to the component.

Exactly. I've washed many circuit boards in tap water, sometimes with dish detergent, then rinsed them with regular distilled water. They've all been fine. Just remove clock batteries and make sure they're bone dry before applying power. PCBs are tougher than some seem to think they are.

 

Since I got an ultrasonic cleaner, I've been running it with distilled water spiked with Zep floor stripper. YouTubers recommend Branson EC but it's harder to find and much more expensive, and based on what I read in their SDSes the Zep cleaner has the same active ingredient and surfactants. (Zep is $15 a gallon at the big box hardware stores, Branson EC is $30 per quart and you have to mail order it.) Again, everything I've put through this process so far has been just fine.

[Poinkachu]

1 hour ago, Bambi91 said:

So we have all seen these silica gel pack in things like trainers and some electronics. they are there to soke up any moister in the closed environment so my question is would this be a faster and more efficient than any other method?  Now i do understand you would need a ton of these in order to put some electronics in (gpus/power supplies) but assume you just always saved them up or was to buy a load of them.

I just hang & leave it alone for some time, depending on how wet and intricate it is.

If I need it dry fast then I will try to dismantle and use towel & pressurized air.

 

I can use those silica gel pack of course, but that seems like a waste since I'd probably need a buttload.

I do put some in the plastic bag / box for unused electronics though.