Ah, the water-damaged phone. You’ve most likely held one in your quivering, helpless hands, pondering how you’ll carry on with your tech-dependant life. In this day and age, when people can’t move an inch without their precious electronics, it’s a common occurrence—one that about 22 million Americans experience every year, according to TekDry Device Rescue.
Who is TekDry? Oh, you know, just the company that found out how to end the sorrows of those millions of wet phone-owners far and wide. That’s right. Straight out of DU’s MBA program has come a solution for all wet electronics (phones, cameras, laptops, iPads—all of them) that is absolutely incredible.
In the spring of 2012, Eric Jones, Craig Beinecke and Adam Cookson chose to deal with the problem of water-damaged electronics for their main MBA project. It went so well that several DU instructors advised them to quit their jobs. They did, and TekDry has been on the rise ever since.
By creating a machine with an extreme drying chamber monitored by various software and sensors, the three found how to rescue not just water-damaged electronics, but also totally-soaked ones in just 20 minutes. Most instances they see are with devices that were wet for less than a minute, but Beinecke was pleased to share a story about what this machine is truly capable of:
“A phone was dropped in Lake Granby over 4th of July weekend and the owner didn’t bother jumping in after it,” said Beinecke. “He figured it was dead. But, the next day, a little girl saw it and got her brother to dive in and get it. She brought it to us, we rescued it and had it working again in 20 minutes. Everything was just like before he dropped it.”
Not only did the TekDry team rescue the phone, which had been underwater for a stunning 26 hours, but they also managed to return it to the mourning owner.
“We contacted the cell carrier off the SIM Card, they contacted the owner to let him know that his phone is working and we dropped it right off for him,” said Beinecke.
The machine doesn’t just cover water, either. These guys have tested out other liquids such as soda, coffee, milk and, the most prevalent of all to DU students, beer. In these non-water cases, the TekDry process is actually so efficient that devices soak in warm water before being placed in the machine.
As you can imagine, TekDry is quickly developing and looking towards a bright future. The team has been traveling around the country on media tours to talk with established repair shop franchises and electronic stores with the goal of placing their machines in existing stores. “We’d rather partner with somebody who already knows how to do everything else [other types of repairs] and simply provide an opportunity for the water side of things,” said Beinecke.
For now, you can find the TekDry team at their storefront at 1331 West 121st Ave. in Westminster for all your device-drying needs. If they can fix your device (it’s free if they can’t), the process costs about $80, which is a serious bargain in comparison to the hit on an insurance deductible or a new phone. TekDry’s team will even work weekends and odd hours to make sure your device is taken care of properly by coming straight to you. For these emergency rescues, give them a call at 303-495-2992.
A few final words from the TekDry Staff: Devices bigger than large laptops don’t currently fit in the machine; power down your device if it’s still on after it’s water-damaged; don’t plug your device in after it’s water-damaged; don’t put it in rice after it’s water-damaged (they’ve proven that method ineffective); even if your phone is still working, it won’t be for long, and you should get it dried out immediately. Their rescues have been over 75% percent effective with phones that weren’t kept on or plugged in.
