I was frustrated when my Roomba won’t charge. I know you will feel frustrated as well. However, if you are here to find a solution to your Roomba robot that fails to charge you will find this article really helpful in the end.
If that is the case and you have tried cleaning the contact point with a dry cloth or you’ve rubbed alcohol all over it but have no way forward then you may need to carry out the troubleshooting tips below.
However, before we proceed, what are your responses to the following questions regarding your Roomba robot not charging?
- Have you checked the brushes?
- Have you checked the wheels to ensure they are in the right place?
- Have you also gone through the sensors to be double-sure they are not clogged with dirt?
For most readers, you might have checked through one or two of these but not all of them.
The reason for this is that your Roomba vacuum is most susceptible to dirt clogging up delicate parts of the vacuum and this in turn results in issues such as Roomba not charging.
While all these might seem like the tip of an iceberg of the things you should check when you are faced with asking yourself “why is it that my Roomba won’t charge”?
There are other proven troubleshooting steps you should take just to give you better details in case none of the above questions isn’t leading to the solution.
That being said, I will be walking you through the reasons why you are faced with this along with the corresponding troubleshooting steps you should take to resolve it.
Recommended: best cheapest vacuum cleaner
Why My Roomba won’t charge
By now you should know of a few pointers you ought to check when you are faced with the question “why is it that my Roomba won’t charge”.
While it might seem easy to solve it could get harder than expected when you don’t apply the rightful troubleshooting steps.
Coupled with that I assume that you are not an electronic expert so you will be better off trying the easiest way to resolve it before talking about losing one or two components.
That being said, let’s delve into that
Recommended: Roomba Charging error 8
The Charging contact is clogged with Dirt
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.
To resolve this, remove the battery pull tab if it is there; otherwise, clean or remove any dirt obscuring the contact points.
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 desire the best performance, a Roomba battery should be used within its recommended shelf life. When a battery reaches the end of its useful life, it begins to degrade.
However, there are a few things you keep doing that prevent the battery from lasting as long.
- You expose it to direct sunlight for an extended period.
- By not cleaning the Roomba brush, you are expending more effort on the battery.
Now that you are informed about these here is how to fix this issue.
- 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.
The Charging station isn’t working
Without the charging station, you cannot charge your Roomba vacuum cleaner automatically. 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
If the circuit breaker has not been tripped, disconnect the Roomba from the power outlet.
If the power outlet is not working, simply replace it; 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 in 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.
Soft Reset Roomba vacuum
Since you’re stuck with the question “why my Roomba won’t charge,” apart from cleaning the connections or charging the battery, another issue that could be causing this is software faults.
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 may 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 solutions to the question, “Why my Roomba won’t 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 reach the caster wheel, you must first remove the stem that is retaining it.
Wipe any dirt or debris off the caster wheel after removing it.
Roomba charging dock light goes off
This is not a common occurrence, but it should not cause you to fear. When your Roomba charging station light turns off while it is charging.
It implies the Roomba is fully charged and ready to go, so don’t worry about it because the light won’t be off for long.
However, if you suspect something is amiss, you can check the charge status of Roomba via the I-robot app.
Roomba Charging Station not Working
There are various ways to troubleshoot your Roomba dock station without taking it to an electronic professional.
You might start by investigating whether it is receiving electricity from its source. Check for a dirty charging contact if it is connected to a working power outlet.
A clogged charging contact will prevent the charging dock from charging the Roomba vacuum, as well as affect the infrared sensor.
So, if your dock station isn’t charging your Roomba vacuum, go through these steps to remedy the problem quickly.
Roomba i3 not Charging
If you are using the Roomba 13 model you should check the charging contact, and check if the power outlet is working correctly, You might also want to check through the brushes and the sensors to be double-sure that nothing is preventing them from charging.
If you’ve done all these go through the article above to resolve this.
Conclusion
Since you are more informed on the question of why my Roomba won’t charge. You should be able to repair your vacuum when such an issue comes up
However, if none of the above techniques works for your Roomba vacuum, you should contact iRobot’s customer care since you may be dealing with a hardware problem.