P3P wet, in 3 feet of water for 12 hours

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went too close to some branches and hit them. The drone fell into a flooded creek (from recent rain) and was sumerged in about 3 feet of water for 12 hours. The following morning the flooding had gone and was able to retrieve it. Took the battery out and cleaned/dried the drone up as much as I could. I put it in my car, which gets really hot (hey, this is Texas). Even though it was in murkey water, it actually looks good, with no visible damage/dirt. Battery I think is gone (I have two more) with one green light always on. I am planning to leave it in the car for a couple of days (could it be too hot?) before I even try to turn it on again.
Any suggestions? ok to cover it with rice? (afraid that the rice gets inside and do more damage than good if grains stay inside), How long should I wait to try to turn it on again? should I open it and try to clean it up inside?

Suggestions, thoughts?
Thx!
 
Rinse it out with distilled water and put it under a fan. Open air drying under a fan is MUCH more effective than rice.

Too much heat (hot car) is never a good thing.
 
Distilled water bath...blowout with compressed air...then a dessicant to absorb the rest of the moisture....look for Damp away, in home depot...it is used to reduce moisture in basements and such....and then pray.....a lot.....good luck
 
Moving air is better than a desiccant, unless you're in an extremely humid environment
 
I already got it to dry without rinsing it out with distlled water....would it be a good idea to rinse it out and get it wet again?
 
I already got it to dry without rinsing it out with distlled water....would it be a good idea to rinse it out and get it wet again?

That's a tough call. Not sure at this point.

If the water was murky, I'd say it might be worth it. The dirt and dissolved minerals can cause corrosion as well as shorts.
 
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That's a tough call. Not sure at this point.

If the water was murky, I'd say it might be worth it. The dirt and dissolved minerals can cause corrosion as well as shorts.

Hmm,

Mine fell is 5' of murky fresh water this morning. I shook it out, blew it out well with air compressor in all vents, motors & openings. Then placed in Hot box (cardboard box with space heater) for about 30 min.

Then - started worrying about the heat. So now I have a fan 3" away blowing into it which I will rotate around for a few hours, then place in bag of rice overnight.

BUT - the water was pretty murky.
Hate to wet it again, but have to consider rinsing with distilled........
Really don't want to though.
 
If this were to happen to me I would without a doubt open the A/C and use light compressed air along with removing connected plugs and blowing those with the compressed air. The GPS is in the center of top cover and has the aluminum sheet cover over it. It should be removed allowing to to unscrew the GPS and clean it properly.

The battery is a complete loss and should be discarded in the proper manner. I've been told those batteries can be like mini bombs if not respected.
 
If this were to happen to me I would without a doubt open the A/C and use light compressed air along with removing connected plugs and blowing those with the compressed air. The GPS is in the center of top cover and has the aluminum sheet cover over it. It should be removed allowing to to unscrew the GPS and clean it properly.

The battery is a complete loss and should be discarded in the proper manner. I've been told those batteries can be like mini bombs if not respected.
I was afraid of that.
Need to get the proper bits for the screws. But I'll do that today.
What is the best way to "clean" the GPS unit?
Other than wiping it off and blowing air to dry it?

Also now that the motors have gotten wet (And I am pretty sure getting very dry now) do I need any kind of lube anywhere at all?


thanks for the replies guys.
 
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I did get some nice shots though....
LincPk-LSD_0541-1200pxWeb.jpg
 
I was afraid of that.
Need to get the proper bits for the screws. But I'll do that today.
What is the best way to "clean" the GPS unit?
Other than wiping it off and blowing air to dry it?

Also now that the motors have gotten wet (And I am pretty sure getting very dry now) do I need any kind of lube anywhere at all?


thanks for the replies guys.
Use rubbing alcohol on the electronics.
 
I'd like to know how this works out. The electronics, if they didn't experience some form of current surge on initial impact might survive. I agree the battery is toast and would never trust it again, dispose of it. Isopropyl alcohol, other than simply cleaning the electronics, has little restorative value. If it were my bird, my biggest concern would be the motors. Murky water indicates high levels of impurities (dirt grit, algae, other organic material) and could certainly foul a motor. The precision tolerance and clearance inside the motors might be degraded if not destroyed by grinding up particulates. Disassembly, an extremely thorough cleaning, a serious drying out and the luck of the Irish. I know the pucker factor spikes when I fly mine over brackish or salt water which is a write off wreck. Fresh water, there is hope, I really hope it works out for you.
 
Guys, attempting to remove the top of shell. But the screws on inside of arm- right up agains the landing legs, are VERY tight.
Using a #8 Torcs screwdriver and it fits fine but I am really having trouble getting the screws to move. WAY tight.
They do unscrew in Counter clockwise direction right?

PS- Nevermind. Used a small pliers for more leverage to turn it. that's what it needed. All good...
 
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Got the screws off- but now having a ***** of a time getting the retaining clips undone. Break my thumbs....
 
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I am defeated.
Can't undo the snap locks. Crap.
don't want to break it.
Back to a hot box & rice.....
 
Cleaning out dirt and minerals is critical. Make sure to dry it for 2-3 days before attempting to turn it on. Electronics are very sensitive to over current which can occur due to moisture. Most likely the damage if any would have occurred within the first minute of water intrusion when the battery still had energy.



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My current plan is to use the hot box (lower setting) for a couple more hours. Then seal in a bag for a day or two with a lot of rice.
Then maybe start it up & see if it works at all.
THEN - since I do have a backup, send it to my guy in New York and have THEM take it apart, clean & check.

I do think I got most of the crap out. Using the air compressor really helped a lot.
Initially a lot of moisture came out of the motors and then the air stream got each one spinning freely and very fast. Don't think they would have spun like that if any debris remained.
But I will have them checked.
 
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