DJI Mavic, Air and Mini Drones
Friendly, Helpful & Knowledgeable Community
Join Us Now

Crashed Mavic Air 2!

stuckonmars1

New Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2020
Messages
4
Reactions
2
Age
23
Location
New Zealand
Hi,
A couple of days ago I crashed my new Mavic Air 2 into the water after hitting some power lines. After submerging it in rice and using a hairdryer to blow it out, it now operates well. Has anyone had any experience with water damage? Is there risk that the drone will crash in a few week's time as the damage worsens?

Edit: I tried flying it an hour after retrieving it and it didn't work, however after continuing to dry it an soak it in rice it eventually began working again. It got better over time, is there risk that it will worsen?
 
Fresh or salt water ?
If it was completely dry when you powered it on and it was working I would think you should be OK.
If it was salt water then it could cause ongoing corrosion amongst the electronics So I am not so sure.
 
I haven’t crashed into water but I have had salt water slosh on my Pro 1. Immediately it started going crazy and I ripped off the battery. Washed drone out with rainwater at beach, drove straight home, washed it with rainwater (poured not submerged) then denatured alcohol (“meths”). Gentle air compressor blow out, then sprayed out with circuit board cleaner. Dried for hours, it then worked fine. I since popped the covers off and checked connections etc., no signs of any corrosion - but I did give it another spray out with circuit board cleaner, and re-applied the relevant heat sink compound in case it harboured water, as well as cleaned out the lower optical sensors.
To note, it never “went under” or was under pressure. And the total cleaning was within an hour. The battery wasn’t submerged (imagine wave rushing up beach and drone sitting in foam momentarily, basically).
If you are at all worried, I’d get a drone repair place to strip it and clean it out. And be aware salt water is much more destructive than fresh. My main worries would be water in something you can’t get into, like the camera or some sensors.
Main advice- if it was salt water and you don’t open it up, you won’t get under all the circuit board components. It should then be considered “unreliable” until these are inspected and cleaned up. So saying, all drones are not “reliable” in the sense of a regularly stripped and serviced aeroplane - and many old or home-built drones are likely less reliable than we’d like to think! But without inspection and cleaning, it’s demise after a dunk in saltwater could happen sooner rather than later!
Freshwater, on the other hand, won’t be “distilled quality” but will have far less impact. I personally would still spray out with circuit board cleaner.
Note: spraying out and cleaning devices may remove lubricants. In expensive plastic devices, this is unlikely to be “mineral oil” but it is usually silicone oil, or one that doesn’t attack plastic. I use oil I have for air-rifles! And some silicone spray. But don’t oil things on a drone (or other equipment that is exposed) that are not normally lubricated - excess will pick up dust and lead to other issues!
 
Fresh or salt water ?
If it was completely dry when you powered it on and it was working I would think you should be OK.
If it was salt water then it could cause ongoing corrosion amongst the electronics So I am not so sure.
It was fresh water, I am hoping we managed to clear it of all the moisture.
 
  • Like
Reactions: THE CYBORG
I haven’t crashed into water but I have had salt water slosh on my Pro 1. Immediately it started going crazy and I ripped off the battery. Washed drone out with rainwater at beach, drove straight home, washed it with rainwater (poured not submerged) then denatured alcohol (“meths”). Gentle air compressor blow out, then sprayed out with circuit board cleaner. Dried for hours, it then worked fine. I since popped the covers off and checked connections etc., no signs of any corrosion - but I did give it another spray out with circuit board cleaner, and re-applied the relevant heat sink compound in case it harboured water, as well as cleaned out the lower optical sensors.
To note, it never “went under” or was under pressure. And the total cleaning was within an hour. The battery wasn’t submerged (imagine wave rushing up beach and drone sitting in foam momentarily, basically).
If you are at all worried, I’d get a drone repair place to strip it and clean it out. And be aware salt water is much more destructive than fresh. My main worries would be water in something you can’t get into, like the camera or some sensors.
Main advice- if it was salt water and you don’t open it up, you won’t get under all the circuit board components. It should then be considered “unreliable” until these are inspected and cleaned up. So saying, all drones are not “reliable” in the sense of a regularly stripped and serviced aeroplane - and many old or home-built drones are likely less reliable than we’d like to think! But without inspection and cleaning, it’s demise after a dunk in saltwater could happen sooner rather than later!
Freshwater, on the other hand, won’t be “distilled quality” but will have far less impact. I personally would still spray out with circuit board cleaner.
Note: spraying out and cleaning devices may remove lubricants. In expensive plastic devices, this is unlikely to be “mineral oil” but it is usually silicone oil, or one that doesn’t attack plastic. I use oil I have for air-rifles! And some silicone spray. But don’t oil things on a drone (or other equipment that is exposed) that are not normally lubricated - excess will pick up dust and lead to other issues!
It was fresh water, and I blow dryed the main circuit board and gimbal.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Davros007
It was fresh water, and I blow dryed the main circuit board and gimbal.
In all honesty, if it wasn’t a serious, lengthy, deep dunking, and “fresh” doesn’t mean near a chemical factory outlet, to me that sounds fine for hobby use. Sure if it was search-and-rescue, it’d be a different story but if it’s dry, I’d not worry to much. I would consider a new battery if your pack has got water inside it: they can be hard to dry out and could lead to issues during flight or even charging.
In future, don’t be too hasty to test it! I’d do it cautiously after a day or so in a warm place, or after a strip down. The water could still short out something leading to damage by a short or you needing to post in “crash and fly away” assistance or explaining to neighbours why your drone just crashed into their roof or worse :)
 
i unfortunaly dunked my mav1 into a lake, my fault, it managed to fly back to me but barely,,,,,she struggled, i dried it out right away, left it sit a few days, turned it on and seemed to be ok,,,few flights later the camera stopped working,,, some times it would come on some times not, ended up sending her in for repair, they found some corrosoion but said wasnt to bad but was apparant it was wet, they repaired it and ive flown many times now, that was over a year ago, still have the ol wet mavster
 
i unfortunaly dunked my mav1 into a lake, my fault, it managed to fly back to me but barely,,,,,she struggled, i dried it out right away, left it sit a few days, turned it on and seemed to be ok,,,few flights later the camera stopped working,,, some times it would come on some times not, ended up sending her in for repair, they found some corrosoion but said wasnt to bad but was apparant it was wet, they repaired it and ive flown many times now, that was over a year ago, still have the ol wet mavster
I emailed the repair team in NZ and they said that the only way to fix it is to replace it. id you have care refresh?
 
Don’t know about Care Refresh - if it’s easy and you get a new/refurbished one I’d do it! If you can’t or it costs heaps and you want peace of mind, any decent drone repair place would be able to help - but I’d say letting an unauthorised person strip it down would void any warranty or future fly-away type claims!
Mine is a second hand nothing-to-lose job: hence my lack of hesitation to dive in and clean it up!
 
It is going to depend on what was dissolved in the lake water. The only water that will be truly safe is distilled water.
 
Lycus Tech Mavic Air 3 Case

DJI Drone Deals

New Threads

Forum statistics

Threads
130,592
Messages
1,554,158
Members
159,593
Latest member
mini2+