# UPDATE: Photo's of my melted LCD Screen - what happened? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 29, 2008, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-photos-of-my-melted-lcd-screen-what-happened/435453 "2008-01-29T14:41:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-photos-of-my-melted-lcd-screen-what-happened/435453/1 "2008-01-29T14:41:53Z")
Ok I started a thread yesterday stating thet my LCD monitor had melted at the base…I thought it was the Liquid Crystal Display and was apparently mistaken…so today I have my camera so here it is: [Photo 1 of the entire base.](http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/Phlosphr/Misc_1__8044.jpg) [Photo 2 is a close-up.](http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/Phlosphr/Misc_1__8041.jpg) [And Photo 3 is a closer still look.](http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/Phlosphr/Misc_1__8043.jpg) So whaddaya think? Burned out or melted out Capacitor? Aliens? Lemmings? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-photos-of-my-melted-lcd-screen-what-happened/435453/2 "2008-01-29T14:53:19Z")
Looks like rust to me. You didn’t spill a drink on it did you? ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-photos-of-my-melted-lcd-screen-what-happened/435453/3 "2008-01-29T15:07:05Z")
Agreed, that’s rust, or some other form of corrosion/oxidation, most likely due to a liquid spill ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-photos-of-my-melted-lcd-screen-what-happened/435453/4 "2008-01-29T15:08:36Z")
I had it up on a monitor stand…no spillage anywhere near it. It’s a bit humind in my office, we’re not the most tightly sealed building in the area… What about what someone said in the last thread? Brown liquid from a capacitor. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-photos-of-my-melted-lcd-screen-what-happened/435453/5 "2008-01-29T15:13:20Z")
The base itself doesn’t look melted; it looks like something spilled on it. You didn’t have any ceiling drips that fell into the monitor and messed things up, did you? ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-photos-of-my-melted-lcd-screen-what-happened/435453/6 "2008-01-29T15:24:02Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] The base itself doesn’t look melted; it looks like something spilled on it. You didn’t have any ceiling drips that fell into the monitor and messed things up, did you? [/QUOTE] Not that I know of no. Like I said it was on a monitor stand… ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-photos-of-my-melted-lcd-screen-what-happened/435453/7 "2008-01-29T15:30:06Z")
So there is no way this was an internal meltdown? Something external did this - most likely? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-photos-of-my-melted-lcd-screen-what-happened/435453/8 "2008-01-29T15:41:41Z")
Cats? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-photos-of-my-melted-lcd-screen-what-happened/435453/9 "2008-01-29T15:55:49Z")
[QUOTE=Phlosphr] What about what someone said in the last thread? Brown liquid from a capacitor. [/QUOTE] Caps don’t have that much liquid in them. A 1/4 teaspoon maybe, and I don’t think it would travel that far. ---
**Author:** ![Subway\_Prophet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@Subway\_Prophet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subway_Prophet)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-photos-of-my-melted-lcd-screen-what-happened/435453/10 "2008-01-29T16:06:50Z")
The way the rust is distributed, it looks like the spill came from inside the case. But for something corrosive to drip down the neck of the stand, traverse the hinge, and collect around the foot - I would think you’d be seeing other signs of it. You mentioned high humidity in the office. Is it possible that condensation collected inside the stand and dripped down onto its base? ETA - clarified stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-photos-of-my-melted-lcd-screen-what-happened/435453/11 "2008-01-29T16:14:36Z")
[QUOTE=Subway Prophet] The way the rust is distributed, it looks like the spill came from inside the case. But for something corrosive to drip down the neck of the stand, traverse the hinge, and collect around the foot - I would think you’d be seeing other signs of it. You mentioned high humidity in the office. Is it possible that condensation collected inside the stand and dripped down onto its base? ETA - clarified stuff. [/QUOTE] That is a distinct possibility, moisture could have been captured under the stand and corroded the base. However, the corrosian encircles the base as if it were dunked in some liquid, and it was not. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-photos-of-my-melted-lcd-screen-what-happened/435453/12 "2008-01-29T17:17:21Z")
It is certainly a long term problem with moisture. I have seen a monitor die from a mouse peeing into it. I’ve also seen rust like that on metal from mouse pee exposure over time. Any animal in the house is a suspect of that damage. High humidity condensing there could be the problem, or a ceiling leak. Somebody with a drink or watering plants is suspect. You might have a leaky bottle of Windex set on the monitor while you clean. I’m going for the animal pee as my top guess. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-photos-of-my-melted-lcd-screen-what-happened/435453/13 "2008-01-29T17:39:53Z")
I should probably mention this is my work computer and we have no cats…now mice may be a different story all together. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-photos-of-my-melted-lcd-screen-what-happened/435453/14 "2008-01-29T17:53:37Z")
[QUOTE=Phlosphr] I should probably mention this is my work computer and we have no cats…now mice may be a different story all together. [/QUOTE] At work they had cats in the office. One cat killed a computer by peeing on it.. Once they opened the office and found a mouse was between the phone cradle and handset. The joke was it tried to call 911. ---
**Author:** ![Subway\_Prophet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@Subway\_Prophet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subway_Prophet)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-photos-of-my-melted-lcd-screen-what-happened/435453/15 "2008-01-29T18:07:50Z")
[QUOTE=Harmonious Discord] At work they had cats in the office. One cat killed a computer by peeing on it.. Once they opened the office and found a mouse was between the phone cradle and handset. The joke was it tried to call 911. [/QUOTE] Or it was on hold with AT&T technical support, and died of boredom. I know I’ve skated uncomfortably close to this particular brink many times. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-photos-of-my-melted-lcd-screen-what-happened/435453/16 "2008-01-29T19:10:53Z")
> [@beowulff in Post #8](#): > > Cats? [QUOTE=Joey P in Post #9] Caps don’t have that much liquid in them. A 1/4 teaspoon maybe, and I don’t think it would travel that far. [/QUOTE] I read these at least 5 times before it hit me that Joey P does not have some kind of mutant feline. Re the OP, my first thought was “cats” too but it seems a little much even for a real pee-er. 🙂