Flooded Compact Flash CF Card FIX

This is for anyone who has flooded a camera and wants to get images from a flooded cf card. This worked for me . I flooded my 5d and my Lexar 4 gig cf card. It wasn't working after that. I removed the metal covers by prying them off with a small flathead screw driver. Then I let it soak for 24 hours in distilled water. After that I scrubbed all the tiny connections with a tooth brush. Then I let it dry for 24 hours in a dry place like the attic or garage. I put it back together and voila. I recovered most of my images this way. Hope this helps you other poor souls like me!

Good tip.

I flooded a CF card once. It worked fine post flood for ~6months and then out of nowhere it quit working. Lost a days worth of images.

Lesson learned, toss out flooded cards even if they are still working...

Hi,

I'm an electrician worked at sea for years,

and have repaired countless flood damaged electronics.

1) get the batteries out asap this kills the power and stops the chips shorting out and frying

2) get a electrolitic cleaner (the spray can electronic cleaner stuff) or if you don't happen to have such an item on a boat WD40 this displaces the salt and water out of the connections. crack it open, get the boards and stuff hell you've lost it already opening it up carefully won't do anymore damage.

3) let it dry naturally in a dry well ventalated area this can take a couple of days, don't get tempted to stick the batteries back in early, all it takes is that one bit of moister between the pins and its good bye chip. If you can get hold of the cleaner i mentioned keep cleaning it and use the earbud sticks to wipe it off, a bit of a labour of love but can be worth it

I'm not saying this is a definate fix, i've repaired loads of stuff got it back up and running but its never quite right again or it dies its final death 2 months later, if you had all the kit insured maybe best to just claim and get new, although after the claim you could try it :glare: if you killed the power quick enough the boards should be fine

What was worked for me (and the CF is still working 2 year later as backup only)

- Remove the CF as fast as possible from the camera.

- Soak if for over night in distilled water.

- dry it by shaking to remove as much as possible water.

- Soak it in 95% alcohol for few hours.

- Let it dry for few days.

Arnon,

You should heed the advice of William Heaton and get rid of the card, especially since new ones are so inexpensive these days.

[As a side note, I replace all of my CF cards every year to 18 months, selling the used ones on eBay.]

What was worked for me (and the CF is still working 2 year later as backup only)

- Remove the CF as fast as possible from the camera.

- Soak if for over night in distilled water.

- dry it by shaking to remove as much as possible water.

- Soak it in 95% alcohol for few hours.

- Let it dry for few days.