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Hi, just did this as well =(
Any updates from Instant Pot customer service on what they would have done? Thanks.
Commenter Wendy
This comment sat on The Case of the Missing Inner Pot for a while. (Sorry for the slow response Wendy!)
To summarize the original post: My son and I had a misunderstanding. I said "Put the pot liner full of beans and water into the Instant Pot." He heard "Dump the contents of the pot liner into the Instant Pot base." Time slowed down as I watched him pour the water and beans into the cooker base.
What to Do if You Dump Liquid in Your Instant Pot Without the Pot Liner
My solution is the same for all electronics:
- Unplug it immediately
- Dry it off as much as possible
- Leave it to air dry for a few days before powering it back up again.
The danger is an electrical short - electronics burn out if water conducts electricity someplace it's not meant to go.1 Once it's dried out, it should be fine, as long as it didn't short out before I unplugged it.
It worked! That Instant Pot is still chugging along - I've moved on, but it's going strong for my Sister-In-Law.
That said, I was curious. "What would Instant Pot Support do?" Here's what they had to say about…
Oil: Base needs to be replaced
If the liquid is oil of some kind, we can only safely recommend they replace the base entirely.
Oil won't evaporate…sorry. Move on to "It's Dead, Jim."
Liquid: Wipe out as much as possible, let dry for 72 hours
When liquid gets into the electronics, it is very important to wait at least 72 hours before testing the unit.
The first thing to do is to wipe the inside of the cooker base and heating element with a dry cloth to remove as much of the substance as possible. Next, place the cooker base upside down to let all the liquid drain out of the pot. Additionally, to better dry the electronics, there is a plastic vent cover on the bottom of the base that you can take off (while the unit is unplugged) by removing one screw. [Update: Pics of vent cover below]
Once it is completely dry, you can use the "Saute" function for 3 minutes without the inner pot to see if the unit still heats. Please be sure to monitor your pot the whole time during the test. If the heating element is working properly, it would seem like the cooker base is functioning. If you notice any excessive smoking, please unplug your unit immediately.
The safest option would be to replace the entire cooker base.
Safety? Feh. I'll go with my "air dry it and hope". It's worked for keyboards, cell phones, and an Instant Pot.
Dry: Shake it Out!
And we have an additional one for just dry foods,
The first thing you can do is to turn your Instant Pot over, and try to shake out any food from around the element.
Next, there is a plastic vent cover on the bottom of the base that you can take off (while the unit is unplugged) by removing one screw. [Update: Pics of vent cover below]. Any food you couldn't get out from the top is likely trapped in there. While you have the cover off, please be gentle with the wires and circuitry, but feel free to reach up into the cooker housing to see if you can get the remaining food out.
I do remember a couple of rogue beans I had to fish out from under the heating element. Luckily, I didn't have any work their way deep into the insides of my pot.
How to remove the Instant Pot Plastic Vent Cover
That's the official name of the plastic on the base. My Instant Pot Duo Plus, Instant Pot Ultra, and Instant Pot Max all have the same type of cover on the underside of the base, held in place by a single screw. Back when I took these pictures, the screws were a standard Philips head. But, from reports from readers, Instant Pot has changed the screws to use a Torx T15 head. (I had to dig deep in my toolbox to find a screwdriver with a Torx head that would fit.)
To help the pot dry out, remove this base. Make sure the pot is unplugged before you remove the base! Water, electronics, and people with screwdrivers do not mix!
(You can see the tabs and notches along the edge of the cover)
Remove the screw, and the vent cover is held in place by tabs on the base. Rotate the vent cover, line up the holes with the tabs on the base, and the vent cover lifts right off.
When I dumped water in the pot, the vents in the vent cover held on to a lot of water, so I dried it off with a towel and set it next to the pot. There were also drops of water on the electronics board in the base, so I gently - oh so gently - patted it with the edge of a paper towel to lift the water off. Don't get overly enthusiastic and damage the electronics.
And, AGAIN, please make sure the pot is unplugged before doing any of this!
It's Dead, Jim.
Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that. If it didn't work, and the cooker is permanently damaged, you're not completely out of luck. User damage is not covered by Instant Pot's warranty, but Instant Pot Support can help you get a replacement cooker base. Contact Instant Pot support for the details: InstantPot.com/Support
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
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The Case of the Missing Inner Pot
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- This is where all the "put your wet iPhone in a bag of rice" advice comes from - the rice is supposed to absorb the water. The rice does not matter - it doesn't do anything more than air drying - and anyhow I don't have enough rice to bury my Instant Pot, even with the big 25-pound bag from the Asian market. ↩
Heather says
I put about 3 table spoons of olive oil in my pot without a liner, wiped what I could see up with a paper towell and then cooked a meal bo problem.
Today its smoking, a burnt oil smell, so I turned it on its side and some more oil trickled out.
Ive wiped with a damp clothe as far under the bottom plate as I can reach.
What next?
Karen says
🙁 I the milk boiled over because the lid wasn’t shut properly and now it’s gone right inside on to the hot plate and under it. Will this method still work. I want to cry
JC says
Thanks to everyone! Just went from desperate blame & shame to "well, I'm not the only one." Not sure the change in my attitude will be beneficial to electronics, but I have 72 hours to keep my fingers crossed it will.
Anastasia Uhlmann says
Yeah, I just did the thing! AND turned it on without realizing (I had the steamer basket in). No food, just water, but it was on for about 5 minutes and I got a burn notice. Assuming it's dead, Jim? (LOL) Hoping for a Christmas Miracle since I just put my phone through the washing machine a couple months ago.
Mike Vrobel says
Oh no!
Colleen Ladd says
THANK YOU SO MUCH! Apparently there are many of us who have done this. Your advice was very helpful and quite funny at times.
Debra Abraham says
Happy to have found your page after I poured a cup of water into the pot liner of my 2 day old Instant Pot and wondered where all the water went?!? Fortunately the unit was not plugged in yet so shook out all the water, took off the bottom cover where everything appeared to be dry. Used the hair dryer on a low setting just to give it some extra drying, then left it to sit for 3 days. Powered it on today and all good.
Jeanne Fauci says
Thanks, Mike for the helpful instructions! I, too, dumped water into the pot without the metal liner in it. I have it upside down with the bottom off and will wait 72 hours as suggested. Fingers crossed!
Jk says
Just done it.😡🙃😒. Good to find this web page to get some assurance about the process to o follow.
Put the base for drying. Try it in a few days.,🤞
Rebecca says
Oh thank you!! I've had this for almost a year, and tonight I dumped dry macaroni in it without the liner! Of course it wouldn't all come out! So i took the base off and had it all out in a matter of minutes! Lucky for me I have a good screwdriver set with the odd bits so i could do it!
Larry says
I accidentally Dumped beans in the pot without the liner. Got most out by shaking them out, but still a few under the burner that won’t come out. I’m going ahead with cooking some beans. Hope I don’t have a problem.
Linda says
I poured broth in mine. Checked the package & no fat. Thank Goodness!! Now the question of will it work again wi be answered in 3 days. Thanks for your help.
Stephanie says
So my issue was a little different.. my butt forgot to put on the seal ring... so all the moisture went around the insert and out the bottom the lcd screen stopped working i unplugged it took the bottom plate off and turned it upside down... we shall see...
Mary M says
Thank you so much! I'd dumped in a cup of split peas, realized my mistake, and then shook and shook and... finally found this page. Rogue peas are on the kitchen floor now and I can use my instapot again!
Judith Dokmanovich says
Glad I am not the only one. I thought that I would thaw out a small frozen ham and poured in 2 cups of chicken broth without the liner. I sealed it and pressed the Meat/stew button and the pressure cook button. It set itself for 34 minutes. I was waiting for the On light to go off when I noticed a lot of steam coming out of the top and brown water under the pot. I immediately pulled the plug out, took the lid off and realized my stupid mistake. It was black in places on the bottom and I gently rubbed it off, turned the pot over in my sink to drain it. Should I still take the bottom off or will it be OK to let it dry for a few days before testing it. My Happy Easter isn't so happy.
Mike Vrobel says
Let it dry and hope for the best. Good luck!
Jennifer Hansen says
This post saved my Instant Pot, and the Lord used the experience of poor communication between my son and myself... and water being poured into our IP without the inner liner pot... as a lesson for us to communicate better and to forgive quickly. Thank you, Mike! Your post helped save a valuable piece of equipment and a priceless relationship.