I accidentally punctured my laptop while cleaning the bottom—what should I do?
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MellowCedar42
I have an HP EliteBook 830 G7, and one of the bottom rubber feet was coming loose. While cleaning the old adhesive with a needle, I accidentally poked it into a hole near the foot. A small amount of white smoke came out and the fans started running, so I set the laptop on the floor and stopped. The puncture was on the side closest to me when the laptop is sitting normally. I'm not comfortable opening it myself—should I take it to a repair shop, and is it still dangerous to handle?
Answers
Stop using it and disconnect power. If you can do so safely, keep it away from anything flammable and have a repair shop inspect it. Tell them exactly where you punctured it and that smoke appeared, since the internal lithium-ion battery may have been damaged. Don’t keep charging or operating it until it has been checked.
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A punctured lithium battery can become a fire hazard, even if it seems fine at first. Avoid charging it, pressing on the area, or storing it near combustible materials. In the future, use a plastic spudger or another nonconductive tool around the case instead of a metal needle. The battery may be replaceable, but inspection and disposal should be handled carefully.
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The battery in this model runs beneath much of the bottom panel, so the location matters. Since you’re not confident opening the laptop safely, don’t force yourself to disassemble it. A professional repair shop should be able to assess and remove a damaged battery; call ahead and explain the situation so they can prepare for a potentially hazardous battery.
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MellowCedar42: It was on the side closest to me when the laptop was in its normal position. I’m not confident enough to open it without causing an injury, so I’ll take it somewhere and explain what happened.