I spilled water on my keyboard, help!

[Worius]

So basically I spilled water on my steelseries apex 100.
I immediately unplugged it from my pc and then I let the keyboard dry outside on the sun.
I thought its fine as it is a "water proof keyboard" but it wasn't fine...
After 2-3 hours I decided to plug it in and try it out, it worked for the first few seconds and then the "A" key acted like I was constantly holding it and after 3-5 seconds it stopped working completely.
the same happened with "Q" and "Z".
I'm completely lost, what should I do? is the keyboard a goner?

 

[mjslakeridge]

2-3 hours might not be enough for the keyboard to completely dry out. Are there any screws on the bottom side of the keyboard that you could remove to open it up and let it dry out more? Maybe place a room fan to blow air over it for a few hours. If it was just plain water and not a sticky liquid like soda or lemonade, it should eventually dry out and not cause any damage.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Disassemble the keyboard and let it dry for a day.

 

[10tacle]

Yes for sure a few hours is not enough to dry a keyboard out. Water still gets into nooks and crannies and will take time to dissipate. As the other guy said, you are best to take it apart and let everything dry being exposed.

 

[Solandri]

"Waterproof" keyboards are rubber dome keyboards. The rubber domes collapse when you press a key. In the "waterproof" models, the domes are attached to a continuous silicone layer, instead of a separate dome for each key.
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XBkKlXqRfLg/VvP2s8SL7KI/AAAAAAAATzQ/D67E6y--K5YRnXgeDvKKatqeODjsmmHHg/s1600/IMG_8283.JPG
http://imagescdn.tweaktown.com/content/6/9/6919_21_tt-esports-challenger-prime-gaming-keyboard-review.jpg

When depressed, a conductive pad on the bottom of the dome contacts traces on the PCB (printed circuit board) completing the circuit saying that the key has been pushed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiclet_keyboard#/media/File:Rubber_keyboard_remote_control.jpg

Your symptoms usually occur when water gets between the silicone layer and the PCB. The water conducts and makes the PCB think the key is depressed. The fix is to just dry out the water (if this was a flavored drink like soda, time is of the essence as the syrup can dry creating a permanent conductive layer). The best way is to disassemble the keyboard, carefully lift off the silicone layer, wipe dry any water, and leave it apart for a few hours to dry.

But if you can't open up the keyboard, usually leaving it unplugged for a day or two to dry will work. This method carries a slight risk of corrosion which can permanently degrade or destroy the keyboard. But dome keyboards are cheap to replace if this happens.

 

[Worius]

"Waterproof" keyboards are rubber dome keyboards. The rubber domes collapse when you press a key. In the "waterproof" models, the domes are attached to a continuous silicone layer, instead of a separate dome for each key.
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XBkKlXqRfLg/VvP2s8SL7KI/AAAAAAAATzQ/D67E6y--K5YRnXgeDvKKatqeODjsmmHHg/s1600/IMG_8283.JPG
http://imagescdn.tweaktown.com/content/6/9/6919_21_tt-esports-challenger-prime-gaming-keyboard-review.jpg

When depressed, a conductive pad on the bottom of the dome contacts traces on the PCB (printed circuit board) completing the circuit saying that the key has been pushed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiclet_keyboard#/media/File:Rubber_keyboard_remote_control.jpg

Your symptoms usually occur when water gets between the silicone layer and the PCB. The water conducts and makes the PCB think the key is depressed. The fix is to just dry out the water (if this was a flavored drink like soda, time is of the essence as the syrup can dry creating a permanent conductive layer). The best way is to disassemble the keyboard, carefully lift off the silicone layer, wipe dry any water, and leave it apart for a few hours to dry.

But if you can't open up the keyboard, usually leaving it unplugged for a day or two to dry will work. This method carries a slight risk of corrosion which can permanently degrade or destroy the keyboard. But dome keyboards are cheap to replace if this happens.

Thanks for the help! I disassembled the keyboard successfully and everything was as you described. There was water on the silicone layer and now I'm going to leave it for around 2 days to dry out. I think I don't have to worry that much as it was just clean water.