# please help! water damage SD slot



## annastone (Jul 19, 2017)

hello,

My powershot got damp. put it straight in rice and it turned on fine 4 days later. However, there is a "memory card error" message. we know that their is nothing wrong with the card as we have tried multiple others.

does anyone know what the issue could be and how we could fix it?

Hannah


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## astroNikon (Jul 19, 2017)

Damp?
Like someone spritzed it or you dropped it in a bucket of water?

Check the SD card slot for contimination such as rice dust etc.  blow out if you can.  Clean th contacts on the ex card with an eraser though it sounds like the camera.

Electronics and water don't mix.


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## petrochemist (Jul 19, 2017)

astroNikon said:


> Damp?
> Like someone spritzed it or you dropped it in a bucket of water?
> 
> Check the SD card slot for contimination such as rice dust etc.  blow out if you can.  Clean th contacts on the ex card with an eraser though it sounds like the camera.
> ...



One other thing to try if that doesn't work is iso-propanol on a cotton bud, wiped over the contacts on the camera, and leave to dry.

Water inside the camera might have damaged the card interface. It's possible that some water is still inside despite the rice trick, leaving the camera somewhere warm & dry (like a domestic airing cupboard) with the card door open, MIGHT help. Too high a temperature can be harmful to the electronics too but ~50°C should be fine.

In the lab here we have a vacuum oven which is ideal for frying things. We can set it to a low temperature & reduce the pressure so water still boils away. Worked wonders when my son dropped his phone in a fountain, but unfortunately not easily accessible for you!


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## Overread (Jul 19, 2017)

Water itself only causes damage if a charge runs through the unit whilst wet. Once dry the damage is often caused by minerals and such that were in the water and which are left behind when the water evaporates. Thus physical cleaning of the contacts (if possible) might be all you need to do.

I have seen others give items another bath in deionised water after removing all batteries (both the camera battery and the internal memory battery - although this latter can be hard to access in many units). Deionised water is pure water and thus has no mineral content; thus another wash, in theory ,washes out any material. You then just need to dry the unit out fully.

However undertaking such actions will void any warranty and, if done wrong, could cause more damage so its a risk.


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## KmH (Jul 19, 2017)

The trick is getting down to the contacts in a SD card slot to clean them.


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