Just took my Phantom for a swim... HELP!!!

[iammrbt]

Hey guys. As an Electronics Technician for the Navy I thought I'd drop my 2 cents.

Instead of rice, use the packets of silica gel that often come stuffed in the pockets of new clothes and other things that get shipped typically. But acting fast is far more important than anything else, so don't waste time shopping if you don't already have a drawer full of silica gel.

The most important thing to remember is to avoid heat. That means no hair dryers, ovens, microwaves or extended periods in direct sunlight. While heat will certainly evaporate the moisture, it could also warp components and melt adhesives. Those fragile glues are also why you'll want to avoid using rubbing alcohol. Alcohol is a solvent and can dissolve the internal adhesives.

The absolute best option is a molecular sieve. It's so powerful if you saturate silica gel with water and place it in a bag with molecular sieve desiccant and it will suck the moisture out of the silica!

In short, rice is a good quick response (after removing the battery of course). Mind you you'll have to blow off the rice dust when you're done. After you've submerged your bird or any other electronic device in the rice try to poke around your house for silica gel (or start saving now for a rainy day (get it) but put it in a zip lock so it doesn't absorb ambient moisture).

If you anticipate problems in the future or just wanna be prepared, get some super awesome molecular sieve desiccant!

Info: https://www.sorbentsystems.com/desiccants_types.html
https://www.sorbentsystems.com/desiccants_charts.html

Buy: Molecular Sieve: Business & Industrial | eBay


Hope this helps!

 

[Timtro]

I saw a DJI PDF on water damage actions somewhere.lots of suggestions..

 

[GrampaF]

Unfortunately you can add my name to the list... Second day flying and took a dunk in a pond! A dunk was all it was though only about up to mid hull and I got it out. Trying to dry it right now but having a time getting the top hull half off! Any words of wisdom guys? Also there seems to be some clear red liquid on various parts of the drone. Some sort of sealant from DJI? Any place that services these things in and around Seattle? Thanks guys!

Red clear liquid seems to me to be some sort of "watermark" stuff that DJI puts in to ensure that if you DO fly it in the rain, or underwater (as I did), they can tell, and your warranty is no good.

Although I did all the right things right away and since, 4 days later after being unboxed from its rice-tomb: “No signal” from the P3S to the controller, though it shows it is "linked" (little green light on drone just above the gimbal and the serial number), and the Wifi shows a link. And the motors seem to play their happy tune when the remaining "good" battery is turned on.

The two rear "aircraft status lights are blinking red green yellow rapidly, which the manual tells me mean "warming up". But it never stops...

Any and all suggestions welcome at this point. Please.

 

[jryser]

IMU calibration?


Sent from my PT beating heart

 

[GrampaF]

IMU calibration?


Sent from my PT beating heart

Good idea. I'll try that after it gets out of the bath tub (giving it a fresh water bath even now 3 weeks after the swim and after the drying/rice, etc. ).

For others, here's the link to a How To: Phantom 3 IMU Calibration Reset Fixes Flight Errors And Bugs

 

[Bob Dennis]

The bottom line is once it's been in the water it DEAD. All these ideals will just give false hopes. Water and electronics do not mix and would you trust it after. It might seem OK at first but believe me corrosion will rise it's ugly head at some stage. Get a new one and stay away from water.

 

[jryser]

Not quite true. My main p3p took a dive in a pond. Got it out and dried it for three days and sent it in for repair. One engine was bent beyond repair. It was replaced. And THAT WAS IT. It's still my main bird several hundred hours later. These things get damp in fog or extremely humid conditions, etc. Being aware of corrosion, etc., is important and we should all check for that anyway.


Sent from my PT beating heart

 

[LB3]

WOW....dunked mine about an hour ago. Spanish tree moss hanging from cypress tree caught in the mother then into the river for about 20 mins.

Has anyone that posted in this thread successfully dried their bird?


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[dewaynet]

friend of mine got his p3advanced hung in a tree. That night it rained hard all night and half the next day. After the rain, someone climbed the tree and knocked it out and it landed into the river. Was only in the river about 10 seconds.. it was left out to air dry that night but in the morning he took top of shell off and sprayed contact cleaner on all of the parts. Peeled back the sticky tape on top of the shell that houses the GPS antenna, it had water inside of it.. dried that also. AFter everything was sprayed and dried, put fresh battery in it and its been flying ever since. Good luck to you.

 

[dotcomray]

I have just joined the club, dunked my new toy in the sea in Cornwall. It was wobbling a bit and headed towards a cliff and then hit a prop and fell 1m into sea water. I rescued it and am now force drying it with a dehumidifier at full blast. I think I needed to recalibrate the IMU before taking it up again.
Well I have learned.
I hope it starts up again OK but I'll leave it overnight to dry out.
[EDIT] just tried turning it on and at least one motor is shorted out. I am pretty disappointed. I'll need to order new motors.

