Repair Your Water-Damaged Garmin VivoActive-HR Watch!

[@alfonslichtenegger3704]

Hi, thank you. Your video recoverred my second Vivioctive HR. First one as well as second one stopped working after one year operation and just normal swimming, no diving. Perfect watch but not waterproof upto 5 ATM, I did not expect this from Garmin!

[@trimineman8507]

It worked! All I did was open it up like you did and then put it over a dehumidifier overnight. Thank you so much!!!

[@nicolebartholmey3742]

Thanks, Dean! I’ve had mine for over a year and never had a problem until a week ago when I fell into a reservoir while paddle boarding. It took a little work to pop off the button panel, but it’s working like new now. So much for this fitness tracker being “waterproof.”

[@arandompersonontheinternet2453]

I had mine for less than two days! I just climbed into the pool and it instantly broke! Thank goodness this tutorial exists! I managed to fix it!

[@benbowen3045]

Thanks for the video! This fixed my Vivoactive HR. After splashing around in a shallow lake, the screen faded to black and then became a scrambled mess of horizontal lines. I had to repeat the washes described in the video a few times over the course of a few days. Then, I left it plugged into the charger all day, and now its working!

[@martinmacrury1387]

Thank you for this tip! I've had my watch over a year so it's out of warranty. Left my watch on whilst swimming and the following morning it was totally blank. Suspecting it was water damage I didn't have anything to lose trying this idea. It's now working perfectly fine again and saved me having to buy another watch. £3 for a aerosol can of electric cleaner to solve the problem when Garmin quoted £99; easily the best £3 I will spend this year. Thanks for posting this video and sharing such a great idea and tip!

[@deanstucker]

Fantastic! Glad it worked for you!

[@clwb51]

Thanks for this mate, worked like a treat! I used 99.5% Ethanol instead of the electronics cleaner spray, but it worked fine. My watch was 20 months old, so just 8 months out of warranty. Very poor of Garmin to only use waterproof glue that just about lasts the guarantee period but no longer, rather than sealing it with a proper rubber O-ring. You've made my wife (and me) very happy that her 2017 Christmas present is working again. Cheers!

[@laurentgougeon7509]

Hi Dean ! You simply saved my Garmin with your tip ! Got it broken after 4 years ... finally got water in it at the camping pool. 😞 After long drying it's up & running again ! Thanks !

[@VaclavSir]

Wow, seeing how easily the panel goes off, I'm no longer surprised they shut down after just showering with them. I pulled my panel with bare fingernails and didn't even need any tools. 🙂 There was some glue underneath that used to work as the sealant, but I guess after the years it wore off. I got them second-hand from a friend who only used them for cycling. Good, they now rest in rice, if it won't help, I'll get the spray on Monday, and I will only use them for the dry sports, like the previous owner. Thank you for this video!

[@VaclavSir]

Follow-up: the rice didn't help, today I bought an electric contact cleaner, and once I sprayed some amount inside, it turned on immediately. Thanks again for this advice! 👍

[@jefft6560]

Fantastic instructions on how to open. I used a small bead of B-7000 around the seal area to hopefully waterproof this section.

[@arttusilvast]

It is pretty ridiculous how easily the panel comes off. I've broken two only using it in the pool. Your trick really worked. I could also see some sort of corrosion on the circuits.

[@markschedler4558]

Thanks much Dean. I took a dip while on a Boundary Waters trip and the alarm buzzed for quite a while and the screen became a bunch of lines. I opened it and sprayed the electrical cleaner. I also blow dried it and put it outside for about an hour and it was back. Thank you!

[@capo1551]

Dean, Brilliant!! Your recommendation worked flawlessly. Thank you. In my case the leak clearly came from the screen and chassis joint. Check it with a piece of sticky tape. Glue the screen and the buttons back on with B7000.

[@jmp814]

Has the B7000 returned your watch's waterproofing & does the altimeter still work? Haven't decided on T7000/T8000 vs B7000 yet.

[@ssiillvveerraa]

Hi Dean, you are a genius mate! It worked. It is a very simple solution, congratulations! I used WD40 instead of CRC cleaner, i think it is very similar. Cheers from Colombia! My garmin is five years old. Thanks a lot.

[@robthbeyer]

Thanks! Even though the back light still doesn't work after several cleanings, all else is fine and the watch is usable. Thanks again for your video!

