How We Diagnose Water-Damaged Phones in Christchurch
When a phone takes an unexpected swim — in the ocean, the sink, the toilet, a puddle, a kayak, or the dog’s water bowl — the damage isn’t always obvious.
Some phones die instantly. Others work perfectly… right up until they don’t.
Here’s how we professionally diagnose water-damaged phones at Phone Repair NZ, and why early inspection makes all the difference.
We Start With a Visual Inspection
As soon as the phone arrives, we check for the first tell-tale signs:
lifted screens
misting under the glass
corrosion around ports
sticky or unresponsive buttons
speaker distortion
odd behaviour when powering on
Even tiny clues can point us toward where the water entered and how far it travelled.
We Check for Liquid Contact Indicators (LCIs)
Most phones have internal stickers that turn red when exposed to moisture.
They’re not perfect — steam can set them off, and they don’t tell us how much water got in — but they help confirm the situation.
They’re not there to “void your warranty” — they’re there to keep you safe.
We Open the Device Safely
This is where the real diagnosis begins.
We gently open the phone using proper heat mats and anti-static tools.
Once inside, we can see:
water pools
corrosion starting on connectors
moisture under shields
wet battery cells
residue in the charge port
droplets trapped behind the screen
This step alone often prevents future board damage.
We Remove and Inspect Major Components
Water hides in places you can’t see at first glance.
We check:
screen assembly
battery
charge port flex
speakers
cameras
logic board connectors
Even a few drops behind a connector can cause intermittent faults weeks later.
We Test the Logic Board
If the board has taken water, we look for:
short circuits
damaged power rails
burnt components
failed charge controllers
backlight failures
touchscreen IC damage
This is why some water-damaged phones need board-level repair, not just a cleaning or a screen.
We Reassemble and Perform Full Functional Tests
After drying and cleaning, we test everything:
charging
battery temperature
cameras
speakers
microphones
buttons
vibration
sensors
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
display and touch
If anything fails testing, we identify exactly which part needs replacing.
What We Don’t Do
We don’t “just put it in rice.”
We don’t heat it until it dries.
We don’t take shortcuts — water damage is one of the most unforgiving repair scenarios.
A proper diagnosis now prevents expensive failures later.