I dropped my E-trac in the water :( *UPDATED*

[Cfmct]

Sorry to keep going on with this whole ordeal but I have an update and it may be good. When I spoke to the guy from Minelab he said to open it up and let it air out. When I asked if that would nullify my warranty he said, "My warranty is already null because of the water." I wasn't impressed by this statement. I came home from work and opened it up and it's been open since then. I just went and put the battery in it and it started up! I then shut it off and when I started it back up it gave me the 'Voltage Overload' message. What does this mean? Is there still hope? I know it's been suggested I rinse it with water. While I respect your opinion, it's been drilled into my brain my entire life that electronics and water don't mix. I just feel like I'm gonna make this situation worse than it already is. (Is that possible?) IDK.

Saltwater is worse than freshwater... you need to get the corrosive salts out of the machine.

 

[Ice Scratcher]

saltwater is worse than freshwater... You need to get the corrosive salts out of the machine.

x2!!

<*)))>{

 

[SalemScott]

Should I use tap water or distilled? Any suggestions? Should I unplug the little plugs in there?

 

[Cfmct]

Distilled is better but tap will work.

 

[Jerry Allen]

W-D 40 will HELP also, or contact cleaner.

Good Luck

 

[Sandbox]

I would also flush out any battery contacts and connectors. That is power down, remove the batteries and flush them out and let it air dry.
If you open up the unit and handle the PCBs, make sure you ground yourself prior or handle the boards on the edges.

Sent from my SGH-T679 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Roger B]

Don't give up!

Scott, I know it's not the same but there are used CZ detectors on Ebay that you can probably grab for under $300 to hold you over until you find enough gold to get a better machine. I use a CZ3d and I do great on the beaches, I go in shallow sometimes but very rarely because I find most of the good stuff in the flat wet sand at or near low-tide.
They are dual frequency machines and are great on saltwater sand. There is one for under $200 (as of right now) that would probably be good enough to get you into a better machine. It's a CZ7 http://www.ebay.com/itm/FISHER-CZ-7...035?pt=US_Metal_Detectors&hash=item1e8091e1bb

Good luck.

 

[Slimpickuns]

Have you tried using a different battery? I also read on another forum someone resolved this problem by cleaning out he coil plug..

 

[Midknight]

Hope this works out for u Scott. HH and GL

 

[itsaring!]

Saltwater is worse than freshwater... you need to get the corrosive salts out of the machine.

Boat motor is the same way. You ever drop your kicker in saltwater the first thing you do is dunk it in a drum of fresh water, electronics and all. Fresh water it may work. Salt water even rots all the solder joints on the boards. I know etracs have been known to wick water up the coil wires. It can also get water where it doesn't get good contact. Hopefully you have a different coil to try. If it's overloading without a coil connected it's probably fried.

 

[Digsalot]

Scott,
I would take it apart and flush it with fresh or distilled water. Use a SOFT toothbrush or Q-tips and LIGHTLY brush any corroded areas while rinsing.
I dunked my GT in salt water before I waterproofed it. I realized I dunked it when all I could hear was a bunch of static, then nothing.
When this happened I went straight up to the fresh water showers and soaked it. I then went to my truck, took it apart to expose all the electronics, then went back to the showers and rinsed the boards and everything else on the inside. Someone came up to me and said, that can't be good
Took it back to my truck and laid the parts out on my tailgate, in the hot Florida sun for about 1 1/2 hours. Put it back together and went back to detecting. It's worked like new ever since.
Your not going to do any more damage than what has already been done IMO
Just make sure everything is as dry as a bone before you put it back together.
Good luck, hope it works out for you.

 

[fishingdevil]

Actually, if you wanna clean any electronics, all you need is buy a canister of contact cleaner from any hardware store... then simply spray at all the parts to get all the salt out.

I usually go for the LPS brand... should work wonders and have no worries about using 'water' on your electronics.

