Water in GPSr

[+hamgran]

I have an older Garmin Etrex Vista C, and the rubber gasket around the outside has loosened considerably (a perennial problem with the Etrex series).

The unit got dunked in a lake a few days ago, and now there's water behind the screen (a few drops in the corners). I can turn it on, and get the first page, but none of the buttons will work.

Is there a way to save it, or is it now geojunk?

(I ordered one of the new Vista HCX's last month, thank goodness, but it hasn't come in yet, so in the meantime I've resorted to using an old black-and-white Vista).

- hamgran

[+Miragee]

Because this is a "perennial" problem, I would call Garmin and get an RMA. Even though it might be out of warranty, since this is a known problem, they might fix it.

[+dew cache]

Well now that you have turned it on there is probably not much chance to it will work again because the water probably shorted something out. A few years ago I dropped a phone out of my pocket it to a bucket of water. The first thing I did was remove the battery and put the phone in the front window of my car in the hot sun and left it there all day to dry out. When I put the battery back in the next day it worked fine for about 6 months and then died I don't know if it was because of the water or not.

[+TrailGators]

Because this is a "perennial" problem, I would call Garmin and get an RMA. Even though it might be out of warranty, since this is a known problem, they might fix it.

I would call Garmin too.

[+BlueDeuce]

Is there a way to save it, or is it now geojunk?

 

Give it a few days in a dry location. You should be able to get it working once it dries out.

[lewis82]

Or just open it up and paint the rusted contacts with contact paint (Paint with gold particles in it so that it becomes a very good electricity conductor).

 

If that works for keyboards it surely works for GPSrs.

[+Sputnik 57]

If you're willing to invest a few dollars, go by your local hobby supply and buy some silica gel (dessicant used for drying flowers). Put some into the toe of some old pantyhose or an old sock, and put it with your GPSr into a one gallon zip-lock bag for a few hours.

 

Edit: If you're feeling especially brave, you can open up the unit to dry it out (I believe the discussion is for a Vista, but similar steps apply).

Edited July 13, 2007 by Sputnik 57

[SergZak]

Put some into the toe of some old pantyhose or an old sock, and put it with your GPSr into a one gallon zip-lock bag for a few days.

 

It might be better to use a new sock (or at least wash the old sock if you're gonna use it).

[+EScout]

I would open it up and rinse with distilled water. Then leave open and put in a warm dry place for a couple of days. Light setting with a hair dryer will speed things up. I did this when my son dropped his cell phone in water. The battery shorted and was dead. However it worked fine with new battery.

 

The water you drop it in is important. Dirty and it needs rinsing. Salt water and you may only have a few minutes to rinse. Some recommend distilled followed by alcohol rinse, but I do not think this is needed.

[+hamgran]

Lots of great ideas here - thanks, everyone.

I called Garmin (US) and they're getting back to me on Monday - they're trying to arrange to have it fixed under warranty (even though it's over 2 years old) because the outer rubber gasket wasn't doing its job. Complicating matters is the fact that I'm in Canada, so they'll have to authorize Quebec to make the repairs.

I'll wait to hear from them, and if a no go I'll try opening the unit up myself.

- hamgran