Canon EOS 100d got wet with salt water

Hi there,

yesterday I went on a high-speed boat tour and we got splashed by water coming into the boat. I soon put my camera bag into the backpack, but some salt water drops must have leaked into the camera bag and landed onto the camera. The result is that camera doesn't give any sign of life. I have checked batteries and SD cards are okay. The water must have entered the upper part where the flash is. The camera wasn't wet at all. but have seen some tiny dry salt traces, which means some salt water was on the camera. I have removed lenses, batteries and SD card, put the camera with dry rice and dry sachets and wrapped it up into a warm cloth. At this stage I believe same salt got into the camera but don't know where and how to remove it. Any advice on how to revive the camera here? The camera is only 4 months old and would try to save it, do you know whether warranty will cover this type of accidents? Any ideas, tips and advice would be appreciated. Many thanks. Michela

The warranty is for manufacturing defects. Salt water is not a manufacturing defect, so no, it won't be covered.

Dry rice (not warm rice) is a good idea as long as no rice flour or particles get into the camera. Let the camera dry thoroughly. Once all moisture is out, the camera will be stabilized.

Obviously rice will remove water but not salt. The salt residue will cause trouble in the future because salt will attract moisture in humid atmospheres. So the salt needs to be removed.

I would contact Canon to see if they could do this job. They might, and they might not. It is a risk for them because it may not be possible to remove all traces, and therefore their standard repair warranty would be at risk.

If they refuse, then you could consider disassembling the camera yourself, at your considerable risk. There are guides online for how to do this. Then you could clean the insides with a brush and distilled water. Really, this might not work, but it is worth trying IMO.

Good luck.

Thanks for your help. I will contact Canon and see whether they can help. I honestly believe it is the salt causing this issue not the water. But will see in the next days what happens and the last thing I will then try to dissasembling the camera myself.

Michela wrote in post #17713956
I honestly believe it is the salt causing this issue not the water.

Salt water is electrically conductive and very corrosive.

Hi there!
I have tried a wet cloth and the hairdryer to eliminate salt residue, but outside the camera looks perfect. The problem I cannot open the built-in flash. I have asked around and some people told me I'd better take it soon to a Canon repair service because they fear the longer I wait the worse the situation and lesser the chances to save the camera. I was thinking of leaving the camera another 24 hours and tomorrow take it to the service and see what they can do. Is this a reasonable time to take further steps. Or shall I give the camera a good rest for at least a week? What do you think? Thanks again for your advice.

If it was mine id be at Canon already, regardless of time frame id want it fixed asap. Hard lesson to learn but saltwater and electricity ( electrical ) components do not go well together, I've seen some damage caused years after a camera was exposed to salt water and the corrosion inside was awful.

Get it checked asap and be as honest as you can be with Canon and they will know what to do.

Good luck

Michela wrote in post #17714251
Hi there!
I have tried a wet cloth and the hairdryer to eliminate salt residue, but outside the camera looks perfect. The problem I cannot open the built-in flash. I have asked around and some people told me I'd better take it soon to a Canon repair service because they fear the longer I wait the worse the situation and lesser the chances to save the camera. I was thinking of leaving the camera another 24 hours and tomorrow take it to the service and see what they can do. Is this a reasonable time to take further steps. Or shall I give the camera a good rest for at least a week? What do you think? Thanks again for your advice.

I would not delay.

A hair dryer can't remove salt inside the camera but heat could make things worse.

Managed to find a Canon repair service here in Western Australia...Taking the camera there today. I haven't used hot air, no just cold air. But the camera needs to be disassembled and cleaned properly from any salt residue.
Thanks again.

I was trying to capture a photo of waves crashing into the end of a jetty with my 70D.

While concentrating on getting the right moment I lost track of how fast one wave was moving. Here's the picture that resulted.

In my case I find myself in Western Australia but the camera was bought in Europe. I cannot send in the camera to Canon, as there is no Canon here in W.A. Sydney is too far away and will not get it repaired cause I am leaving back t Europe in 2 weeks. I will have to get a repair service which is approved by Canon close to Perth...hoping that everyghing goes well and they can repair it.

Michela wrote in post #17715274
Managed to find a Canon repair service here in Western Australia...Taking the camera there today. I haven't used hot air, no just cold air. But the camera needs to be disassembled and cleaned properly from any salt residue.
Thanks again.

Sounds like progress. Please come back here and let us know how it turned out.

Oh yes sure I will let you know how things are going on. I have found one 30km away from where I am ...Fingers crossed!

I had a similar issue with a 5D of mine; didn't get soaked with salt water, but clearly a little found its way in. I pulled the whole camera apart (not a task to take lightly) and gave everything a very thorough cleaning and was able to get about another 6 months of use out of the camera before it eventually gave up on life; there must have been some salt somewhere that I wasn't able to get to. Time is definitely of the essence when it comes to dealing with salt water that's gotten inside your electronics. Fingers crossed for you!

So finally I got to know that my camera does have a water damage but it is possible to repair it by replacing one part. It was not much water that leaked through the camera but salt water is very corrosive. Waiting for the spare part now, don't know if it will get done before I leave to Europe, but at least I know that the damage can be repaired and hopefully the camera will work fine again. Thanks gusy for adding your advice and contributing with your support, much appreciated.

That's great news that it's just one damaged part — which part was it?