I had my ThinkPad E14 Gen 7 in a sleeve inside my backpack during a rain shower. While it wasn't directly exposed to the rain, I noticed some moisture around the left port side (where the USB and HDMI ports are) after I took it out. The keyboard, screen, and underside of the laptop didn't show any signs of water. The laptop was off during this time, and I've kept it powered off since then.
To mitigate any potential issues, I've put the laptop in tent mode with the port side facing down and set up a fan to create continuous airflow. I'm planning to wait for about 48 to 72 hours before trying to power it on.
I'm wondering:
- How likely is it for moisture to travel deeper into the device via the ports as opposed to just staying on the surface?
- Is waiting 48 to 72 hours with passive airflow a good approach for drying it out?
- Should I consider opening the chassis to disconnect the battery and inspect the port-side board, or would that be overkill?
- Are there any specific issues I should look for on the first boot, like problems with the USB controller or charging IC?
I'd appreciate any insights or experiences from those who have dealt with similar situations.
1 Answer
I've had a similar experience where I spilled a half glass of water on a Lenovo while it was off. I opened the back cover, disconnected the battery, dried the visible areas with a towel, and left it for about 3-4 hours without any fan. I powered it up afterward, and it worked fine. Your plan seems a bit excessive, but if you're comfortable waiting, it's probably a good call to be safe.
I had a little mist in my laptop's port side too. I didn't power it on yet and checked the back panel, but I didn't see any moisture. I'm planning to give it about 48 hours before turning it on.