Help, how do I dry out a wet camcorder

Recently I took a JVC Hard Disk Camcorder model GZ-MG37U out near
the beach on a very stormy day. A huge ocean wave came up and threw
water all over us while the camcorder was recording. I wiped it
immediately. But later when I tried to tape something it said
"Recording Failure". When I put it in play mode only a few of the
indexes showed up. It won't play any "HDD Error! keeps showing up.

Scubajam...

Well, I'm not really recommending this, but I'll put it out as a
possibility when ALL else has failed. But it sounds like you're
doomed.
1) Most warranties don't cover flood of any kind.
2) I know Sony won't warrant against flood. You might try to indicate
it is due to salt spray, but ??
3) Try everything else first.
4) Understand I have LOTS of experience with this. I'm a scuba diver
(42 years now), was a underwater photographer, and for the past 6 years
I've taken video, now HD.
5) I've had 4 floods. One SLR - toast. One Nikonos - complete flood.
Fixed it and shot with it the next day. One video camera - toast. One
video camera partial flood up 1/2 inch from the bottom - Repaired
except for infra red remote and nightshot.
6) Salt is the main problem. It corrodes. Fresh water is easy.
Electronics are a major problem, often not repairable.
7) Worst thing for corrosion is to let it dry out without rinsing out
the salt. Basic rule - keep it wet. A salt water complete flood -
remove battery asap (and toss) - leave it in fresh water constantly and
send to repair service (in water). Again, electronics probably toast
anyway. If it was on, even worse as power shorts in salt water.
8) Here's basic repair process. Dunk in fresh water and let it get all
over flooded area. 2X Rinse and get all the salt out, but don't dry.
Mix alcohol and water half and half. Dunk again. The alcohol will
bring out the fresh water as it dries. Use a hair dryer, then let it
set for a week , if you can. Remove covers as much as possible to view
and get complete rinse. This is how I fixed the video camera. But as
only a half inch flooded (I caught the flood early in the dive and kept
the housing upright), I only rinsed and alcohol rinsed that half inch,
actually 3/4 inch. It did get to some of the transport mechanism, but
not much. When my Nikonos amphibious camera flooded it was a Nikonos
1, which has no electronics. I tossed the lens, rinsed the camera,
alcohol and water, and hair dryer, and it worked fine. (I still have 5
Nikonos cameras) Still does and that was 25 years ago. Never been in
for repair.

The fresh water rinse, then alcohol and water are the keys.

You mileage WILL vary. No liability.

Jim McGauhey
Washington State

I was able to make it "Protect All" the files. It did it because I can
see the 'key' symbol in each index box. Most of each index boxes are
black. But they do show the date, time and quality setting when
trying to play them.

In record mode it shows what the lens is pointing at but then turns
itself off then on over and over. I was able to change the quality but
not get it to record.

I've performed the "Clean Up" operation on it. But it doesn't seem to
help. But will it help if I do it over and over?

BTW, the "Still Image Mode" is working perfectly. It plays and
records.

I know very little about Hard drive Camcorder. What should I do to get
it working again?

glenzabr...

The worst thing you could have ever done was to keep dicking with the camera
while it was in this condition.

Best to put the camera in a very dry place and hope for the best in a few
days. Open the cassette door and leave sitting for a few days. You could use a
hair dryer in low heat or NO heat mode and blow at the unit a few times a day
to help dry it out. Best to look into whether insurance covers it under your
homeowners insurance.

Mike Kujbida...

As far as letting it sit for a few days, for fresh water maybe. For salt
water, NEVER.
Scubajam had the right answer about rinsing it out IMMEDIATELY.
A similar incident happened to a friend of mine while sitting in the front
row at Marineland. When the whale splashed down, his camcorder got soaked.
Unfortunately, he didn't follow the advice given here and his camcorder was
a total write-off, just like I feel the OP's will be :-(

marks542004...

All I can think of is put it in a warm dry place with any covers open ,
and let it dry.

I would be tempted to call the service agent for warrenty repairs and
see what they have to say about it .

Dave...

If all else fails, have you considered eBay?

Dave...

Dipping it in a bath of Nitric Acid will neutralise the salt content. That's
the sodium corrosive issued solved. Then all you have to do is the relace
all the pcb's .Guess that really hasn't been a lot of help? No, thought
not............. I'll get me coat