GoPro Hero 3 flooded

[Dor1813]

Hi

I think there was a thread on camera flooding but could not find it so I just post a new one.

A strand of hair was found on the o-ring of the housing after I opened the housing. So it was confirmed that it was not the fault of the housing. There was a little water inside the battery compartment and I guess the camera should work again. Today is the 3rd day since it stopped working. I have few doubts if the camera should work again:

Has anybody experienced flooding issues?
What has to be done to dry the camera? (I kept it inside the rice bucket for 2 days already)
If it does work again, how long do I expect it to see it work normally?

Depressed since my 3rd dive at Sipadan and been renting a camera (RM100/day) since.

Appreciate your comments and advice to this matter.

Thanks.

 

[Interceptor121]

If the camera was on and the battery got short circuit your gopro is now toasted
You can try leaving it in the sun but usually after a few days should come back

 

[flareside]

Rice bucket? It should be in rice in a sealed plastic bag so the rice is absorbing from the camera not the atmosphere. Wrap the bag in a thin towel and put it on a sunny windowsill. Give it a week. And stop testing it. Until it is thoroughly dry, you risk frying it.

 

[Dor1813]

Thanks for all your advice.

 

[Crass3000]

It's not really recommended by many. I really wouldn't even recommend it but it has worked for me. Using a hair dryer on a REALLY low heat setting worked for me after I had used rice for a week. Hold the hair dryer to your hand often. If it is too hot to hold on your hand it is too hot. The heat should be low enough that it doesn't bother your skin. It's likely that your GoPro is fried but it is better to give it a week in rice and a LITTLE heat can be helpful. This worked for me on a phone that fell in fresh water. Salt water may be more likely to fry things out as it's more "salty" and has more electrolites, so it conducts the battery power more. It's always worth a try though. Just not too soon.

 

[Dor1813]

Finally I am back home where I can find a hairdryer (impossible in Mabul guest house). I will try a couple of times for 2 days and test it out.

 

[3D diver]

Out of curiosity, did you rinse it in fresh water before you started drying it?

 

[Dor1813]

Out of curiosity, did you rinse it in fresh water before you started drying it?

I'm afraid not. I guess it shouldn't be wet further since the camera itself is not waterproof.

 

[Dor1813]

My camera is alive! Wonder will it function normally or will there be more problems. I thought of keeping an extra camera for spare use.

I want to say thank you for all the advice and with the instructions I followed which helped with the resurrection of my camera.

 

[Mike]

Most likely it is going to die in the near future. Have unfortunately been there before and the manufacturers say that the damage is done to it as it is slowly corroding inside and it's only a matter of time before it croaks. Cell phones aren't much different than cameras when it comes to this stuff happening, there is tons of info on cell phones and what happens to them on the net that you can look up and apply it to your gopro.