[@hydrobud89]

I got my Garmin vivoactive HR that had water damage working again thanks to you video

[@gnovx]

This certainly helped me. Thought the nonresponsive screen on my 18month old Vivoactive HR was the end. Opened it up, blowdried it and it's BAACK!. Odd though, I didnt even get it submerged, but it got some splash from a water hose. That's pretty crappy design by garmin. :/

[@timbalmer6785]

Cheers for this advice Dean 👍. I went pool swimming yesterday whilst on holiday in Ibiza and noticed that it had a black screen and consequently wouldn't respond after. As soon as I return home to the UK I'll try the same fix. Adios from Siesta. 😎😎😎

[@emmakrupp3121]

Mine just had this issue after a brief swim??? I'm trying this out! Thank you for posting!

[@aprilguerrero935]

Did it work for you?

[@thomassmith4441]

Glad I found this video. Mine died after a hot tub. Ordered some contact cleaner so going give this a go. Fingers crossed!

[@duncan1821]

did it work?

[@Armadauzbekistan]

Useful but my screen is popped and now there's just gibberish in the LCD, is there anywhere I can find a replacement screen?

[@mrTrara1980]

Thanks for this advice. I was about to throw it in the bin after river swimming last week. 3 mins after watching this the watch is on and up and running.

[@gundars13]

BIG THANKS! After warm bath I had the same problem. Screen just went black an no any responses. Didn't have any problems befor in pool. So I did it with some Hi-Gear spray GH40 and it worked for me! One more thanks!

[@deanstucker]

gundars13, Glad to hear you got it working again!

[@danthompson7135]

Call Garmin. They replaced mine and it was no longer under warranty. There is a known issue with early models.

[@Daveinet]

I have a hard time believing that. My case broke right were the band attaches to the watch. It was not under stress, it was actually under my jacket sleeve when it broke. The watch was still under warranty, but Garmin claimed it was not under warranty and refused to warranty it. They wanted more than I paid for the watch to fix it. Let it be known that Garmin does not stand behind their warranty. They make a cheap product that easily breaks. The attachment point is too thin around the screw to sustain normal use. I now have a very expensive watch that is of no value, through no fault of my own. I'd like to find a replacement case for it, but so far no luck. I am very displeased with Garmin as a corporation.

[@achillenangue9695]

OMG 😲 you are a live saver. I did call Garmin and they replaced mine . Just put in a complain of the water proof not accurate. They will cover it with the warranty. The process was easy . I didn't believe it at first until I got the return label sent to my email to ship back the defective HR. And a week later I received a new HR. Yes it is a know issue and they will replace it . My old HR was 3years old lol . Now I got a new one lol. Thank you Dan

[@sbkw0428]

Do you have a video on replacing the back cover?

[@petermarciniak9383]

Thank you! mine wouldn't turn on after a dip in a hot spring and i thought for sure it was toast!. i needed 2 heavy doses of contact cleaner (assume same thing) and an overnight drying to get it to work. i didnt even lose my data!

[@JR-zw2vb]

Wow! amazing. Thanks for sharing. This method may even work on other smartphones, or electronics too!!!

[@cytherians]

Thank you for this info. It's sad to say, but the VivoActive HR was not designed to be serviced. The casing appears to be in two parts that are fused together, and the only access point is through the switch port as shown here in this video. The absolutely TERRIBLE thing Garmin did was to not use a proper o-ring seal. Instead, they used SHOE GOO! I popped my control panel off and discovered the goo residue. Apparently salt water eats through this. Really negligent design.

[@deanstucker]

This watch measures atmospheric pressure. (That's how it knows you're climbing stairs.) My thinking is that the root cause of these recurring failures involves the pressure sensor. If you look closely at the body of the watch, where the switch panel interfaces with the body of the watch, you can see a small passageway going from outside to the interior of the watch.

[@sachfpv6038]

exactly I have bathed twice in sea water and direct black screen impossible to do anything except to recharge the first time it is gone but the second time it does not start at all I opened it and yes the small silicone low end .... I am disgusted with the finish of this watch

[@kimberlyakuhn]

I think this is exactly why it is waterproof for only a short time. The opening allows gunk to get inside the watch and it breaks down the adhesive allowing water inside. I couldn't believe how gross mine was but I did wear it almost all the time in all circumstances. A proper o ring may have helped.

[@cyprezza]

Add our 2 Garmin Vivoactive HRs to the list! Wow this is a shitty build for something they tout as for use swimming 🏊

[@chris_matt164]

Most helpful video on KZbin! Thank you

[@kimberlyakuhn]

This procedure got my screen up and going! However, the display is still wonky and it flashes and flickers. Do you think this means the LCD was ruined or should I just continue to let it dry out and clean again?

[@davisema]

Wow this actually seems to have worked on my device...hoping it stays that way! Thank you!

