Is it possible to get a TV to work after a flood? Interior cleaning, repair, photos

p.kaczmarek2 07 Oct 2024 20:42 39 7512 Cool? (+38)

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TL;DR

A flooded Samsung LE32A330J1N TV was dismantled and cleaned after half a day under water to see whether flood-damaged electronics could still be revived.
Cleaning focused on silt inside the PCB area, connector legs, ribbons, polarising films, and fluorescent-tube backlight sections, using isopropanol and careful drying.
The set was first handled 3 weeks after it was flooded, and the worst trapped moisture was still in the screen grooves and behind the films.
A premature test eventually succeeded: VGA produced an image, the satellite tuner gave picture and sound, and the side keypad still worked.
The repair remained an experiment, and long-term reliability stayed uncertain because this older model uses a CCFL backlight, not LEDs.

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What does the inside of a TV set flooded look like? Is it still possible to get such a television working? How much work does it take to clean it, how deep is the water able to reach inside? Will a flooded Samsung still work? Let's find out! In this topic, I will just deal with such a TV, model LE32A330J1N.

The TV was flooded halfway through by water, you can basically see the liquid level in the picture. It was under water for about half a day, the electricity had been switched off earlier, so basically the worst of it had passed. However, it is, of course, all dirty:

Back of Samsung LE32A330J1N TV with visible dirt from flooding.

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Silt has settled everywhere, even at the mains connector:

Power connector of a flood-damaged TV with visible silt deposits.

Plate:

I took care of the TV 3 weeks after it was flooded, so it had time to dry out a bit.
I left the cleaning of the outside for last, however. Let's take a look inside:

Interior of a Samsung LE32A330J1N TV with visible flood damage.

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On the face of it, it's not too bad, I checked the coils and ICs for moisture, and most of them have already dried out. Nevertheless, there is still dirt on the PCB:

Circuit board inside a flooded TV with visible dirt.

Flood-damaged Samsung LE32A330J1N TV with visible dirt on the circuit board.

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I cleaned the circuit legs with isopropanol, removed the ribbons:

Close-up of a PCB inside a Samsung LE32A330J1N TV.

Close-up of a dirty integrated circuit and circuit board in a Samsung TV.

Close-up of a dirty circuit board inside a television.

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I also checked the other side of the tiles:

Printed circuit board with dirt in a flooded television.

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For the other tiles the same.
Unfortunately access was not good everywhere, but at least the electronics from the matrix can be accessed:

Interior of a flood-damaged TV showing electronic components and mud.

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I then removed the plastic frame at the front. Inside were another supply of dried silt:

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I then unscrewed the metal frame holding the matrix. Behind the matrix are still the polarising films and the backlight - here fluorescent tubes.

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I cleaned the plates from the matrix:

Damaged circuit board inside a flooded television.

Close-up of the inside of a water-damaged TV showing dirt on the PCB and ribbon cable.

Dirty circuit board from a flood-damaged TV.

Flood-damaged circuit board interior in a television.

Close-up of a dirty circuit board with silt deposits after flooding.

Close-up of a dirtied circuit board inside a television.

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I then indulged in something slightly against the art - a premature test. I simply wanted to know if there was any point in playing at all. I just made sure that I was sure the moisture was removed from all the PCBs:

Television with an open casing displaying static noise.

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It works, but there is moisture under the die. So we remove the die:

Interior of a TV screen showing moisture marks

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Dirt can also be removed from it:

Close-up of a hand holding a part on the side of a flooded TV.

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You can see the patterns from the moisture, the films hold water:

Lower part of the plastic frame of a flood-damaged TV with visible sediment and dirt.

Image of a flooded TV screen with visible sediment and moisture stains.

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I took off the plastic "sides" so I could remove the foils. Even there the water arrived:

Dirt and silt deposits on the inner frame of a flooded TV.

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You can already see the attachment of the fluorescent tubes:

Interior of a flooded TV with visible sediment and water remnants.

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With a powerful LED lamp I dried and washed the films:

Moisture under the TV screen after flooding.

Moisture patterns and dirt on the TV screen.

Interior of a TV with visible traces of moisture and dirt, illuminated by a strong LED light.

