If you are looking to buy any kind of vehicle, whether it is a car, truck, or a piece of farm equipment like a tractor, one of the things that a lot of people do not think about checking into is whether or not it has been flooded before. Even if a vehicle has been flooded, a record of the flood may not be obtainable from a vehicle history report. If the owner of the car did not report the flooding of the vehicle to the insurance company, then it will not appear on a vehicle history report, such as one obtainable from Carfax.com. There are, however, other ways to check to see if the vehicle you are considering buying is water damaged. It is not as difficult as it might seem to detect whether a vehicle has been water damaged or not, although if you do not know what to look for, you can be duped in a New York minute. How can you tell if a car has been water damaged? Here are a few tips.
The first thing that you should do is check and see if there are any signs of rust in the trunk, dashboard, glove compartment, and under the seats. Check also for silt and mud. These are dead giveaways that the car has been flooded.
Also take a good look at the upholstery in the car. If it does not appear to match the interior or if it fits loosely, then it might be a replacement for the original material that was in the car.
Open the car door and put your head inside and inhale deeply. There should not be a musty odor in the vehicle and you should also not smell any air fresheners. Air fresheners are usually used by car dealers and individuals who have something to hide.
Test all the electronic components of the vehicle and make sure that they work. The turn signals, heater, windshield wipers, and etcetera should be checked several times to insure that they work correctly and are reliable.
Check underneath the dashboard and move some of the wires back and forth. Bend them. If they have been wet before they will be brittle and will probably crack as you flex them.
Last, but not least, have a mechanic that you trust do an inspection of the car. Always do this before you purchase any used vehicle to make sure that there is nothing wrong with the car that the owner did not tell you about.
Showing posts with label water. Show all posts
Showing posts with label water. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Your Laptop Hates Water
To anyone who owns a laptop, getting a soft drink or a glass of water anywhere near it is probably taboo, but if you are like me, then you probably keep something to drink near by at all times. You’d rather “risk it” than go thirsty, but this does not always have to be the case. While getting your laptop wet in any way can seriously damage it, there are ways to save it if you do happen to spill your drink or anything else onto the keyboard and subsequently, onto the hard drive, and etcetera. Unlike a desktop computer, the keyboard of a laptop is obviously located on top of the most important components of your computer: hard drive, memory, CD-ROM, and etcetera. Without these, your computer will not function.
The problem when you spill something onto your laptop is not with the actual liquid that you spill on it, although things that become sticky after they dry like soda or tea can be a hassle to clean up. The problem lies with the electricity that is running through your laptop at the time you spill the liquid onto it. It usually takes a few seconds for the liquid to get down into the electrical components of the laptop, so the first thing that you need to do if you spill something on your computer is to unplug it and take out the battery IMMEDIATELY. You must remove the electrical current from the laptop as quickly as possible in order to be able to save it.
After you remove the electrical current, the next thing that you have to do is to turn the machine upside down completely in order to keep the liquid from getting further into the shell of the laptop. This will keep it from coming into contact with your hard drive, memory, motherboard, and etcetera. You should allow the least amount of this liquid that comes into contact with those important components as possible, especially if it is an acidic liquid such as soda.
After you have drained as much of the liquid as possible out of it, collect some paper towels or just a normal towel and clean up any of the liquid from the outside of the machine.
At this point, depending on if you got the electricity removed from the unit in time, you could take it to a professional repairman or continue to repair the laptop yourself. The extent of the “repair” could be just allowing the unit to completely dry out or it could involve removing components and cleaning the sticky soda residue from them. Attempting to repair it yourself could possibly void your warranty for future damages, but a professional could be expensive.
The problem when you spill something onto your laptop is not with the actual liquid that you spill on it, although things that become sticky after they dry like soda or tea can be a hassle to clean up. The problem lies with the electricity that is running through your laptop at the time you spill the liquid onto it. It usually takes a few seconds for the liquid to get down into the electrical components of the laptop, so the first thing that you need to do if you spill something on your computer is to unplug it and take out the battery IMMEDIATELY. You must remove the electrical current from the laptop as quickly as possible in order to be able to save it.
After you remove the electrical current, the next thing that you have to do is to turn the machine upside down completely in order to keep the liquid from getting further into the shell of the laptop. This will keep it from coming into contact with your hard drive, memory, motherboard, and etcetera. You should allow the least amount of this liquid that comes into contact with those important components as possible, especially if it is an acidic liquid such as soda.