[@davisema]

But question... does the battery seem to die faster on yours? It definitely seems to die faster now :( - I even changed the backlight to the lowest settings, but it's still gone from 100% to 91% in only about 2 hours of just sitting still

[@CaveDJz]

How did you go about opening the watch up? I've had the same problem but can't find any info online on how to open it

[@deanstucker]

Hi Cave DJz. I didn't completely open the watch. I only removed the small button panel, as seen in the video, sprayed the cleaner into the watch, shook it around to make sure the cleaner reached all parts inside the watch and then let it dry overnight. Give it a try. I hope it works for you!

[@grownball]

Great little tip there....didn't have any cleaner so just blow dried her and screen reappeared. What did you stick the button panel on with after?

[@deanstucker]

yoyo, There was sufficient "stickiness" remaining to keep the button panel in place. If you wish to make it water resistant again (and lose all altimeter functionality) goop it up with a flexible sealing adhesive of some kind.

[@uso1957]

Hello dear Stucker, I just discovered my garmin vivoactive HR had veri poor backlight on display. I also adjusted the backlight on the but it dont help either. What would you recomment plaese.

[@deanstucker]

This could be a battery issue or corrosion issue on the contacts of the light switch. If the latter, perhaps more cleaning is needed on contacts for the light switch.

[@andrefrenette8215]

I had the same problem with my Garmin VivoActive HR and your procedure fixed it. Thank you so much. When you installed back the cap, did you sealed it with a product (like silicone). I cleaned out all the old sealer and was wondering what product I should use to install back the cap. I'm looking for a product that the fume would not damage the screen. Thanks again !

[@deanstucker]

Andre Frenette, Great Question! And your concern about fumes is a good one. Absolutely avoid cyanoacrylate based glues (super glue). A "contact cement" type approach may be the safest approach... where a thin layer is applied to both parts, wait maybe a minute and then join them together. Keep in mind that the altimeter function may no longer work properly due to a blocked pressure sensor passage.

[@andrefrenette8215]

I'll do that. Thank so much for the quick reply.

[@dholtman5977]

Could I use Power Shot Electric Motor Cleaner Spray instead?

[@deanstucker]

D Holtman, I just looked up "Power Shot Electric Motor Cleaner" in Amazon.com and reviewed the features associated with that product. One of the bullets said, "Compatible with Lexan, plastics and painted Lexan surfaces." Based on that description, it would appear to me that it would probably be safe to use Power Shot for the purpose we're talking about. No guarantees, but I'd give it a try on my watch if I were in your situation.

[@dholtman5977]

Thank you sir.

[@infotechsailor]

Did it work?

[@thehobbitwindsurfen]

So if I understand it. After you did this the watch isn't waterproof any more??

[@deanstucker]

Matthias Buytaert, You are correct. The watch is not waterproof after the repair. But the whole point is that the watch is already not waterproof, hence the water damage requiring the repair. I suppose, after restoring functionality, one could fill the watch full of silicone sealer but that would disable the internal barometric sensor. Perhaps a reasonable tradeoff.

[@dallase1]

How do you take it completely apart to replace the battery or in my case try to fix the touch screen that dose not respond to touches on the bottom part of the screen?

[@deanstucker]

Sorry. I can only guess on how to disassemble the watch further - which is to unglue the display from the body of the watch. I suspect any chance of success would involve a hair dryer to soften the glue. If successful, I'm guessing everything else will come out as a single unit with the screen.

[@gregoryvillarreal9261]

I inherited an hr..from a friend who bathed with her watch on and had the blank screen happen. Ifixit has a video of the screen replacement process..but no one sells just the screen..(I've looked) 🤔🤷‍♂️. I'm going to try and see if this works for me..

[@avaseal]

Thanks Dean. Mine started to buzz and became unresponsive (black screen) when swimming in the pool. I carefully pried the button assembly away, sprayed it with DeoxIT D5, used a paper towel to wipe off the excess then used a can of air to dry inside the watch. After waiting 10 minutes then reinstalling the button assembly I pressed the left button and it booted right up! One hour later and it is still working

[@deanstucker]

Yay!

[@stefanfriedrich1398]

Thanks, a lot! I try to repair the watch for my boy and hope it works again.

[@AkaishiKanon]

It worked!! TYVM.. 🙃

[@13rusbel13]

worked for me. Thank you very much

[@Wazowski68]

THANK YOU! Very useful.

[@rmjormjo]

I had a Vivoactive HR. After wearing it in water, it stopped working. It was a waranty case, and was replaced. Then a second device stopped working after wearing in water. I will not wear the vivoactive HR in water anymore.

[@deanstucker]

Wise choice. Great watch, but deceptive marketing.

