coke sprayed into the desktop tower

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Drift0r

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Aug 13, 2014
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I've recently spilt my can of coke near my desktop tower. I had the misfortune of the can spraying a substantial amount of coke into my computers running parts. Computer BSOD'd while I was staring in shock, then I rushed to turn it off, unplug the power supply and dismantle the tower to get at the quickly drying soda. I've dismantled all the parts nearest to the coke spray and wiped them down. (A fan, and the Hard Drive) Now reassembled, I'm leaving my computer to dry, and I do not plan on turning it on until I'm certain all the coke has dried.

Questions I have:
1. Is there anything else I should be doing to maximize chances of success at recovering from the coke spill?
2. How long should I wait before I switch power back on to my device?
3. What realistically are my chances of my computer emerging from this still working?
 
Solution
When we said alcohol or water, that pretty much means soaking it, and then a full bath....not just a spritz or two. The cleaning liquid needs to get into every nook and cranny that the coke may have gotten into.

This really depends on how much and where.
What would I do?

Soak in an alcohol bath to dissolve everything.
Wash under running tapwater to get rid of the alcohol.
Wash under running distilled water to get rid of the tap water residue.
Let dry for a few days.


What should I be washing it off with? How long do I have before the residue damages my setup?
 


As long as it is not powered on, nothing bad will happen.

To wash off? Distilled water, and then let it dry for a few days.
 
Isopropol,

Basically a about 90% alcohol.

It will clean off most glue, or sticky liquid then evaporate.
Leaving the surface clean and dry, and grease free.

As for the chances, It`s any ones guess.
But Any liquid will cause a short.
And you wont know if serious damage has been done till you test the system again after cleaning.
I would say it`s 50/50.

 


Where would I get distilled water?

I've looked around and I've seen posts regarding 99% alcohol of some sort? (Isopropol)? Which one is better for this situation?
 


If it is already dried (likely) the alcohol. That has the potential to dissolve the dried solids. Where to buy depends on where you live. Me, the drugstore around the corner.
If it was not yet dried, the distilled water. Again, where to buy depends on where you live. FOr me, the grocery store around the corner.
In the US...
 


So just making sure- Spraying the alcohol on my hard drive won't damage the inner parts? It feels weird spraying liquids onto sensitive electronics (even although it already happened)

Also, to everyone who replied to this thread thank you sincerely for your help and time. Its amazing how nice this community is. I hope you all have a wonderful day/night and thank you again for the help and responses.
 
When we said alcohol or water, that pretty much means soaking it, and then a full bath....not just a spritz or two. The cleaning liquid needs to get into every nook and cranny that the coke may have gotten into.

This really depends on how much and where.
What would I do?

Soak in an alcohol bath to dissolve everything.
Wash under running tapwater to get rid of the alcohol.
Wash under running distilled water to get rid of the tap water residue.
Let dry for a few days.
 
Solution
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