Water Damage & Flooded Basement Restoration Services

Repairing a Water Damaged Kindle

By the RestorationSOS Educational Staff

The Amazon Kindle is the first choice for many readers when choosing an eBook reading device and is without a doubt one of the most popular among paperless reading products on the market. However, electronics combined with water often lead to serious problems. Kindles may be dropped into tubs or sinks, and instead of having to deal with a few wet pages, you have an expensive unit that may no longer function.

If this happens, the unit should be turned off and no electrical current passed through it until it is repaired. Electrical current applied to water may result in further damage as well as electrocution to the operator.

What to do Immediately after Water Damage

As with any electronic device, the key to saving your Kindle is acting rapidly. The water must be removed from the unit and everything properly dried out in order for the unit to function as it should. Some advise the use of dry rice to draw out moisture and dry out damaged surfaces. Believe it or not, it actually works and putting a water damaged Kindle in a container full of rice will have advantageous results in removing the excess moisture. Two days should be sufficient for removal of all moisture, but you can leave the unit in the rice for as long as you like with no ill effects. Often, Kindles will operate just fine following a rice treatment.

Further Options for Water Damaged Kindles

If drying the unit out doesn't have the desired results, then it will most likely become necessary to seek out a third-party repair center to repair the unit, which can be difficult since the problem may be traced to the screen, the battery, or any number of internal components. Amazon may be the most likely source for repair options, since it is their product, and while water damage almost always voids warranties, it still may be possible to find decent repair services, even if you end up paying for them. It is probably still less expensive that replacing the unit.

As with many electronic components, Kindles (even damaged ones) may be sold on eBay or to repair shops for between $30-$50 or more. Just be honest in the description about what happened to the unit and, if you're lucky, you can end up with a few dollars toward the purchase of a new Kindle.

Of course, the best defense is a good offense, which means not dropping the unit in water in the first place. Take care of the unit and avoid using it in places where water may be a factor, as well as rainy conditions or when you’re in the middle of taking a bath.

As with any case concerning electronics, acting quickly but intelligently can mean the difference between saving your Kindle and having to discard it.

Recommended Reading
Clean, Dry, Repair and Disinfect Electronic Media
How to Fix Water Damage on an iPod