The ski season is approaching and all passionate skiers & snow boarders will start wondering where and when to go this year, but don’t forget about your valuable electronic equipment this year, you need to take precautions to protect them. That nice new camera, iPod or phone you just got, is incredibly vulnerable to moisture damage that will not only ruin your day, but also will not be covered by your 1 year warranty. That means you are not only up for a new camera or phone but also have to pay out the old contract.
“But why” you are saying to yourself, “my jacket is waterproof”, I keep my phone in the zipped pocket. That’s all true, but did you know that the humidity inside your jacket can be as high as 90-95% after a run or two. That means it’s about 30-35-degrees in your jacket and about 0-degrees outside. This temperature difference is where we start getting problems. To give you an example of what I mean, go to your fridge and take out the bottle of milk and place it on the bench. The inside temperature of your fridge is about 5-degrees and the outside temperature say 20-degrees, now watch as condensation begins to form on the surfaces of the milk container. This is due to the humidity in the air condensing on the cooler surface forming water droplets.
Now imagine you are talking to friends on your nice new iPhone on the slopes, after just one minute your phone is at the same temperature as the outside air (say 1-degree), you finish your call and put your phone back into your jacket, your nice, warm, humid jacket, within seconds water droplets are forming on every cold surface both outside and inside your phone. The first you know of there being a problem is when your phone stops working or starts to plays up. You take it back to the store where you bought it and they tell you the phone has been wet, so voids the warranty, you argue that it’s been nowhere near water, they show you the Liquid Submergence indicator has changed color meaning it’s been wet. That’s it, end of story; you have no way of disputing the outcome and this is just what the phone company wants. From talking to mobile phone repairer this is far from uncommon and there are a couple of things that can cause “water damage”. Moisture coming from breath and sweat and moist humid air are believed to be responsible for up to 75% of all mobile phone problems world wide.
So this winter, remember to look after your valuable electronic items or your snow holiday may not be the only thing you have to pay out for!
