MacBook Pro Condensation Issues?

TechLarry

TechLarry

RIP [H] Brother - June 1, 2022
Joined
Aug 9, 2005
Messages
30,481
Has anyone heard of Condensation issues with the MacBook Pro Unibodies?

My sisters 6 month old MBP was working fine when she put it on the dresser a few weeks ago, and yesterday it was dead.

She took it to a Genius Bar and, well, it's basically destroyed inside. They refused to repair it of course.

Apparently there are other stories floating around out there concerning similar experiences?

Required Picture:

20131016_173555_zps36d9822d.jpg
 
This can happen when people leave their bathroom door open to ventilate, but not venting steam to the outside via a window.
 
Ruoh said:
This can happen when people leave their bathroom door open to ventilate, but not venting steam to the outside via a window.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the metal bi-fold closet doors in my bedroom have this problem.
 
TechLarry said:
Yeah, the metal bi-fold closet doors in my bedroom have this problem.
Click to expand...

I know it's not quite on the same level, but I caught my wife playing music on her GS4 in the bathroom while showering... with the door shut. I didn't even bother to argue about it, I just took her phone out to the living room, turned it off, and took everything apart (cover, battery cover, battery) to air it out completely.
 
We had a Dell AIO at work that was killed this way. Was a management system used for controlling some multimedia infrastructure in the building, but it was kept in a steam vent closet that was always humid with the door shut. One day everything it was controlling just stopped functioning and the machine powered down. When we took it out of service, the inside looked like that, but not quite as bad.
 
It's really sad. This thing was barely used and only like 6-8 months old.
 
Well, this isn't a common issue. Most laptops do not ever see this kind of damage.

The lesson learned is to keep the machine away from steam and condensation. Any laptop, not just a Mac, would suffer this problem (except for laptops designed to be beaten on, like a Toughbook). I hate to point the finger, but clearly your sister is at fault.
 
Last edited:
I agree, but this seems to be a phenomena on both the iMac and Macbook Pro since they went to the Unibody Aluminum chassis. If you Google "Macbook Pro Condensation" it's astonishing the number of cases that come up. Same for the new iMac's and condensation in the screen.

You never really heard of this until then.

I think we are going to get her an iPad this time. For what she does, it 's all she needs. She has a newer iMac for everything else.

BTW... I think the design of the MacBook pro with that vent along the back just barely above the surface of the table is STUPID. The smallest spill on the table, if it happened, could crawl right in there no problem.

She also uses one of those plastic overlays to protect the keyboard. It's possible those things exacerbate the ventilation issue so be aware if anyone uses them.

UnknownSouljer said:
Well, this isn't a common issue. Most laptops do not ever see this kind of damage.

The lesson learned is to keep the machine away from steam and condensation. Any laptop, not just a Mac, would suffer this problem (except for laptops designed to be beaten on, like a Toughbook). I hate to point the finger, but clearly your sister is at fault.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
TechLarry said:
I agree, but this seems to be a phenomena on both the iMac and Macbook Pro since they went to the Unibody Aluminum chassis. If you Google "Macbook Pro Condensation" it's astonishing the number of cases that come up. Same for the new iMac's and condensation in the screen.

You never really heard of this until then.
Click to expand...

The thing about the internet is, you can type in virtually any problem and find at least a dozen people talking about it. When you sell thousands of laptops, similar issues (despite how statistically improbable they are) will always creep up. I just searched for "laptop condensation problem" and found a bunch of hits on not just Apple products, but everything under the sun. Another example is the amount of people that have dropped cell phones in toilets, destroying them. I think such things are improbable, ridiculous, and stupid, but it happens at a surprisingly common rate.



TechLarry said:
BTW... I think the design of the MacBook pro with that vent along the back just barely above the surface of the table is STUPID. The smallest spill on the table, if it happened, could crawl right in there no problem.

She also uses one of those plastic overlays to protect the keyboard. It's possible those things exacerbate the ventilation issue so be aware if anyone uses them.
Click to expand...

Most laptops have vents just above the table level. If you have a vent on the side of any laptop, it's not like it can be much more than table height... well unless the laptop is 3" tall and only has the vent on the upper most potion. I guess you could be complaining about the size of the vent, but I would counter that such a thing was necessary for good thermal dissipation. Suffice it to say in the case of any laptop, spilling near it is bad.