On a positive note, I believe the motors are only $18 each from DJI.

 

[jryser]

WOW....dunked mine about an hour ago. Spanish tree moss hanging from cypress tree caught in the mother then into the river for about 20 mins.

Has anyone that posted in this thread successfully dried their bird?


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots mobile app

See my note right above urs!

 

[Fred B]

My P4 went for a swim in a local fresh-water creek. I immediately jumped in to grab it. It was upside-down in the water and the battery came out; i think it was in the water for about 30 seconds. I took off my shirt top use as a towel and raced home.

I unscrewed the grey, screen-like cover on the bottom. The gimbal and camera were just hanging free. I physically rotated the bird to try to release any little pockets of water and then aimed two small fans at it. I turned them on quite low and I rotated the bird every couple of hours for about 36 hours. I then crossed my fingers and started everything and tried the simulator. At first it wouldn't connect, but I powered everything off and on a couple of times and ... it did. And the sim worked fine. I took it outside and started it up. All good. 10' of altitude, then 20. Forward 20', backwards, left and right - all good. Video, check. Single pic, check. BTW - I'm using the same battery that was in the drink. Am feeling pretty lucky today,

 

[Maxxgold]

The bottom line is once it's been in the water it DEAD. All these ideals will just give false hopes. Water and electronics do not mix and would you trust it after. It might seem OK at first but believe me corrosion will rise it's ugly head at some stage. Get a new one and stay away from water.

This is the basic truth. Even if you dry it out properly with silica gel or rice, even if it miraculously works again, the damage is already done. It will just be a matter of time before it fails. Once the water gets in electronics, even whey you think you have dried it properly, you haven't.

Send it in and get it repaired. It shouldn't cost that much. Next time you know you have something important to do with your Phantom, you might not want to try and do anything risky.

 

[dwallersv]

Yes Auck it was the ESC - burned and nearly melted. I ordered spares from quadcopters.co.uk.
Any idea how to test the other 3?

I must say that apart from feeling a real prat and not very happy about the entire thing, the phantom is almost indefinitely reparable, its all so nice and modular.

If it fell into saltwater ("the sea"?), did you thoroughly flush it with fresh water, or better isopropyl alcohol, before drying it?

If not, there will be salt crystals all over the place, and the first time it encounters some fog or moisture in the air, you may short a bunch of places on the PCAs.

 

[DanMan32]

Generally with salt water intrusion it is a gonner but with fresh water you do have a chance.

Sent from my HTC 10 using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[dwallersv]

My P4 went for a swim in a local fresh-water creek. I immediately jumped in to grab it. It was upside-down in the water and the battery came out; i think it was in the water for about 30 seconds. I took off my shirt top use as a towel and raced home.

I unscrewed the grey, screen-like cover on the bottom. The gimbal and camera were just hanging free. I physically rotated the bird to try to release any little pockets of water and then aimed two small fans at it. I turned them on quite low and I rotated the bird every couple of hours for about 36 hours. I then crossed my fingers and started everything and tried the simulator. At first it wouldn't connect, but I powered everything off and on a couple of times and ... it did. And the sim worked fine. I took it outside and started it up. All good. 10' of altitude, then 20. Forward 20', backwards, left and right - all good. Video, check. Single pic, check. BTW - I'm using the same battery that was in the drink. Am feeling pretty lucky today,

Man, you are! Great to hear this story!

One thing: Toss the battery. I know they're expensive, but you should never trust a Lipo that's been submerged (unless it is specifically engineered for the purpose). We already know that these batteries are vulnerable to water intrusion, as other accidental submersion has resulted in battery destruction.

I would never again use a Lipo that's been in water for any purpose with such risk should the battery fail. Just because it's working doesn't mean it isn't damaged and on the verge of some catastrophic failure. The unique issue with the battery distinct from every other part of the aircraft is it involved active chemistry, something water does have a big impact on.

It's not worth it -- especially after dodging a bullet already!

 

[dwallersv]

Generally with salt water intrusion t is a gonner but with fresh water you do have a chance.

Pretty much, but like a heart attack, there is a rescue window and it gets more grim with each passing minute.

Still, if you get it out pretty quickly (say, you're on a boat) and flush it really really thoroughly (take it apart and dunk the parts in a big tub of fresh water) then follow all the drying advice already discussed, you may salvage it.

 

[dwallersv]

This is the basic truth. Even if you dry it out properly with silica gel or rice, even if it miraculously works again, the damage is already done. It will just be a matter of time before it fails. Once the water gets in electronics, even whey you think you have dried it properly, you haven't.

This simply is not true.