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I got as far as the fluorescent tubes, where I also removed the moisture. The worst part was the grooves at the top and bottom of the screen, there was literally still water there.

Dirty tissue against the background of a damaged television.

Dirtied back cover of a television after flooding

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Time for another test:

TV screen displaying a volume adjustment bar against a background of static.

Samsung TV with static on screen during post-flood test.

Close-up of a TV screen with static and artifacts.

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But will it pick up any signal? This is where there was a bit of a problem, because. the connectors didn't make contact and also had to be flushed with IPA in them.

TV screen displaying the source selection menu.

But with VGA it was possible to move:

Image of a TV screen displaying a website about electronics.

Television screen displaying a webpage with technical articles.

Close-up of a TV screen displaying a website with a discussion forum about televisions.

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Then I also checked with the sat tuner - there is picture and there is sound, a complete success!

Image of coffee advertisement displayed on Samsung LE32A330J1N TV.

Samsung TV displaying an Eduscho coffee advertisement.

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For the record, I should add that the keypad on the side of the TV also works, so I can navigate the menu, change the signal source, etc....

Samsung TV model LE32A330J1N displaying a television program.

Now all that's left to do is to summarise...
Was it worth it?
Well, for such an old model of TV, this was just an experiment rather than a major repair. Anyway, it was evident in the subject line,
that this is still a CCFL-based backlight model, not LEDs. In addition, I don't know if there won't be any further problems with this unit after a while, although it has been drying for a good three weeks. We'll see.
Apart from that, it's still worth bearing in mind the risks of flood water. I did my best to disinfect and clean the entire housing, just as I did to wash my hands after all the work, but even so, I would not urge anyone to repeat my experience.
However, in terms of cleaning the TV itself, the biggest problem was with the polarisers/diffusers behind the matrix which held moisture. You have to know how to take the whole thing apart and then put it back together again. The matrix is quite a sensitive component, one tap and all the fun is gone. I was also surprised that there was still literally water in the grooves (behind the films).
In any case - you can. Have you already made similar repairs, or do you scrap all flooded equipment straight away?

About Author

p.kaczmarek2 wrote 14567 posts with rating 12578 , helped 654 times. Been with us since 2014 year.

Comments

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klm787 07 Oct 2024 20:53

. Great respect for your approach to the matter. For such a repair :D . [Read more]

gulson 07 Oct 2024 20:57

Amazing report! So practical... So that your neighbours don't start dropping off various flooded RTVs ;) now. And probably the number goes into the thousands. What saddens and worries me is how water... [Read more]

Ture11 07 Oct 2024 21:04

. This year's floods (oh, I sympathise strongly with my colleague) may have pushed my curiosity to try to repair something flooded - or at least look inside. My mistake was to buy car audio equipment... [Read more]

gulson 07 Oct 2024 21:08

Generally, if one has the time, buying previously disconnected equipment after a flood and not running, for a few per cent of the value, is not a stupid idea. In a car, however, it is always the voltage... [Read more]

Ture11 07 Oct 2024 21:12

Let me ask you one more thing... How about the CNC3040? Was there a lot of effort to bring it back to life? - Or is it not yet known? [Read more]

p.kaczmarek2 07 Oct 2024 22:03

. I would seriously love to showcase some more flooded equipment on the forum, but alas.... my "storage" rooms have all been flooded with water up to the ceiling and are now emptied to 0, even of furniture,... [Read more]

Energy_freak 07 Oct 2024 23:23

Was it worth it - yes worth it to show that you can fix equipment that no one will spend time on. Super presentation. Is it financially worth it - yes - you won't pay for the TV, yes - we won't pay for... [Read more]

szeryf3 08 Oct 2024 07:55

@pkaczmarek2 I thought you wouldn't save the TV because water and silt would get into every tiny crevice. Respect for your thoroughness and patience while working. Was it worth it? We'll see in a few... [Read more]

tomekptk 08 Oct 2024 09:45

After the 1997 flood I tried to salvage flooded computer equipment including HP laser printers. Except that this equipment had been underwater for longer, completely flooded, although unplugged, because... [Read more]

keseszel 08 Oct 2024 10:09

Son was refurbishing a Philips TV after a fire . TV smoked (you could see on the screen) and flooded with fire extinguishing agent. It was disassembled and dusted. It worked for a few months. Then lines... [Read more]

gulson 08 Oct 2024 13:15

Not very optimistic. But right, it's not tap water, it's carrying the neighbour's septic tank, for example. [Read more]

krzysiek7 08 Oct 2024 14:03

I have not been in contact with electronics after such a flood, so it is difficult to judge. I only once rescued a car radio panel that had been drowned in water with some washing up liquid, but to save... [Read more]

