There are two ways to charge your Roomba vacuum cleaner’s battery. You can either charge it directly to a power outlet or charge it via the home base, which can also be connected to a dock.
The dock is connected to a power outlet, and the Roomba connects to it once the battery is low or it is done cleaning.
Either way, you can charge it in any of these ways. It is pretty easy to figure out how to charge Roomba due to the way the vacuum is built.
And below, we will be diving into how to charge your Roomba vacuum and what to do about it once your Roomba ceases to charge.
How to Charge Roomba Battery Directly
There are two ways to charge your Roomba vacuum cleaner: with a home base or by using a wall charger.
- Without a home base, you can’t charge your Roomba directly.
- If you want to charge it directly, all you have to do is place it directly into the charger at the side of the device.
- Over there, you will see a dedicated charging connector.
- All you have to do now is connect it to the vacuum and connect the accessory side to a power outlet.
It’s fairly simple, but connecting it every time you finish cleaning or the battery runs low can be stressful.
Below, we will be breaking down how to charge Roomba with Homebase.
NB: If you are charging your Roomba directly through a power outlet, the charger should show a green power indicator light.
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How to Use Home Base to Charge the Roomba
All Roomba vacuum cleaners include a charging station, also known as a “home base.”These shelves are connected to a power outlet, as you can see in the picture above.
With the Homebase, you can charge it automatically or manually. It is mostly done automatically when your Roomba has finished cleaning or its battery is low.
Here is how to do that when it is not low or hasn’t finished cleaning your surrounding.
- Firstly, the Roomba should be docked.
You can do that by pressing the CLEAN button on the main screen of the iRobot HOME App to manually send the Roomba to its home base to charge.
If you’re just getting a new one, all you have to do is set up the home base and connect the Roomba vacuum to it.
NB: If you are using a Homebase, it is normal for the light to go off every 4 seconds while it is charging. So you don’t have to be worried about this behaviour when it occurs.
If you are still curious if your Roomba is charging, you can simply check the iRobot App to see the charging status.
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Now that you know how to charge a Roomba vacuum cleaner, let’s delve into what you should do when the Roomba ceases to charge.
How to Repair a Roomba That Isn’t Charging on the Base
If you are faced with a scenario where your Roomba vacuum cleaner isn’t charging after connecting it to the base station, here is how you can troubleshoot it.
The charging contact should be cleaned.
Every Roomba vacuum cleaner includes a charging station that delivers power from the charging station to the Roomba.
The charging station essentially delivers electricity to the Roomba vacuum cleaner, and it includes a metal strip that connects to the vacuum.
If your Roomba isn’t charging, it could be because these strips aren’t creating a connection.
Here is how you can troubleshoot it.
- Clean the contact points with a dry towel.
- If that doesn’t work, use a wet cloth with a little alcohol.
- If the dirt is really difficult, try a steel-wool sponge.
The Roomba Battery is Faulty
If you want your Roomba battery to operate at an optimal level, the battery should be used within its shelf life. When a battery reaches the end of its useful life, it begins to degrade.
While that is clear and easy to grasp, there are things you do that could drain the battery faster than you could imagine.
I will be touching on some of these things so that you are aware of them.
- exposure of the battery to direct sunlight for an extended period.
- not cleaning the Roomba brush, resulting in expending more effort on the battery.
If your battery hasn’t reached the end of its life and it is acting odd, you might need to replace it.
Here is how to do that:
- While holding the bottom cover in place, remove the five screws.
- Take out the first four screws, then the last screw that secures the revolving brush.
- Upon removing the screws, remove the lid to have access to the battery. The battery is normally held in place by two tabs.
- By loosening these tabs, you can take the battery out of its compartment.
- Replace the battery in the slot and reassemble the device.
Inspect the Base Station
Without the charging station, you cannot charge your Roomba vacuum cleaner without any physical intervention. Unless you want to charge it straight from the power source, which requires physical effort.
Now imagine that the charging station is not receiving power or that the connectors are dirty. Here’s what you should do to fix it:
Troubleshoot
Firstly, check if the circuit breaker has been tripped. If it hasn’t, disconnect the Roomba from the power outlet and inspect the power outlet.
In a scenario where the power outlet doesn’t seem to work, simply change the position; however, if the problem stems from the charging dock not charging, it is faulty and requires technical repair.
Take out the battery pull tab
This yellow pull tab is inserted into the battery contact points of your Roomba vacuum cleaner to prevent it from turning on before it is unboxed.
If you just bought a new Roomba vacuum and can’t figure out why it’s not charging, check the yellow pull-out tape to see if it’s still there.
If it is, simply take it out, and your Roomba should be working now.
Reset the Roomba vacuum
Since you’re stuck wondering why your Roomba isn’t charging apart from cleaning the connections or charging the battery, software faults could be the cause.
It may be difficult to find out on your own, so try soft resetting it after you’ve tried all of the previous procedures.
Soft The technique for resetting your Roomba vacuum is relatively similar for most models. However, you should consult the handbook for a more detailed guide on how to reset your model.
Troubleshooting
The method for resetting your vacuum varies depending on the model.
If you’re using a model like the S, I, or 900 Series, you can reset it by holding down the Home, Spot Clean, and Clean buttons at the same time until you see a light appear around the Clean button.
The same methods apply to the 600 and 800 series. However, you will hear a vacuum beep afterwards.
Move the charging station
Here’s one of the most basic answers to the question, “Why won’t my Roomba charge?”
To fix it, relocate the charging station to a different power outlet and check to see whether the problem has been resolved or it persists.
The wheel caster is dirty.
The small caster in front of your Roomba serves to keep it upright and straight.
If your wheel caster is blocked with dirt, the wheel may be pushed further out of its housing than usual.
That is why you should clean the wheel caster regularly.
Troubleshoot
To resolve this issue, follow these steps to remove and clean the caster wheel.
To access the caster wheel, first, remove the screw that is holding it in place, and then thoroughly clean the wheel caster for dirt.
How to charge the Roomba without the home base
As previously stated, you charge it directly from a power outlet using the connector on the side of the Roomba vacuum.
Its power indicator should show a green light once it is charging.
How to charge the Roomba 600 series
No matter which Roomba model you use, you can always charge it either via the home base or directly. None of the listed steps is very complex.
If you don’t know how to charge a Roomba 600, you can follow the instructions above.
How long does it take the Roomba to charge the first time?
A normal Roomba vacuum that has been used would take less than 2 hours to completely charge. However, if you recently purchased a Roomba vacuum, it is recommended that you charge it overnight.
This resulted in around 12 hours of nonstop charging.
How to charge the Roomba 675
Regardless of the Roomba model you are using, you can always charge it by using the home base or by charging it directly. None of the steps listed is rocket science.
You can follow the instructions above if you don’t know how to charge Roomba 675.
Conclusion
By now, you should have been able to figure out how to charge the Roomba vacuum and how to troubleshoot it if the vacuum ceases to charge.
If you’ve just gotten your Roomba vacuum and you can’t get it to charge after following all the steps, you should contact Roomba customer support.