After you have drained as much of the liquid as possible out of it, collect some paper towels or just a normal towel and clean up any of the liquid from the outside of the machine.
At this point, depending on if you got the electricity removed from the unit in time, you could take it to a professional repairman or continue to repair the laptop yourself. The extent of the “repair” could be just allowing the unit to completely dry out or it could involve removing components and cleaning the sticky soda residue from them. Attempting to repair it yourself could possibly void your warranty for future damages, but a professional could be expensive.
Your Laptop and Water Damage
Putting a laptop and a soft drink onto the same surface is almost taboo to most people who own a laptop computer, even though most people who are at their computers or laptops for several hours a day will tell you that it is quite difficult to put in a full day’s work at the computer and not eat and drink almost at the same time. I keep a drink near me at all times and fortunately I have never spilled anything onto my beloved laptop, but there are many incidents where others have. Those who have only just purchased their first laptop will probably not know how to deal with water (or liquid) damage like this. There is a way to handle this situation and possibly save your machine, however.
Most water damage that is done to your laptop is usually caused by acidic beverages like soda or coffee, because they leave a sticky residue on anything they are spilled on. They also tend to cause corrosion on any metal contacts that they might touch on the motherboard, hard drive, and etcetera.
If you do spill something on your laptop, remove the power source as quickly as possible. This includes the A/C adapter and the battery, as well, because it is not the liquid alone that causes the problem. If a laptop or other electronic device has no electricity running through it when the liquid is spilled, it will likely be fine if you dry it out as soon as possible. However, an electric current running through a wet device is what causes the circuits to essentially fry and all software programming to be removed. Let a device such as a CD player that has become submerged in water dry out completely before you attempt to power it on. Remove the batteries until you are sure. This same principle can be applied to a wet laptop.
If you have merely spilled water onto it, then you might not have a big problem on your hands as long as you removed the electrical current from the device before the water sank deep into the device. If you have spilled soda or coffee into the device, then it will leave a sticky residue on the inside of your laptop.
After removing the electrical current, turn it over and allow the excess liquid to drain out. After you to this, wipe the outside with a cloth of some kind.
After this, you can take the machine to a professional repairman to make sure the inside is undamaged or if you have only spilled water into it, you can wait until it is completely dry. If you are absolutely sure that the inside components were not damaged by the electric current, turn it back on after you are sure the inside is dry.
Most water damage that is done to your laptop is usually caused by acidic beverages like soda or coffee, because they leave a sticky residue on anything they are spilled on. They also tend to cause corrosion on any metal contacts that they might touch on the motherboard, hard drive, and etcetera.
If you do spill something on your laptop, remove the power source as quickly as possible. This includes the A/C adapter and the battery, as well, because it is not the liquid alone that causes the problem. If a laptop or other electronic device has no electricity running through it when the liquid is spilled, it will likely be fine if you dry it out as soon as possible. However, an electric current running through a wet device is what causes the circuits to essentially fry and all software programming to be removed. Let a device such as a CD player that has become submerged in water dry out completely before you attempt to power it on. Remove the batteries until you are sure. This same principle can be applied to a wet laptop.
If you have merely spilled water onto it, then you might not have a big problem on your hands as long as you removed the electrical current from the device before the water sank deep into the device. If you have spilled soda or coffee into the device, then it will leave a sticky residue on the inside of your laptop.
After removing the electrical current, turn it over and allow the excess liquid to drain out. After you to this, wipe the outside with a cloth of some kind.
After this, you can take the machine to a professional repairman to make sure the inside is undamaged or if you have only spilled water into it, you can wait until it is completely dry. If you are absolutely sure that the inside components were not damaged by the electric current, turn it back on after you are sure the inside is dry.
Water Damage Prevention Tips
The kitchen and the bathroom are two of the most important rooms in your home and if you are conscious about what makes a home valuable, then you probably understand that these are also the two rooms that can add to or subtract from your home’s value the most easily. The conditions of the bathroom and kitchen are extremely important when you go to sell your home. These two rooms are often what make or break the sale of a home. When selling a commercial building, the kitchen is typically not a factor because most do not have them and even though all commercial buildings have bathrooms of some kind, the bathroom does not usually affect the sale. The presence of a bathroom is usually enough in these buildings.
