Water on sound Board

[dcolson003]

Hi everyone,

We just had a massive rain shower, and found that there was a water leak in the roof above our booth. And of course landed on the sound board, getting water on over half of the board. I was able to get it covered as fast as I could, but there still is a substantial on the board. Any suggestions on how I might be able to dry the board....

Thanks!

 

[Les]

Put it in a bowl of rice for a few days. That'll remove all th... Oh wait, that's iphones.

Personally, I would take it to an authorized service center to have it cleaned out. No doubt that there will be water and maybe even sediment in areas of the board that you can't access even with it opened up (like the faders and under PC boards). It should probably be completely disassembled, and the likelihood that anyone other than an experienced electronics tech with knowledge of sound boards will be able to put it back together correctly is extremely low.

 

[DuckJordan]

+1 to les, also DO NOT under any circumstances turn the board on before you take it to the qualified service place. this could really cause an arc to go between connections that are not supposed to and cause massive damage.

 

[MNicolai]

If the board was off, there's likely little actual damage. You're primary concern is getting it dry before you turn it on again. If it was on, then you can only hope that it shorted in a huge and catastrophic fashion, causing it to lose all power as quickly as possible while damaging the smallest number of components.

Send it in to a service center and get it dried out really well. There are no guarantees, but if it was turned off when it got wet and stays turned off until it's dry, it'll probably be fine. Resist all urges to turn it on and see if it works.

Another factor to how much damage there is depends on if you're digital or analog. Something with a hard drive and an LCD display could sustain very different damage from an analog board. What type of mixer do you own?

 

[dcolson003]

Well the board was on... The whole way I found that water was getting on the board was I started hearing noises coming from the speakers. When I found that water was getting on the board. I shut the board off immediately. I'm really hoping we have the money some where, so we can send the board in to get it looked at.

 

[FMEng]

Well the board was on... The whole way I found that water was getting on the board was I started hearing noises coming from the speakers. When I found that water was getting on the board. I shut the board off immediately. I'm really hoping we have the money some where, so we can send the board in to get it looked at.

If you cannot get it to a local repair facility promptly, then I suggest opening the console up to allow the moisture to escape, if you can. Leave it open in a room that is heated and has some air movement. Allow several days for thorough drying.

Clean water isn't the most destructive thing. Chances are the console might be OK as long as the moisture isn't held inside for long. But if left damp for a length of time, oxidation will takes its toll.

Perhaps if you tell us what model of console you have, someone can advise whether it opens up easily, or takes too much disassembly for you to do without worry.

 

[KeepOnTruckin]

Drying solutions I have heard of for Laptop computers, which might be applicable:

get several cans of electronics dusters, spray all over the board

Pour isopropyl alcohol on the board. The alcohol is non-conductive and will cause the water to evaporate.

 

[dcolson003]

We have an Allen & Heath GL 2400-32 sound board.

 

[jonliles]

Drying solutions I have heard of for Laptop computers, which might be applicable:

get several cans of electronics dusters, spray all over the board

Pour isopropyl alcohol on the board. The alcohol is non-conductive and will cause the water to evaporate.

Last time I checked my basic chemistry, Isopropyl has a decent condutivity . I would certainly not pour that into any piece of electronics.

Also, Canned air more force the water into the fader crevices. You may possibly try De-oxit to clean it out. But your best bet is the send it to a service center.

If you absolutely have to, open it up. Place it in a warm dry place, away from direct sunlight, and turn on a small fan to move the air to encourage drying.

But seriously, take it to someone that knows how to work on electronics.

 

[fredthe]

Last time I checked my basic chemistry, Isopropyl has a decent condutivity . I would certainly not pour that into any piece of electronics.

Well, certainly not while it was on... However, Isopropyl is fine for cleaning electronics, as it evaporates quickly, so the conductivity problem "disappears". Just make sure it's dry before turning on.

 

[Les]

The main problem I see is possible corrosion, since this was not clean water, but water that leaked through the roof. This water may have all kinds of damaging things in the mix. It really needs to be completely cleaned, not just dried.

 

[bishopthomas]

I agree that it needs to be properly cleaned and dried. If it's going to take days to "come up with some money" for apprpriate service then open it up yourself. You will do more damage if it sits there wet, so open it up and put a fan on it. A&H are fairly easy to open, so if you have to get your screwdriver ready

 

[photoatdv]

My suggestion is find your local service center ALLEN & HEATH :: WORLD CLASS MIXERS . Call them and explain the situation and ask what to do to minimize damage.

Isopropyl won't hurt most electronic components, however "pouring it on the board" isn't really recommended...

 

[dcolson003]

Thank you to everyone for there thoughts on how to handle this. I got approval to send the board in and have it serviced.

 

[photoatdv]

I'm glad. Let us know how that goes.

 

[HornsOverIthaca]

I would let the console dry out for at least a week. I'd avoid the computer duster cans as you might blow propellant into it.

 

[Anvilx]

I'd avoid the computer duster cans as you might blow propellant into it.

While I would agree that canned computer dusters are not the right tool for the job, I don't see any harm though in getting the propellant on it.

I would stick with the alcohol, as that's how they clean PCBs at the factory.