ok, damage avoided...for now?

S

seanessey

Registered
hi everybody.

@ 0040 hrs on Sunday 10th June, I spilled white wine (I don't even drink white wine very often, I feel so stupid) into my MacBook keyboard. About half a large glass, I think.

I know it was 00:40, as it is now around 2100 hrs on Monday evening, 11th June, and I've turned on my MacBook and that is what the time says at top right.

I didn't panic as much as I should've the second the glass spilt. The laptop was plugged in (charging while I used it) and a few seconds after the wine hit, the screen went dead. I turned it on again, after wiping up the obvious wine on the keyboard. It got to login, I logged in, it went dead after a few seconds of being logged in I think. After that I think I realised it was serious, so I left it upside down and open overnight.

The next day I went to an internet cafe and learned that I had not really acted quick enough, not unplugged it straight away, not removed the battery. Was to leave it at least two days, and even then I had probably ruined it forever barring a very expensive fix at the Mac shop.

So I have to say i'm a bit surprised to be writing this. Everything seems to work fine. I have opened iTunes, iChat, browsed using Safari, checked mail using Mail. I haven't updated the time yet, and the computer is running from the mains - but I think I might be right in guessing this is an emergency switch of preferred power source when it shut down, and I might be able to change it back to charging and running alone as I did before.

There is a noticeable smell of hot white wine emanating. But I've got this far. I'm going to post this, and turn it off, and turn it on again later. I hope I won't be reading your replies from an internet cafe.

Have I got away with it or is trouble around the corner? My MacBook isn't insured, the warranty doesn't cover idiocy, and I have spent Sunday and Monday preparing to somehow get a replacement.

I would appreciate your thoughts. Thank you.
sean
 
see if you drank white wine more often, the alcohol wouldn't affect you as much and you wouldn't have spilt. That's the way I see it. ;)

You don't know what damage it has done unless you open it up. How much life your macbook is going to be an unknown. I know the thinkpads have waterproof keypads, but I am unsure of the macbook. I just got mine. From the surface it doesn't look very waterproof.
 
Back in 1999, someone had given me a toy, that was rubber, in the shape of a hot dog (don't let your mind wonder too much) and was filled with a liquid. When you squeezed one side of the toy, it would jump to the other side of your hand or fly across the table. I was sitting at my office, reading something on my Powerbook, fiddling with this toy and it broke, dumping all the liquid onto the keyboard, and subsequent ruining the keyboard, logic board and ram. That was an expensive fix. :(

The good news for you, your system powers up and until you fully test everything, and assuming no liquid is left in the case to migrate over to an electronics during transport, I think you got off easy this time. Aside from any remaining wine that has not dried, I doubt your facing a ticking time bomb. If the damage had been caused, it would be painfully obvious by now.
 
Hmm... I've powered up and logged back in. I think I may have screwed up the battery though as I don't seem to be able to change the power source to battery, unless I simply can't see how to do it.

Other than that it seems to be all right. I'm concerned that heat will cause some sticky wine residue to melt and do something, but only leaving it on for some time will tell me.

Curses. I'll never do it again! Has anyone else done this recently, with a MacBook perhaps? I can't be the only one...

Can anyone lend any advice on the battery thing, is there something in System Preferences I'm missing? When I click on the battery logo at top right of the screen by the (still incorrect) time, the Power Source is in faded letters, i.e. not clickable. I think this means the MacBook isn't picking up battery power as an option. A new battery maybe?
 
Sugar and circuits do not mix. Hopefully, it's not on a sensitive part of the LB, but it still can degrade over time.
 
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