[@rmjormjo]

Garmin Vivoactive HR has a waranty time. Garmin garanties it to be waterproof during waranty time when used properly according to the manual. Can we say that the marketing of GARMIN is deceptive? No. But is it a good decision to wear the Vivoactive HR in water after warranty is gone, or even also before, when we see what you experienced, and when we read here what other users of the Vivoactive HR experienced?

[@whateverhappend]

I recently got a new Vivoactive Hr for my wife, but she didn't like it and gave it to me. I didn't like it either but I liked the ability to track my swims. Both she and I now own a vivoactive 3. I'm glad I did the swap, because the HR is just bad design. Could this also be the reason why Garmin eventually replaced the HR with the new 3?

[@deanstucker]

Could be. I'm glad to hear they moved on to a different [hopefully better] design.

[@GARoskilly]

Hello Dean, It worked ! I was able to bring my HR back to life using your suggestions. Do you have any suggestions on how to reseal the access cap? It appears it was originally sealed with some kind of pliable silicone. Thank you so much for your help.

[@deanstucker]

Gerald Roskilly: Excellent! I'm glad it worked for you! I suppose you could goop it up with silicone sealer. Please note however that you will likely render the air pressure (altitude) sensor useless, but the watch will be water proof/resistant again. (If you look very closely, while the cover is off, you will see an air passage from the outside of the watch to the inside.)

[@shrekjones7]

PRO TIP: To remove side panel first heat gently with hair dryer to soften glue (glue is thermo-plastic - it gets soft again when heated). Don't over-heat as screen is *also* glued on with thermal glue - you don't want to unstick that! then use tweezer / flat screwdriver in slot to lift gently off.

[@shrekjones7]

My watch just died after playing with baby in 1ft deep paddling pool!

[@alexangell903]

I washed my watch and I did use detergent and softener and it was in there for a bit washing.I didn’t realize until later.Can I save it by this method?

[@deanstucker]

It's definitely worth a try! Some people have reported success after multiple applications of the electrical cleaner.

[@panda6709]

what should i do if water had gotten into a crack in my screen?

[@deanstucker]

Ouch. I'm afraid there's not a lot you can do about that. LCD screens are very sensitive to outside elements interacting with the Liquid Crystals in the Display (the "LC" in LCD). I fear your watch is irretrievably broken, which boils down to "give anything a try and see if it works". Good luck!

[@kooolboy20]

Tried this but still screen is dead with a dark bluish tinge to it.

[@chrisruse7563]

Fixed mine as well. According to Garmin’s ‘customer service’ the watch is “considered water resistant, not water proof, which is why pressing buttons while in water can generate issues’! Clearly major design flaw for a swimming watch. This worked well. Now has anyone figured out a solid way to waterproof the watch (probably requires removing the screen too)? Thanks again for the fix.

[@nortonnewmann3711]

This is how nearly every smartphone is assembled... because it's fast and CHEAP! Even the most expensive iPhones. I have a Microsoft Surface that's glued together... JUNK! Thanks for the tip... I'm drying my Garmin out now by a dehumidifier.

[@sachfpv6038]

exactly I have bathed twice in sea water and direct black screen impossible to do anything except to recharge the first time it is gone but the second time it does not start at all I opened it and yes the small silicone low end .... I am disgusted with the finish of this watch

[@deanstucker]

Salt water is the kiss of death for electronics like this watch. Not surprised it didn't work.

[@leslyhouse3056]

it has been 3 days since I got mine wet before I came across this video i’ve tried several stores to find electronics cleaner and can only find electronics duster and it didn’t work is there something else I can try

[@deanstucker]

Try an Auto Parts Store or Hardware store or Home Improvement store. Or Amazon.

[@leslyhouse3056]

thanks, do you know of a similar product to look for at one of them? I tried it again today with it on charger, pushed the right button and could barely tell the screen is trying to do something so not sure if any cleaner would work at this point or if it is ruined

[@deanstucker]

Search Amazon for. CRC 05103 QD Electronic Cleaner it's cheap.

[@BekKimChi]

thanks for the video! question: was your device dead(wont boot up) after the said rice trick or was it just the dead screen(boots up w/vibration)?

[@deanstucker]

Scott Han, my memory is a bit fuzzy on the details, but my recollection is that the degredation slowly got worse with issues getting worse until there was no response of any kind - leading me to believe that a corrosion build-up was occurring until the boot up process was completely shorted out.

[@hokioz]

This is a great video and the solution fixed my watch no problem. Really appreciate the help.

