This is what you need to do to save your MacBook Pro from water damage. Act quickly to turn off the power and get the water out as this will help.
I’m writing this guide on a MacBook Pro, where I poured a glass or more of water on it, closed the keyboard, and took some of it behind the screen.
Water damage is a bigger problem on the MacBook Pro, MacBook, or MacBook Air than it is on the iPhone, but you can still save your laptop if you act fast and the luck is on your side.
Act fast to save your MacBook from water damage.
Undoing MacBook water damage is easier than beer, soda, or other liquids, but nothing is guaranteed.
This do-it-yourself path is just the beginning, and unfortunately corrosion can ruin important parts of a MacBook Pro, even with minimal exposure. Here’s what you need to do.
- Unplug the MacBook from power.
- Turn it off completely.
- Remove all cables and accessories
- Take or drain as much water as possible from your MacBook Pro.
- If possible, open the MacBook.
- Pack in silica.
- Proceed with deep cleaning.
The first four steps are the ones you can do on your own and do it fast.
1. Unplug the MacBook from the wall outlet.
Unplug the power cord from your MacBook or MacBook Pro.
Keep your personal safety in mind. You don’t want an electric shock from a computer. If the laptop is completely submerged in water, you may need to turn off the power at the circuit breaker.
Pay attention to the battery power even if it is not plugged in. Do not touch the Macbook Pro if it is very hot, smoking, or has other strange symptoms. If it’s safe, here’s what you need to do.
You cannot remove the battery on most modern MacBook and MacBook Pro models.
2. Shut Down Your MacBook Pro ASAP
When power is disconnected, shut down your MacBook as soon as possible. You may need to hold down the power button for 10 seconds or you can use the normal shutdown routine.
At this point, don’t worry about saving documents, you should juice the MacBook and turn off the power as soon as possible.
3. Unplug All Cables and Accessories
If your MacBook Pro is plugged into a dock, monitor, or other accessories, you must remove them.
This prevents water damage from ruining things connected to your computer and opens these ports to remove water.
4. Get As Much Water From Your MacBook as You Can
At this stage, you need to remove the juice from your MacBook. Water is on the keyboard and in the hinge area on the side of your MacBook.
I turned my MacBook Pro sideways and shook it to get the juice out. I switched to canned Air with as much water as possible by holding it sideways and shaking it.
I used a side-to-side spray pattern to remove the water from my Macbook Pro keyboard and along the hinge, spraying from the driest side to the wettest side.
Do not use a hair dryer or anything hot to cool your MacBook Pro.
This is a step that you need to do quickly and that you may want to repeat a few times until you see water coming out of your MacBook Pro.
5. Open Your MacBook
Modern MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro models are harder to open, but you can do it if you have the right tools. I used an iFixit toolkit to unscrew the MacBook Pro, and then unscrew the edges using small guitar pick-like spacers to unbutton my MacBook Pro.
With this deficit I used canned air again and then switched to Silica.
6. Silica Pack
Stick to silicate to dry your MacBook Pro.
I was lucky to have a friend who had a lot of silica gel on hand. I packed the MacBook Pro in a plastic container filled with silica gel packets for 72 hours. During this time I changed packages once. I used at least 20 kilos of silica in this step.
When I plugged in the MacBook Pro there was water behind the screen and the screen was flickering before I shut it down. After this, the screen looks perfect and the MacBook Pro works, but this is not the end and there is a case of never going back for a deep clean. You can DIY the deep cleaning, but be prepared to spend a lot of money and time.
You can buy silica gel at Amazon and you can also find them for sale at local hobby stores.
7. Deep Cleansing
At this point my MacBook Pro is working, but iFixit warns I may not be out of the woods yet.
Water can cause corrosion that can take days, weeks, or months to cause a problem.
With this iFixit guide You can take apart your MacBook Pro and use the tools list to examine your MacBook for water damage.
At this stage, I can’t justify spending about $1,000 on equipment and parts to repair my MacBook Pro, especially considering that I may need to repair parts of the logic board outside of my area of expertise and spend more on spares.
I’m planning to take my MacBook Pro back and I might dig deeper and look for corrosion, but at this stage I may just need to see what happens. If you’re lucky your MacBook will survive further work, but that’s not guaranteed.
You should back up your MacBook and make regular backups.
Macbook Water Damage Repair, Warranty and Insurance Options
If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route for deep cleaning, you can seek professional help, but be prepared to spend a decent amount of money.
Let’s start with warranties. AppleCare does not cover liquid damage. This is the warranty I have and it means Apple won’t fix water damage for free. I might be out of any warranty as it was water damage. This was all Apple had to offer when I got my MacBook Pro.
If you bought a MacBook after June 2017, you may have AppleCare+ for Mac. If you have it, you are protected from accidental damage, including water damage. You still have to pay a $299 service fee for other damage, but it’s cheap compared to an out-of-warranty fix.
If you need to pay Apple to fix your water-damaged Macbook Pro, Can charge $840 to $1,340. You can expect Apple to send this in for repair.
You can also search for an authorized repair center locally. You can search for an Apple Authorized partner or a third party. When you look around, you should expect a clear estimate, as well as a call, a 30- to 45-day repair warranty, and good reviews before any work exceeds that estimate.
While dealing with this issue, I’ve seen many online posts saying that homeowners’ or renters’ insurance covers water damage on a MacBook. You can consult your representative, but I saw that this was not an accident.
If my MacBook Pro died from a lightning strike, fire, or water damage from a sewer backup, which is what I’m covered, it will most likely be covered by insurance, but accidental water falling into it is not covered by many policies.
In the end, I may have to buy the 2018 MacBook Pro if corrosion starts to be an issue.