CMS 08 Oct 2024 18:33

I once rescued (several, or even a dozen years ago) a projector of someone from us on the forum. It was also post-flood. Everything inside was covered with a beige-brown deposit. It was a lot of work.... [Read more]

Jacekser 08 Oct 2024 19:43

When I was servicing office equipment: fax machines, telephones, exchanges (after being flooded with coffee, tea, coca-cola (after being flooded with coffee, tea, coca-cola)? When I was running a service... [Read more]

Anonymous 08 Oct 2024 19:55

Some people wash PCBs in dishwashers - normal dishwashing gel and programme about 50...60 degrees - supposedly works very well - I haven't checked it myself so it's hard to say - as for washing - I would... [Read more]

Jacekser 08 Oct 2024 20:00

. Oh, I forgot to write about this. It pulls out nested water well and of course blowing with air, sometimes overnight on a warm radiator. The cells that fell into my toilet when I peed I mention only... [Read more]

kris8888 08 Oct 2024 21:24

. For me, a long time ago, a three-phase squirrel cage motor from a hydrofoil that was mounted in the basement of the house flooded twice. I was amazed that an electrician-mechanic friend was able to... [Read more]

LEDówki 08 Oct 2024 22:43

Coca cola is a lot of acid though and a good electrolyte. Dishwasher pad salt,powder is an alkali, so there will be conditions for corrosion. Dishwashing liquid is also an alkali, so it falls off. The... [Read more]

Anonymous 08 Oct 2024 23:22

. A good rinse is therefore necessary - plain water to start with and then deionised water and finally drying with IPA. [Read more]

FAQ

TL;DR: After 3 weeks of drying, one flood-soaked Samsung LE32A330J1N still worked because the owner fully stripped it and found that "there was literally still water in the grooves" behind the panel films. This FAQ helps repairers judge whether a flooded LCD TV is salvageable, how to clean it safely, and where hidden moisture remains longest. [#21254476]

Why it matters: Floodwater reaches far beyond the visible waterline, so a TV that looks dry outside can still hide conductive sludge, trapped moisture, and delayed corrosion.

Option	What the thread shows	Main risk	Best use case
Plain water + distilled/deionized rinse	Good for flushing heavy mud, sewage residue, and detergent remnants	Residual water stays trapped in crevices	Very dirty, sludge-covered boards and connectors
IPA + compressed air	Good final-stage drying and contact cleaning	Can miss hidden pockets under films or BGAs	Final rinse, connectors, ribbon sockets, spot cleaning
Do nothing beyond surface drying	Outer parts may look dry after weeks	Hidden water remains behind films and in grooves	Never sufficient after flood immersion

Key insight: The hardest part is not the main PCB. The real danger is moisture and silt trapped behind the LCD matrix, diffuser stack, connectors, and grooves near the CCFL tubes, where water can remain for weeks after the cabinet looks dry.

Quick Facts

The TV sat flooded to roughly half its height for about half a day, with power already disconnected before immersion. [#21254476]
The successful repair attempt began 3 weeks after flooding, yet water still remained behind the panel films and in the upper and lower screen grooves. [#21254476]
One forum estimate put flood-repair labor at 4–10 hours × 150 PLN, plus about 50 PLN in materials, before transport and with no warranty certainty. [#21261101]
A projector salvage case required washing, IPA cleaning, drying, and heating to 150°C; the repair was judged viable only because the projector was expensive at the time. [#21255577]
A phone recovered from sewage was dried on a heated aluminum plate at about 45°C for 3 hours, then left until the next day before reassembly. [#21260791]

How do you clean and dry a flood-damaged Samsung LE32A330J1N TV step by step without destroying the LCD matrix or diffuser films?

