Forgot water lock a couple times, now Charge 5 won’t turn on or charge

[amuma]

A couple of times over the weekend, I got into a pool and either didn’t set my water lock properly (I thought it locked but didn’t) or forgot to water lock it. Since then it turned off and will not charge. Is it busted? Can I send it anywhere to fix it? 

[UlrikeDG]

"Water lock" has nothing to do with water PROOF. Water lock just keeps the screen from being activated by water, and it turns on automatically if you manually start a swimming exercise.You can read more about the Water lock feature here: https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/1598.htm

The Charge 5 dying after ordinary swimming is a fairly common way for the device to fail, and you need to contact customer support to get it replaced under warranty (if it's still covered).

[Julia_G]

Hi, @amuma , as @UlrikeDG has mentioned, the water lock does not affect water resistance.

The water resistance on Fitbits can deteriorate over time, especially if frequently exposed to skin creams and sun screens etc.  If you think that water has entered your Fitbit please do not attempt to charge it - as we all know, water is a great (too great!) conductor of electricity, and the power surge could destroy your device!

Instead put it in a bag of uncooked rice and leave it there for at least 48-72 hours.  The water should help absorb any moisture inside your Fitbit.  Once the device has had 48-72 hours in rice, and you can no longer see any moisture or water drops on the clock face, plug it in to charge.  Give it a good two hours charge and then try the restart procedure (explained here ).  You may need to try this a couple of times, as a single restart does not always work.

With luck your Fitbit will recover and work as before - but you probably should not wear it in water again…

If it doesn’t recover, if your Fitbit will be covered by a limited warranty for one year in most jurisdictions, inc the US, and 2 years in the EU (and UK so far).  Please get in touch with Fitbit Customer Support on Contact.fitbit.com .  They will let you know your options.

Welcome to the Community Forums!

[bdc98]

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With luck your Fitbit will recover and work as before - but you probably should not wear it in water again…

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Please understand the comment you made:  You're telling people they should accept that a device they have paid for, with an expectation of performance in sporting conditions such as swimming, is not suitable for the purpose the device was marketed and sold to do.

Completely unacceptable.

[UlrikeDG]

DO NOT PUT WET ELECTRONICS IN RICE. If you really want to put it in something, use silica gel, but open air works better. A sunny windowsill will provide a bit of warmth to help the water evaporate. But amuma should just contact customer service to get a replacement if possible.

[Julia_G]

Hi, @bdc98 , I was, of course, referring to any Fitbit out of warranty, which I mentioned in my post.  Wear and tear affects almost everything in life, including Fitbits, and that’s why warranties are limited.  If you know your Fitbit is no longer water resistant and your warranty has expired, then it would be advisable to stop doing something that might kill it.