The Effect of Smoke Damage on Electronics

2/25/2020 (Permalink)

How does smoke damage electronics?

The process of salvaging electronics after a fire goes beyond checking for burns and water damage. You can’t afford to assume that an appliance is okay just because it survived the blaze. It has to go through an intense fire cleanup process that is dedicated to recovering electronics.

Types Of Smoke Damage in Electronics Include:

• Black film
  
• Magnetic Charge
  
• Corrosion from soot
  
  

Black Film

House fires are notorious for producing a tremendous amount of black smoke. These fumes seep into your electronics during the fire and form a thick coat on the circuit boards. As a result, your devices often overheat and end up having a shorter lifespan. Have a restoration professional clean the boards and replace any worn out parts to avoid this issue.

Magnetic Charge

Black smoke also produces a magnetic charge that can cause a short circuit. Since most electronics have tiny components crammed in a small space, the risk of malfunctioning or another fire doubles when using smoke damaged equipment. These types of incidents are few and far between, but there is no point in risking another costly fire cleanup or electric shock.

Corrosion

Soot is also very acidic. That makes it a massive threat to TVs, computers, and appliances. If left to sit in the circuit boards, some of the components degrade slowly to premature death or even worse. Usually, this type of damage happens to electronics that get a DIY soot cleanup and those that receive nothing at all.
As a fire victim in Mt Bethel, PA, it is important to make sure every electronic you intend to save goes through the proper fire cleanup process. That will make sure it goes back to regular operation, and it is safe for your family to use. However, do not attempt to DIY a soot cleanup in big electronics as you can easily mess things up and cause another disaster.