You must fully strip it, clean every contaminated layer, and reassemble carefully. 1. Remove the back, boards, ribbons, front bezel, and metal frame, then clean PCB legs and sockets with IPA. 2. Lift the LCD matrix carefully, remove the diffuser and polarizing films, and dry both the films and the grooves near the CCFL tubes. 3. Test only after every board and film stack is dry, then flush any bad-contact connectors again. The thread’s successful repair started 3 weeks after flooding and still found trapped water behind the films. [#21254476]

Why does moisture stay trapped under the LCD diffuser and polarizing films for weeks after a TV has already dried on the outside?

Moisture stays trapped because the film stack and panel grooves hold water by capillary action and block airflow. In the Samsung case, the cabinet had dried for 3 weeks, yet the owner still saw moisture patterns under the films and found literal water in the top and bottom grooves behind them. Those layers dry far slower than exposed boards or the outer housing. Once water reaches that stack, surface dryness tells you almost nothing about the internal state of the display assembly. [#21254476]

What is CCFL backlighting, and how does it change the repair risks compared with newer LED-backlit TVs after flooding?

"CCFL backlighting is a display-lighting system that uses cold-cathode fluorescent tubes behind the LCD panel, with high-voltage drive parts and deeper mechanical layers than many LED sets." In this thread, the repaired Samsung was explicitly noted as a CCFL-based model, not LED. That matters because the repair reached the fluorescent tube area and the grooves around it, where water still remained after weeks. A later comment also noted that a colleague had separately salvaged two LED-matrix TVs, showing the risk pattern is different, not absent. [#21254476]

What is a ballast or inverter transformer in a CCFL TV, and why are these high-voltage parts a concern after water damage?

"A ballast or inverter transformer is a high-voltage transformer that powers CCFL backlight tubes, usually with one or more transformers on the inverter board for multiple lamps." These parts matter after flooding because trapped moisture or contamination in high-voltage sections can cause later arcing, shorting, or intermittent failure even when the TV first powers on. One commenter was surprised the Samsung’s fluorescent-lamp inverter transformers had not already failed. Another warned that coils and transformers should be avoided during washing because trapped water inside windings can later cause shorts. [#21259965]

Which cleaning method works better for flooded electronics: plain water plus distilled or deionized rinse, or direct cleaning with IPA and compressed air?

The better method depends on how much mud or residue the flood left behind. Heavy contamination needs a flush-first approach: plain water to remove sludge, then distilled or deionized water, then IPA and air for drying. For lighter contamination or contact areas, IPA and compressed air work well as a final-stage method. Several replies favored that sequence, because IPA alone does not always remove flood sludge, detergent, or sewage residue. The Samsung repair itself used IPA heavily on legs, ribbons, and sockets after mechanical disassembly. [#21255672]

Why do flooded connectors, ribbon cables, and VGA or tuner sockets stop making contact even when the TV powers up?

They stop making contact because oxide, silt, and residue remain on the contact surfaces after the main boards dry. In the Samsung case, the TV powered up before all input functions returned, and the connectors still needed flushing with IPA because they did not make contact. After cleaning, VGA worked, and then the satellite tuner also delivered picture and sound. That pattern shows a flood-damaged TV can have separate power and signal-path faults at the same time. [#21254476]

How far can flood water and silt travel inside an LCD TV, including behind the panel films and into the grooves near the fluorescent tubes?

Flood water can travel through nearly the whole lower display assembly, not just onto the main board. In this case, silt appeared on the mains connector, PCB surfaces, front frame area, matrix-side boards, behind the LCD matrix, under the diffuser and polarizing films, and in the grooves near the fluorescent tubes. The owner explicitly wrote that water had reached even the side areas used to remove the films. The practical takeaway is simple: if the cabinet flooded halfway, contamination may still extend into hidden optical layers. [#21254476]

What signs tell you a flooded TV is worth attempting to save, and what signs mean it should be scrapped immediately?

