Roomba not charging is a common issue often encountered with Roomba robot vacuum cleaners. If you are currently faced with this issue, you don’t have to panic. We are here to help you solve problems with your home appliances.
Roomba not charging issues can be due to Power Surge, damaged cord, dirty contacts, damaged contacts, and incorrect charging placement. Your robot uses electricity and if the electric current is not reaching your robot then it won’t charge. Also if your Roomba robot battery is weak, it may cause your robot not to charge.
If you would like to learn how to use your Roomba robot click here. Also if you are facing issues with how to program a Roomba vacuum cleaner, you can check out our article on that. However, in this article, we would show you steps on how to fix Roomba not charging issues.
Why is My Roomba Not Charging
We would like you to know the reasons why your Roomba is not charging, as this will help you to tackle these issues. Your Roomba not charging issues might be due to Power Surge, damaged cord, dirty contacts, damaged contacts, and incorrect charging placement.
Roomba Not Charging
We would list several solutions that would help you fix the issue of your Roomba not charging.
Power Outlet
Make sure your Roomba vacuum cleaner is firmly plugged into a power outlet. Also, make sure the power outlet has the power to charge your Roomba device. You can plug other devices into the power outlet to verify if it works. You can also test the power outlet for continuity by using a multimeter.
Check the Line Cord
After you must have confirmed that the power outlet has power. The next step is to check the line cord because a damaged cord won’t transfer power. If power is not received by the home base/clean base, then there is a chance that the line cord is damaged and needs to be replaced.
Clean Contacts On Your Robot and Base
You should ensure to regularly clean the contacts on the robot and base of your Roomba robot. Dirt and debris must have accumulated over time and might prevent your robot from charging. The charging contacts and docking sensor window of your robot should be routinely cleaned often once per month.
- Unplug the base
- Get a clean, lightly dampened melamine foam, e.g. Magic Erase
- Use the magic eraser along with a clean, dry microfiber or soft cotton cloth to remove dirt and debris from the charging contacts and docking sensor on the Home Base.
Replace Damaged Contacts
A damaged contact could cause your Roomba Not Charging issues. You can determine damaged contacts with colour. If the contacts of your Roomba robots are damaged they will appear green or copper coloured.
Therefore if your Roomba contacts are damaged, then they will need to be replaced.
Clean the Caster Wheel
Routinely clean the caster wheel to ensure that there is no dirt and debris building up in it. Dirt and debris build-up can cause the “iRobot Roomba not charging” problems as the robot will be unable to reach the charging contacts on the Home Base. We would show you steps on how to clean the caster wheel:
- Strongly pull on the Front Caster Wheel to have it removed from the robot.
- Clean debris from inside the well of the Front Caster Wheel.
- ]Push the wheel and axle free from the housing, then clear any debris build-up along the side of the wheel and axle.
- Now push the wheel and axle back into the housing, as it will click when fully seated.
- Then insert the clean front caster wheel back into the robot, and click it into place.
Reboot Roomba Robot
If the Electrical current is not reaching your Roomba robot, then you will get an error message and the robot will not charge. You can reboot your Roomba robot to fix this issue. You can follow these steps to reboot your robot:
- Press and Hold the Clean Button for about 20 seconds.
- Release the button, a white clockwise spiral light will appear in the light ring while it is rebooting.
- When the light shuts off, then the reboot process will be completed.
- This process would take about one minute and a half for your Roomba robot to Switch back ON.
Incorrect Charging Placement
Another important thing to check is the lights on the robot and base, to avoid issues of your Roomba not charging.
Lift your Roomba robot and place it back onto the home/clean base to charge. When your Roomba robot is correctly aligned with the contacts, then the light on the base would turn on for 4 seconds.
If not then you have to wiggle your robot to make sure it is correctly aligned. If the light on the home or clean base is not showing, then that means the Home/clean base is not recognized by your robot and should be replaced.
Roomba Not Charging on Dock
If after you must have aligned your robot and there is still no light showing on your Roomba robot. Then it means the Home base or clean does not recognize your robot. Try this step to fix this issue:
- Reboot your robot. it may take about 90 seconds to boot up and become responsive when placed on the charging base.
- If lights don’t appear, then remove the robot battery.
- Then place your robot on the charging base without the battery, make sure you align your robot with the charging base.
- Now press the Clean button and check if the robot displays light.
If your robot displays lights without a battery, then this could be a battery problem that prevents your robot from working. Make sure to replace the battery.
Roomba Battery Not Charging
If you encounter charging error 2, this indicates that your Roomba iRobot battery is not charging. Using a counterfeit battery can lead to charging errors with your Roomba robot.
A factor that can affect Roomba Battery is temperature. Make sure your Roomba robot is charged at room temperature and ensure the battery is not charged in extreme hot or cold weather. Also make sure you avoid charging your Roomba robot near a heating vent, baseboard heater, or radiator.
To remove the battery of your Roomba robot, you should follow these steps:
- Turn over your robot
- Loosen the edge sweeping brush screw with a Phillips-head screwdriver.
- Remove the bottom cover.
- Remove the battery.
- check for the authenticity of the battery. Ensure you use an authentic iRobot Lithium Ion Battery.
- Remove the battery and clean the battery contacts using a lightly dampened melamine foam, e.g. Magic Eraser.
- Now Re-install the battery, and ensure it clicks correctly.
- Replace the bottom cover and then tighten the screws the right way.
- Also, don’t forget to tighten the screw on the Edge sweeping brush screw.
Lastly, retry charging your Roomba and see if this fixes the issue. Firmly place your Roomba back on its Home Base to charge.
How to Know If Roomba is Charging
If your Roomba charging problem is solved, then your robot will receive power. Ensure you leave your robot on the charging dock for around 2-3 hours, so you can have it fully charged. The light ring on your Roomba robot should illuminate to show that it is charging.
The light on the Home base should appear for about 4 seconds and after which it goes off. The light will continue to remain off while your robot is charging.
In case your Roomba robot displays a red light, then this shows that the battery is too low and would not start. You need to pay attention as there are lots of charging errors, that can occur with your Roomba robot. However in such a case that all the led lights on your robot do not appear and your Roomba robot won’t turn on, then you have to repair your robot.