Appliance exposed to water safe to use?

[UseLeSsDiYr]

A relative recently mentioned this to me.

Their kid poured water into their small rice cooker they had, which leaked water from the bottom (where the main electrics and board are we think).

This happened a while ago and the rice cooker should now be dried out.

Would it be safe to turn it on to test if it works? What's the worst that can happen? Frazzle the entire home electrical wiring; blow the fuse box, or simply blow the fuses at the plug / extension lead level?

 

[JohnD]

if you can lay your hands on a fused RCD adaptor (they used to be very popular with electric lawn mowers and other garden tools) that would give fair protection.

I have washed quite a number of electrical and electronic parts in warm water with a tiny drop of WUL, then rinsed in deionised water before drying, but I usually dismantle them first. For example this is the recommended treatment for a PC keyboard when a drink is spilled on it. Sticky drink or food material will be more damaging than clean pure water.

Some components will not take kindly to being wet, hence the dismantling to see what's inside.

 

[SUNRAY]

If nothing untoward was washed into it at the time (salt for example) and it truly has dried out, then there should be no reason to expect damage.

 

[SUNRAY]

I've cleaned cups of tea and coffee out of several PC keyboards by immersing and swilling them around in warm water with a little fairy liquid while still wet with the drink but unplugged of course. I've even done the same thing with a fairly big audio mixer and a tray of several pints of beer.

I'd advocate a decent washing up liguid as some of the cheaper versions contain some weird ingredients.

EDIT: Not the first time I've been pipped to the post... and yes deionised or distilled water if available.

 

[UseLeSsDiYr]

Thanks for the replies.

Think it was just plain water which was tipped in, which flowed and leaked out from the bottom.

If I plugged it into an extension lead to try out, would it just short out the extension lead and/or the fuse in the main plug? Or if it was still damp (I think it's dried out by now), would I just see smoke emitted from the appliance itself?

Is it safe to plug into the mains to test without causing the house's electrical wiring to go kaput?

 

[JohnW2]

If I plugged it into an extension lead to try out, would it just short out the extension lead and/or the fuse in the main plug? Or if it was still damp (I think it's dried out by now), would I just see smoke emitted from the appliance itself?

Do the sockets circuits in the house have RCD protection (a trip switch in the consumer unit/fuse box which has a test button on it)? If so, then if there were any remaining problem due to water ingress, that would trip and prevent any further problem/damage arising.

Is it safe to plug into the mains to test without causing the house's electrical wiring to go kaput?

If the house's electrical installation is in satisfactory condition, then no harm would come to it as a result of anything wrong in the rice cooker - there are trip switches/fuses/whatever to protect the wiring from anything wrong in an appliance. It's potential risk to human beings which is more of an issue, so one certainly shouldn't touch the cooker when initially 'trying it'.

I'd be very surprised if the problem (due to the water) has not gone away by now.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

if you can lay your hands on a fused RCD adaptor (they used to be very popular with electric lawn mowers and other garden tools) that would give fair protection.

I have washed quite a number of electrical and electronic parts in warm water with a tiny drop of WUL, then rinsed in deionised water before drying, but I usually dismantle them first. For example this is the recommended treatment for a PC keyboard when a drink is spilled on it. Sticky drink or food material will be more damaging than clean pure water.

Some components will not take kindly to being wet, hence the dismantling to see what's inside.

I do exactly the same usually before attempting any repairs on electronics. It makes it much easier to find faults under the dirt, if it is cleaned off first followed by a thorough rinse under clean water, then allowed to dry completely. An airline helps to blow most of the water off, then left somewhere warm, or an hair drier if I am in a hurry.

 

[FrodoOne]

A relative recently mentioned this to me.

Their kid poured water into their small rice cooker they had, which leaked water from the bottom (where the main electrics and board are we think).

This happened a while ago and the rice cooker should now be dried out.

Would it be safe to turn it on to test if it works? What's the worst that can happen? Frazzle the entire home electrical wiring; blow the fuse box, or simply blow the fuses at the plug / extension lead level?

Many people are often confused regarding the risk of combining water with electrical supplies.

Pure water is not an electrical conductor.
Water containing dissolved Acids, Bases or Salts can conduct electricity - to a limited extent - and any remaining "salts" could be a problem.

If any electrical heating device has been "saturated" in "clean" water - and has then been "dried out" - there should be no problem.

(Even in the most extreme case, should any such [heating] device have been immersed in "Salt Water" and then "washed out" with "clean" water - to remove any "salts" and then dried - it is most unlikely that there would be any problem, apart with that which may have already "affected" any "electronics", which is quite another matter.)

 

[bernardgreen]

Pure water is not an electrical conductor.

True, but water that was pure and then put into a metal container or exposed to the air may no longer be pure.

This water that is now only 99.99% pure will conduct a few nano Amps across a damp PCB if a voltage potential exists. Nano Amps are more than enough to pull a few molecules of metal into the water. Very very slow process but it happens,

A fibre and resin PCB can absorb water into the fibres and completely drying this moisture out of the PCB is not easy.

 

[FrodoOne]

True, but water that was pure and then put into a metal container or exposed to the air may no longer be pure.

This water that is now only 99.99% pure will conduct a few nano Amps across a damp PCB if a voltage potential exists. Nano Amps are more than enough to pull a few molecules of metal into the water. Very very slow process but it happens,

A fibre and resin PCB can absorb water into the fibres and completely drying this moisture out of the PCB is not easy.

As you said.

 

[UseLeSsDiYr]

Thanks for reminding of the word 'ingress' John - my mind went blank when I posted this.

I don't think any of the mains sockets or fuse box has RCD protection.

 

[JohnW2]

Thanks for reminding of the word 'ingress' John - my mind went blank when I posted this.

It's not a word one hears being used much in everyday language, but it is the standard term for unwelcome entry of liquids or solids (from dust to fingers) into electrical items. Indeed, the "I" of "IP Rating" (specification of the degree of protection of an electrical item against entry of liquids or solids) stands for "Ingress".

I don't think any of the mains sockets or fuse box has RCD protection.

That's not so good, since RCDs exist to protect people against serious electrical shocks due to faulty (including water-laded) equipment.

Kind Regards, John