Phantom 3 Pro went for a swim — need help drying

[MichiganChemist]

My P3P landed in a muddy river. It was submerged for about 12 hours before it was recovered. I removed the battery, rinsed some of the grit off the exterior and set it on top of my dehumidifier, where dried air is moving past it fairly continuously.

I noticed condensation in the camera, so I unscrewed the glass over the lens and gently dried the lens with a tissue. I also removed the small rectangular aluminum panel covering the circuit board and CCD. I notice some kind of “cell” half-filled with water under the circuit board. (I don’t know what it’s called. Picture below. )

I can’t figure out how to open this “cell” to let it dry out. There are two small Phillips screws that I can’t remove. I don’t know if removing them will do me any good anyway.

So, does anyone have any suggestions to help?
Thanks.

 

[WV. Rootman]

I would say that is your camera lens. It took a hard hit. My P3s was under a waterfalls for 3 days. After I washed the silt out with a hose, I put it in my dehydrator. 3 days later, everything worked to my surprise. I didn't know it worked till about 6 months later when I got another battery.

 

[MichiganChemist]

That's very comforting (and a testament to the drone). This morning I noticed that much of the water had disappeared (evaporated) from the "cell" behind the lens. There is still a residue on the clear glass that I wish I could clean off, but perhaps it won't impact the video significantly.

 

[ArmyVet]

Modern day consumer electronics is pretty resistant to water. But not salt water. I worked for several telecom companies. Whenever we had electronic equipment involved in a flood. And one flood in particular involved a restaurant bathroom.....ughhh. We simply took the equipment outside and hosed it off with water hose. Then blew it dry with compressed air. Worked Everytime.

Good luck.