I also agree that the plastic overlays are stupid. They wreck the tactile feel of the keyboard, and don't really serve to protect the laptop in any meaningful way. What, it prevents keyboard ware? I've used keyboards for thousands of hours with no appreciable wear. People get neurotic about things that make no difference... but of course these accessory makers make a killing off of people that want to keep plastic on everything. I'm not certain how much of a problem these covers have on condensation, but as I said earlier, pointless none the less.
 
That's a lot of moisture for condensation. Given the location of the stains near one fan, it almost looks like something liquid went in the vent and sprayed inside due to the fan. Something considerable.

What kind of climate are you in? In a "few weeks" you're talking August-ish to October, the temperature changes, it doesn't change that much or that drastically unless you're somewhere that you are aware of such things and already adjust to them. In my typical Silicon Valley environment, a laptop wouldn't accrue a drop of condensation in 10 years.
 
Yeah condensation wouldn't do that. I take my iPhone into he shower and listen to music, have done it for 3+ years, and never had a condensation issue. I take hot showers too.

Corrosion like that had to happen from a major spill and someone isn't feasting up. I am surprised they didn't offer to send it off to an off site repair facility. Could be beyond economical repair, hard to tell from the pictures.
 
I wouldn't rule condensation out. A hot shower is not going to automatically kill a laptop; it is simply a possible source of high humidity, as are cooking and other activities. But having high humidity without a way to exhaust the excess moisture is an issue.

A good bathroom fan, for instance, may completely negate the effects of a hot shower.

Anyway, high humidity is a bad thing to have and can harm more than just electronics. And keep in mind that the operational humidity percentages attached to products are not the only factor here. The amount of moisture air can hold varies with temperature. The warmer the air, the more moisture it can hold.

In other words, having a high relative (to temperature) humidity can be bad as well. And if your relative humidity is over 100%, then excess water will be deposited whenever the air meets a suitable surface. So it's not just Apple computers which will be affected.

That said, occam's razor leads me to believe that the above damage was caused by a spill. (Assuming a lie to cover up an expensive blunder sounds far simpler than assuming the perfect mix of humidity conditions.) But to be safe I would check for a humidity issue within the space all the same.

A quick test would be to check your window glass for signs of moisture. Depending on how bad the situation is, you could literally have water pooling at the base of window panes. (The effectiveness of this method really depends on location mind you.)

But a better test would be to get a humidity monitor. I like the one at the following link but there are many to choose from:
http://www.amazon.com/AcuRite-613-Indoor-Humidity-Monitor/dp/B0013BKDO8/
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
The laptop was stored on a dresser in sleep mode. She does use the shower in that bedroom.

Again, there was no spill.

I think there is a window relatively near by as well. Not sure about ac vent. I'll take a look next time I go over.

It's also a year and a half old, a little older than I thought.

Everything except the logic board looks fine. I'm going to Craig's list it. Not sure how much to ask though. I think I'll try $300.

The hard drive is going in an external case for use as a time machine destination.

Will these super thin drives fit in a standard 2.5 enclosure ok ?
 
TechLarry said:
The laptop was stored on a dresser in sleep mode. She does use the shower in that bedroom.

Again, there was no spill.
Click to expand...

and again, you are wording this like it happened overnight. That amount of corrosion and rust is something that takes a while to happen. That kind of damage is going to be something happens, cleaned up, and no one says anything about it, then over the course of weeks or months even the circuits like that corrode and rust.
 
looks like someone is not being completely honest with you or someone borrowed it without her knowing. that looks really bad for just condensation.
 
If you still have it and it is in the 1 year warranty period then I would say take it apart and clean it so it looks fine, then take it in and say it stopped working and you don't know what caused it.
 
Spazturtle said:
If you still have it and it is in the 1 year warranty period then I would say take it apart and clean it so it looks fine, then take it in and say it stopped working and you don't know what caused it.
Click to expand...

Not only would that be fraudulent, but that is hoping that what ever Genius looked at the computer didn't notate that the computer has been severely exposed to liquid and is beyond repair.
 
there's no point because the Genius noted water damage attached to the serial number

it's difficult to believe it's condensation because the damage is localized
 
Apple has always been pretty generous with their warranty, but in the case of physical neglect: condensation, dropping a laptop or breaking the screen on a laptop...you are SOL. They won't cover anything like that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top