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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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- 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. ↩
Annette says
Oh wow! I do not feel like a complete numpty knowing others have done this too. Mine is a Philips AIO and was not plugged in, but I began pouring coconut cream and water mix in mine, onto the element. My husband wiped it out and removed the base and we hope we have have got all of it. I did realise immediately, so it was only about 50ml but coconut cream is a little oily-ish. Fingers crossed.
toni says
Thank You!! Dumped in the rice........right after I had lifted out the liner. I removed the screw, even though it was a "crazy" one and used my computer's mini vac to get the rice. Thanks again. Lets hope I didn't shake it up too much!
Suzieq says
Omg! Thank you for this post! I’m new to the instant pot and I poured water into the base accidentally. Today after drying it out with a rag, a fan and air for 3 days, it works great! I did the pressure test and and used sauté function.
Jackie Bragdon says
Followed your instructions, though I let my pot dry for a week. Turned on the saute. It worked. Turned on the steam. It worked. Thanks, Dad!!
Bruce Edwards says
My bit of idiocy was a case of too many cooks spoil the broth - in this case, nattering about what we wanted to put in, when and how. I said, "oh well, might as well put the broth in first," and dumped it straight into the unlined pot. - and out the bottom.
Very appreciative of the advice here. I am still waiting the 72 hrs. to see, but it looks good to me as the circuit board is well protected by its plastic sleeve and my "addition" contained no solids. I dabbed its back side where there were a few droplets but I don't imagine that moisture on the plasticized side of the board will lead to it frying. Fortunately, while the appliance was plugged in, it was not on so I don't anticipate immediate damage either. I'll post back if it doesn't work out but I am optimistic.
Jane Suh says
Which size of Phillips head screwdriver did you use?
I’ve tried using the standard Phillips head, and it wouldn’t grab the screw.
But, I have some frozen chicken pieces stuck inside the base of my instant pot.
Mike Vrobel says
I used a standard Philips head - but I have heard that Instant Pot switched to using Torx head bolts since I wrote this post.
Bruce Edwards says
I used a small torx.
Sarah Morton says
Noooo, Ive just poured cooking oil into the base , have I killed it ? I’m trying to absorb it all with kitchen towels but it’s still going to be coated in oil 😞
MaryKay says
Sounds like most folks' "oops"involved dry items or water/broth. I was making a pork roast with BBQ sauce - very first time I used IP. All went well until somehow when I lifted out liner, @ 1/2 cup of the thick sauce spilled into base. Didn't realize that was a problem at first, so we sat down and ate a lovely meal. After, I realized the getting-thicker-by-the minute sugar-based sauce had dripped down into that center hole gizmo. I cleaned out as much as possible. Finally just put it back in the box, which keeps staring at me accusingly from under the kitchen table. I'm guessing it's dead, but might take base apart to see just how dead.
Jo-Anne says
Thank you SO much for this information! Must say it made me feel better knowing I'm not the only one to do this. In my case- tossed rice and water in without the liner - in the Instapot that just arrived today.
Most helpful was how to remove the vent cover and knowing hopefully it'll be fine after 72 hours.
Elizabeth Katz says
I got the little screw out using a small blunt nose pliers. None of my specialty screws fit.
Margo Rabe says
I just poured 1/2 cup of water in my 8qt for the first time! Followed the instructions and hoping for the best. I have been using it for 5 years and today was a first. Well. It's dinner in the 6qt for the next few days!!!!😊
Angela says
Welp...I just poured 4 cups of chicken bone broth with meat drippings and beans that I had soaked into my Instant Pot and did not realize immediately what I had done. The LCD panel went dark, and I saw the broth all over my counter top and realized it then. I don't know if the panel going dark means it shorted out before I realized what I'd done, but I'm thinking it probably does. I immediately emptied it, wiped it clean and dried it off as well as possible and it is now turned upside down, but I'm not hopeful. I'm thinking with the fat from the meat drippings, plus I can hear a rogue bean in there that I can't shake out, and I have an Ultra, requiring the special screwdriver head to remove the bottom. I have a wide selection of them in my tool kit, but not that one, so I can't remove the bottom. I am going to keep trying to shake that bean out of there, and wait the three days, but I'm afraid I'm looking at a "It's Dead, Jim" scenario.
Mike Vrobel says
Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that!
Joan J says
ANy help for a C6L error?
Mike Vrobel says
I'd get in touch with Instant Pot Support at https://www.instantbrands.com/contact-us
Robin Carneen says
They say things happen for a reason. I have not had any issues with mine until last night. I moved my instapot after putting the cooled off soup away and noticed a leak spot underneath it. I instantly turned it over so it could drain the other way, away from the electronic bottom. I just took it apart and used clean cotton balls to dab any remaining moisture and very gently did the same thing under the inside element plate ( hopefully no cotton gets left behind . I gently shook it and low and behold a red partially melted twist tie came out. How that got in there escapes me. I'm lucky it was leaking for whatever reason or I may have had a freak accident electrical fire. I will let it dry out more and do the recommended test but I'm thinking I might get a new one because of what I found in the electronics. Not a good day. Furloghed...Vet bills and electric window repairs all at once. Hopefully, I can get more stimulus money. Thanks for the tips though ! Very helpful!
Char says
I dumped some beans in mine. Got all but I think 2 out. I have a T15 screwdriver head, but it doesn’t turn the screw. I also tried some players - no joy. Looks like I’ll be cooking with beans in the bottom.