[@jesusceballos2876]

I have had 4 vivoactive hr in two years of warranty. All of them were water damaged. The last one has lasted aproximately 1 year of use. But 15 days after the waranty was off i had my last one with the same problem and garmin didn´t replace it. I think they shouldn´t sell this watch as water resistant. I swim 3 or 4 times a month, so the water of the pool was not the problem. Also, I didn´t shower with the last one. I think sweat or when i wash my hands are the times the water enter in the watch. I have dried my watch, I have used electronic cleaner. I can put on/off the watch with the buttons, but the display is black. Only can see the backlight of the display.

[@deanstucker]

Jes Sarcast, from your description it sounds like your watch is toast, so I guess it wouldn't hurt to try something weird. How about this? Take the buttons off again and fill the watch full of vinegar, CLR or acidic shower cleaner type solution and let it sit for a few minutes with the solution in the watch. My thinking is that your watch may be shorted out by mineral deposits left by the original water damage. Perhaps we can dissolve those deposits, flush them out. Then use electronic cleaner again to remove all traces of the vinegar or whatever solution you used to dissolve the suspected deposits. Good luck! Let us know how it turns out! ~Dean

[@penelope-oe2vr]

I think the issue is with WARM water. I've swam with mine on several times and it was fine. Until today, I got in a hot tub with it on and it killed it. Will try this when I get home from out of town, and no more water for it :( I *thought* this was designed to track swimming..... I expected more from garmin. Mine isnt but about 7 months old and I'm very gentle on it, I'm disabled.

[@deanstucker]

Warm water may be worse than cold because of increased air pressure inside the watch due to the hot water. As the watch cools moisture on the outside of the watch is drawn in as the internal pressure drops. In my case, however, it was long term exposure to water (and splashing) as I was tubing down a Wyoming river.

[@hydrobud89]

The reason that it's so easy to get off the second time and not the first is because there's silicone sealing it and shut and you should resilicone it if you want it to be watertight again

[@deanstucker]

I'd be interested in knowing if the stairs counter function still works after resealing it.

[@hydrobud89]

@@deanstucker yes it seems to be fine I resealed it yesterday and the silicone I used cures pretty quickly but it's been almost 24 hours ago and its still working but I'll keep u updated if anything changes

[@AustinBristowSpeaker]

@@hydrobud89 how'd you apply the silicone and what type did you use? My one concern after watching this was that taking the buttons off would negate the "waterproof" function...presuming that would be the case unless I reapplied silicone, right?

[@hydrobud89]

@@AustinBristowSpeaker I used CRL silicone sealant ( I install glass showers and that's what we use to seal them from water) it's a regular size cartridge caulk tube I used with a caulk gun with a very small hole in the tip and then used a needle to move the silicone around to all the and waited 24 hours for it to fully dry.

[@Macksacco]

Just this moment I got off the phone with Garmin. I have the same problem....water stopped my watch. After I told the Garmin contact that my watch had stopped working while in a pool of water, they almost immediately said that they would send me a brand new updated watch. I will receive it in three to five business days. This is an old problem which apparently has been corrected. So, you might just want to call them and get a watch that will handled you next time around water. (September 4, 2019)

[@joemax2]

Thanks it works!!!

[@madmatt677ify]

My one, the screen has become unbounded

[@melissaotto4953]

We did this with my husband's watch. It worked to power it back on now. But, it won't sync with his phone anymore. Anyone else have this problem?

[@deanstucker]

The watch - in its broken state - may have confused the application on your husband's phone. You might have him try uninstalling and re-installing the app on his phone. See if that helps.

[@melissaotto4953]

Ok I will have him try that. I do know that he tried resyncing after "forgetting" the watch and trying to reconnect the watch as if it was new and was never connected. Unfortunately that didn't work.

[@sheikhsufyan]

Great video thank you, so I've manage to open up my Garmin, and I've found the problem so...Garmin thought it would be clever if they use a waterproof glue to stick and seal the front housing obviously the glue dont last long which causes the water penetrate, I think the process which Garmin have used is this method is absolutely diabolical and brainless thinking! As for my CASIO watch which has a RUBBER seal around the back bevel which enables them to withstand such high water pressure.. garmin get the hint!! would not buy a Garmin again!

[@rmjormjo]

Here the comments in the GARMIN FORUM: forums.garmin.com/forum/into-sports/health-fitness/vivoactive-hr/1415671-water-damaged-vivoactive-hrs

[@mitso874]

Yeah... this "solution" completely broke my watch. Before I could at least get it to turn on, now I just get a black screen and occasionally a empty battery symbol. DO NOT TRY THIS!

[@tofantes]

maybe too much of that contact cleaner. ideal it would have been to disconnect the battery first.