A flooded TV is worth trying when power was cut before immersion, corrosion has not eaten tracks away, and the panel survives a careful first test. The Samsung had been unplugged before the flood and later recovered picture, sound, tuner control, and side-key operation. Scrap is the safer choice when electrochemical corrosion has already removed leads or thin tracks, when hidden residue remains aggressive, or when the matrix has developed irreversible lines. Several replies described later failures such as matrix lines, shutdowns, and corrosion continuing in unseen places. [#21254984]

How does leaving power connected during a flood change the damage pattern in car electronics compared with unplugged home equipment?

Leaving power connected turns contamination into active electrochemical damage almost immediately. One car-audio case described equipment that stayed live until the battery died, and the owner identified powered circuits by the component leads that had vanished through corrosion. By contrast, several successful home-equipment rescues depended on mains power being cut before flooding. A commenter summarized the car problem directly: in vehicles, voltage is always present somewhere, so flooded modules often emerge with digested thin tracks and far worse board damage. [#21254516]

Why are BGA chips and capillary-trapped moisture such a problem when drying water-damaged PCBs?

BGA packages are a problem because water hides underneath them and escapes slowly. A thread reply stated that the worst places are under BGA parts, where moisture gets trapped by capillary action and may need compressed air or alcohol-assisted drying to remove it. Surface dryness is not enough, because water can remain in tiny gaps while the rest of the board looks clean. That is the same failure mechanism seen in the TV’s film stack and grooves: narrow spaces trap liquid long after accessible areas seem dry. [#21255672]

What drying methods are people using for flooded electronics, such as warm-air drying, oven heating, calcium chloride in a sealed box, or radiator drying, and what are the risks of each?

People used warm air, radiator drying, low-temperature plate heating, oven heating, and desiccant drying, but each carries a different risk. One phone was heated at about 45°C for 3 hours on an aluminum plate. Another repairer heated a projector to 150°C after washing. Others suggested overnight radiator drying or calcium chloride in a sealed box. The risk rises with temperature and poor control: plastics, adhesives, films, and trapped residues may degrade, while uneven heating can miss water in windings, BGAs, or panel layers. [#21255577]

How should transformers, coils, and inductors be handled after a flood if trapped water inside the windings could later cause shorts?

Treat them as suspect parts, because water can remain inside the windings even after the outside looks dry. One reply explicitly warned to avoid washing transformers and coils and, if possible, remove them instead, because even a small amount of trapped water can later cause a short. Another commenter expected the Samsung’s CCFL inverter transformers to be among the first parts likely to fail later. In practice, these parts need extra drying time, targeted inspection, and zero trust in a quick power-up result. [#21259965]

What long-term failures tend to appear after a flooded TV seems repaired, such as matrix lines, corrosion in hidden places, or intermittent shutdowns?

The common long-term failures are matrix lines, hidden corrosion, bad contacts, and shutdown faults that appear later. One reply described a TV restored after fire-extinguisher exposure that worked for a few months, then developed matrix lines and later began shutting down. Another commenter doubted flood residue can ever be fully removed from hidden places, warning that corrosion may continue with normal air moisture. Even the Samsung success story included caution that later problems might still emerge despite 3 weeks of drying and a complete initial recovery. [#21255016]

How much work does it usually take to restore flood-damaged equipment like TVs, projectors, pumps, or office electronics, and when does the repair stop making economic sense?

It usually takes hours of dirty, repetitive labor, and it stops making sense once labor exceeds the item’s replacement value. One commenter priced typical work at 4–10 hours × 150 PLN, plus about 50 PLN in materials, before transport and with no guaranteed result. Another repairer said a projector rescue was worthwhile only because the projector was expensive then; today, the same hours could earn several times more elsewhere. The Samsung TV was treated as an experiment, not a normal commercial repair, because it was an older CCFL model. [#21261101]

What happened with the flooded CNC3040 kit, and what steps are still needed beyond a basic rinse and drying before it can be tested safely?

The CNC3040 kit was not repaired yet; it only received a basic rinse and drying. The owner said there was still nowhere to assemble it and no time to continue. Before safe testing, it still needs complete inspection, proper assembly space, and likely deeper cleaning and verification of each module rather than a blind power-up. That matters because the same author showed fresh corrosion on other flooded boards even after only about 6 hours of water exposure, proving that delayed damage can keep developing after the first rinse. [#21254612]

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