 

[Silverfishin]

Board cleanin

Sometimes at work we clean our boards with hot water, then follow with a alcohol rinse to remove water. Then you can use hair dryer on warm to make sure its dry. Good luck. Defiantly need to get that salt off, I agree using toothbrush while rinsing. I'm sure there's something on YouTube or somewhere that can give you ideas on how to clean it also.

 

[SalemScott]

Well, I did the unthinkable tonight and rinsed the machine out with water. I've gotten as much of the water off as possible, have blow dried it on low heat for a while and now it's just a waiting game. Tick tock, tick tock. Any suggestions for how long I should wait to be sure there is zero moisture?

 

[Cfmct]

Patience... I would not try it at all tonight and maybe not even tomorrow... let it dry completely.

 

[Gold Digger 2]

so sorry,,,,definitely a set back,,,,,,salt water is the worst thing possible for electronics,,,,,if it sat all night, its probably done bro,,,,,unfortunately the way salt water works is that if it sits for a day, it sticks to all the parts affected and is "baked" on,,,,,,even if you clean it and get it running, it will likely become a problem very soon after,,,Minelab is pretty good on warranty for an accidental error the first time,,,would give it a shot and if you are salt water wet sand and shallow water hunting, a good used SOVGT would be a good fit to have,,,,if you can swing the dollars on a back up,,,it works wonders,,,bailed me out already this year with a back up,,,,,GL HH

 

[DaviDs]

They are dual frequency machines and are great on saltwater sand. There is one for under $200 .... It's a CZ7 http://www.ebay.com/itm/FISHER-CZ-7...035?pt=US_Metal_Detectors&hash=item1e8091e1bb
Good luck.

(evil laugh)...I snagged that the other night, but just saw your message this evening. It was my 4th attempt at scoring a cheap MF-VLF detector.


In the past 2 weeks, here are some models that sold on ebay...
....$275 - Fisher CZ-5
....$315 - Fisher CZ-6
....$217 - Fisher CZ-7
....$142 - Minelab Sovereign w/broken speaker
....$455 - Minelab Excal (blue model)
....$200 - Garrett SH
....$385 - Garrett SH2



"Buy-it-now" on ebay currently has...
$400 - Minelab Explorer XS (Multi-frequency for salt/minerals, not waterproof)
$450 - Minelab Sov elite (Multi-frequency for salt/minerals, can be waterproofed)

 

[openheartsoftly]

Yikes!

I accidentally ran a cell phone through a wash cycle the very day I bought it.

It didn't recover.

It stinks that the technology is there for manufacturers to provide products that can endure these types of mishaps but instead of being standard - it costs extra.

I hope the water rinsing/cleaning and drying works and you're up and running again soon!

Have the best

 

[imalookin2]

You got it Ben. Tried and true, flush with fresh water. Soak in fresh water and dry in the sun. Cool story about your GT. No wonder you built such a superb box for it. That is a thing of beauty. I have never seen a better Gt waterproof setup anywhere on the web. You should post it again in a new thread.

Scott,
I would take it apart and flush it with fresh or distilled water. Use a SOFT toothbrush or Q-tips and LIGHTLY brush any corroded areas while rinsing.
I dunked my GT in salt water before I waterproofed it. I realized I dunked it when all I could hear was a bunch of static, then nothing.
When this happened I went straight up to the fresh water showers and soaked it. I then went to my truck, took it apart to expose all the electronics, then went back to the showers and rinsed the boards and everything else on the inside. Someone came up to me and said, that can't be good
Took it back to my truck and laid the parts out on my tailgate, in the hot Florida sun for about 1 1/2 hours. Put it back together and went back to detecting. It's worked like new ever since.
Your not going to do any more damage than what has already been done IMO
Just make sure everything is as dry as a bone before you put it back together.
Good luck, hope it works out for you.

 

[Right Brain]

You could've done worse, you could've dropped a ctx in the water.