My laptop is leaking

Question

My laptop is leaking

Hi there!

I'm really worried because I came home today and went to use my laptop and found that the carpet beneath where it was sitting was wet. It can\t have been a spill because there was nothing near it and nobody's been home all day. I checked the underside of my laptop and saw that it was wet around the battery area. Now, it can't be battery acid because:

The battery itself is dry.
I got quite a bit of it on my hands and they have currently not corroded down to the bare bones, nor am I in any pain.

And I'm positive it's not that LCD liquid stuff because:

I'm typing on the laptop right now and the screen is fine.

I'm kind of worried because I literally have no idea what is currently bleeding out of the battery compartment of my laptop. The stuff looks like water and has no particular smell that I noticed. If it helps root out whether it's an issue with a certain line, this one was bought by me in 2008.

Anyone have any ideas about this? I'm concerned in case it's dangerous to inhale or be near, because the damp patch on the carpet is right next to where I sleep. Any light that anyone can shed on this would be appreciated.

MacBook

Posted on Mar 6, 2014 12:59 PM

Reply

Answer 1

K Shaffer

Level 8

36,094 points

Mar 6, 2014 2:47 PM in response to webuiltthisnicky

After a bit of searching & reading (above timed out) I found some information on what a liquid from a lithium-ion battery may contain...

Liquid electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries consist of lithium salts, such as LiPF6, LiBF4 or LiClO4 in an organic solvent,

such as ethylene carbonate,dimethyl carbonate, and diethyl carbonate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium-ion_battery#Electrolyte

...a tiny tidbit from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium-ion_battery

and most links in those bits revert to wiki general page info.

"Since Li-ion batteries contain no toxic metals (unlike other types of batteries which may contain lead or

cadmium)^[41] they are generally categorized as non-hazardous waste. Li-ion battery elements including iron,

copper, nickel and cobalt are considered safe for incinerators and landfills."

So a cleanup of something suspected to have leaked from a computer battery

into a carpet nearby may be removed by a carpet cleaning device that may

flush the carpet with water and vacuum the residue away; this, a best guess.

Once dry it may not present a problem.

If the carpet changes color, that's another matter.

You don't happen to have any pets? Leaky pets?

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

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Answer 2

K Shaffer

Level 8

36,094 points

Mar 6, 2014 2:23 PM in response to webuiltthisnicky

Assuming you left the battery out of the computer and are using an AC power Adapter,

the best thing would be to contact the nearest Apple Store and ask to speak to a

Genius, they may wish to schedule an appointment however. Or contact an independent

Apple Specialist, a reseller with a service department; and describe this issue.

Contact Apple for support & service:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HE57

A Genius at Apple Store, or product Apple specialist at independent service

is recommended; the genius most likely. However a liquid brings up a few

questions and that may imply (to them) that a spill may have occurred, so

expect they may bring up that as a source of a mysterious liquid.

If the battery had swollen or leaked, and it could be proven to be lithium ion

leakage, that could be cleanup up; perhaps neutralized somehow.

Otherwise there really isn't much we (you or a reply here) can do about resolving it.

The computer, if taken to an Apple Store, with leaking battery, may get their attention

even without a Genius appointment. There also is a chance there may have been a

program in place to address battery issues, however such have come and gone so

it may not be a covered item under a previous program. A new battery is about $130.

If the liquid is from a chemical in the battery, to neutralize it may be considered.

However, a lithium ion cell is not an acid battery. A base neutralizes an acid,

to an acid (mile) may neutralize a a base. But what is the lithium ion? (dont know)

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

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