You should do whatever you can to maintain the structural integrity of these two rooms even if you do not plan on selling your home. An unfortunate event may occur and you may have to sell your home to pay for it; in life, not much is ever certain.
How do you prevent water damage to these two rooms? Keep an eye on the plumbing in both rooms, for one. Under the sinks are pipes that can sometimes begin to leak or burst completely and sometimes the vinyl on our kitchen floor or the tile on our bathroom floor is not sealed completely. This allows water underneath and will soak your floor boards. Mold can start to grow as a result of this.
The overflowing of bath tubs and kitchen sinks is also a mildly common occurrence. Maybe you forgot the water was running or you just got pre-occupied talking on the phone, but the fact is that you can leave yourself in a mess pretty quickly. Clean up the water as quickly as you can.
Install a steam vent or fan in the kitchen and bathroom if possible. This will let the steam that comes from cooking dinner or taking a bath escape the room and not cling to your ceiling. Drywall absorbs water quite well and unfortunately, mold also will start to grow on your ceiling if this steam damage continues. Installing a vent in the ceiling will possibly be one of the best investments that you can make for both of these rooms.
Also keep a check on the water line that connects to the ice maker in your refrigerator, if you have one. Water leaks from these are not uncommon and ice that melts due to a power outage can also cause water damage, especially if you are not home to take care of the spill.
You should do whatever you can to maintain the structural integrity of these two rooms even if you do not plan on selling your home. An unfortunate event may occur and you may have to sell your home to pay for it; in life, not much is ever certain.
How do you prevent water damage to these two rooms? Keep an eye on the plumbing in both rooms, for one. Under the sinks are pipes that can sometimes begin to leak or burst completely and sometimes the vinyl on our kitchen floor or the tile on our bathroom floor is not sealed completely. This allows water underneath and will soak your floor boards. Mold can start to grow as a result of this.
The overflowing of bath tubs and kitchen sinks is also a mildly common occurrence. Maybe you forgot the water was running or you just got pre-occupied talking on the phone, but the fact is that you can leave yourself in a mess pretty quickly. Clean up the water as quickly as you can.
Install a steam vent or fan in the kitchen and bathroom if possible. This will let the steam that comes from cooking dinner or taking a bath escape the room and not cling to your ceiling. Drywall absorbs water quite well and unfortunately, mold also will start to grow on your ceiling if this steam damage continues. Installing a vent in the ceiling will possibly be one of the best investments that you can make for both of these rooms.
Also keep a check on the water line that connects to the ice maker in your refrigerator, if you have one. Water leaks from these are not uncommon and ice that melts due to a power outage can also cause water damage, especially if you are not home to take care of the spill.
Salvaging Watery Electronics
People say that electronic devices are sensitive to water and water damage, but this is only half true. Most people are almost certain that if they drop an electronic device into water or spill water on one that it is pretty much toast. What they do not typically understand is the fact that it is not the water alone that does the damage to the device, but it is the electricity running through it that causes the device to become unusable. In effect, the water acts as a conductor for electricity and fries the item’s circuit board and does away with most, if not all programming that it had before.
The key to saving most electronic devices from water damage and from essentially frying the circuit board is to remove it from the source of water and remove the electric current from it as quickly as possible. This means removing the battery or the A/C adapter immediately and turning the device over to allow the water to drain out of any openings that may exist in it. Cell phones are often fairly air and water tight, but this does not mean that water cannot get into them. Remove it from the liquid in under 20 seconds and you have a pretty good shot of saving it. If you leave it in much longer, the water will eventually seep inside past the keypad and onto the circuit board inside. This might not be a big problem if your phone happens to be off at the time that you drop it in the liquid, but unfortunately, most of these incidents occur when the phone is powered on and you are talking on it.
Whatever device you happen to drop into a liquid, if possible, you should place it in a bowl of uncooked rice. It should be left there overnight or even longer until you are sure that it is completely free of moisture on the inside. Do not attempt to power on your phone or re-insert the battery before all moisture is gone. All moisture must be gone from the device to be certain that it will be fine.
Devices that are dropped into muddy or sandy water can be complicated to clean, because of the grit and dirt that can get inside. This could involve completely taking apart the phone and using alcohol to clean it. Never use water to clean anything on a cell phone, whether it is on the inside or outside.
The key to saving most electronic devices from water damage and from essentially frying the circuit board is to remove it from the source of water and remove the electric current from it as quickly as possible. This means removing the battery or the A/C adapter immediately and turning the device over to allow the water to drain out of any openings that may exist in it. Cell phones are often fairly air and water tight, but this does not mean that water cannot get into them. Remove it from the liquid in under 20 seconds and you have a pretty good shot of saving it. If you leave it in much longer, the water will eventually seep inside past the keypad and onto the circuit board inside. This might not be a big problem if your phone happens to be off at the time that you drop it in the liquid, but unfortunately, most of these incidents occur when the phone is powered on and you are talking on it.
Whatever device you happen to drop into a liquid, if possible, you should place it in a bowl of uncooked rice. It should be left there overnight or even longer until you are sure that it is completely free of moisture on the inside. Do not attempt to power on your phone or re-insert the battery before all moisture is gone. All moisture must be gone from the device to be certain that it will be fine.
Devices that are dropped into muddy or sandy water can be complicated to clean, because of the grit and dirt that can get inside. This could involve completely taking apart the phone and using alcohol to clean it. Never use water to clean anything on a cell phone, whether it is on the inside or outside.
Mold And Water In Your Two Most Important Rooms
A good meal and a good bath is something that most Americans enjoy thoroughly, but how can you enjoy either one when you’re in a room full of ugly water damage stains on the walls, floors, and ceilings? Many of these rooms often have the brown stains on the ceiling that are typical of water damage and while most people just paint over them, often the stains just keep coming back because the underlying problem has not been fixed yet.
It is probably due to a leaky roof, but what about the steam that comes off of your bath water or off of the stove when you cook dinner? These every day tasks can be just as much of a cause of water damage as a leaking roof can be, if not more so because they happen every day. At least, a bath a day comes recommended, anyway. Installing a steam vent in your bathroom for under $100 and a day’s work could possibly be one of the best investments that you can make to help safeguard the appearance and structural integrity of your kitchen and bathroom.
Make sure that you do not allow your bath tub or your kitchen sink to overflow. Sometimes we turn on the bath water and get stuck talking to a relative or a co-worker on the phone, all the while unaware that the water you wanted in your tub is pouring all over your floor. The same thing can happen when you are cooking in the kitchen or washing dishes. This can land quite a lot of water in your floor before you realize it and can do quite a bit of damage to your floor if you let it happen often.
An overflowing toilet is also a hazard, not only because of the water damage that can occur, but also due to the possible sewage content of the water when you go to flush it. If not cleaned up properly, mold can start to grow around the base of the toilet, especially if you have carpet in your bathroom. Carpet in the bathroom is a no-no.
Also avoid throwing wet dirty clothes into your bathroom floor or closet, especially if you happen to have a carpeted bathroom. You will probably forget that these wet clothes are there and throw dry ones on top of it.
This results in water damage and mold growth more often than not when the closet is not cleaned out. The best thing to do is to wash wet clothes and towels as soon as possible so they are not forgotten about or at the very least stored separately from dry dirty clothes.
It is probably due to a leaky roof, but what about the steam that comes off of your bath water or off of the stove when you cook dinner? These every day tasks can be just as much of a cause of water damage as a leaking roof can be, if not more so because they happen every day. At least, a bath a day comes recommended, anyway. Installing a steam vent in your bathroom for under $100 and a day’s work could possibly be one of the best investments that you can make to help safeguard the appearance and structural integrity of your kitchen and bathroom.
Make sure that you do not allow your bath tub or your kitchen sink to overflow. Sometimes we turn on the bath water and get stuck talking to a relative or a co-worker on the phone, all the while unaware that the water you wanted in your tub is pouring all over your floor. The same thing can happen when you are cooking in the kitchen or washing dishes. This can land quite a lot of water in your floor before you realize it and can do quite a bit of damage to your floor if you let it happen often.
An overflowing toilet is also a hazard, not only because of the water damage that can occur, but also due to the possible sewage content of the water when you go to flush it. If not cleaned up properly, mold can start to grow around the base of the toilet, especially if you have carpet in your bathroom. Carpet in the bathroom is a no-no.
Also avoid throwing wet dirty clothes into your bathroom floor or closet, especially if you happen to have a carpeted bathroom. You will probably forget that these wet clothes are there and throw dry ones on top of it.
This results in water damage and mold growth more often than not when the closet is not cleaned out. The best thing to do is to wash wet clothes and towels as soon as possible so they are not forgotten about or at the very least stored separately from dry dirty clothes.
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