Why Is My Roomba Not Charging: How To Fix In Easy Steps

Roomba is a widely popular automatic house cleaning device. You can use this device by charging it. But, what will you do if your Roomba is not charging?

It is the same as other things, when you purchase the device, it works perfectly but sometimes it starts getting some issues.

So, if you are also getting issues with charging in your Roomba device, then read this carefully to know about troubleshooting steps and methods to fix this issue.

When we purchase it for the first time from the online store, then it works perfectly because it is free from any dust and tears, and wears.

But when we use it for one or two years, it gets lots of dust in the cleaning section.

So, we need to clean it properly from time to time. There may be a chance of damage to the power cable due to improper use of the Roomba device.

In this guide, you will learn about the reason for your Roomba not charging and the troubleshooting steps to fix this issue.

Why is My Roomba Not Charging?

There are some reasons for not charging Roomba:

Contact Points are dusty
Contact Points not touching
Getting too much dirt on charging points and caster wheel
Faulty power Outlet
The battery was not placed properly
System errors or bugs
Temperature error

How to fix Roomba Not Charging

There are some steps and methods that really work and will help you to fix the charging issue in Roomba.

1. Clean Charging and Electrical Contact Points

The contact points on your Roomba are small metal strips. You can see two strips at the bottom and the other two at the base of the docking station.

Your Roomba gets charged and connects to your home base with the help of these metal strips. So, these strips need to be cleaned.

But when these strips get covered with dust and dirt, then the electric power can’t flow. So you need to clean both Contact Points of Roomba and Home Base to be able to charge it properly.

You can use a Microfiber cloth, soft and dry cloth with rubbing alcohol, and Magic Eraser to remove any dirt stuck on the unit.

All these things will help you to clean the dirt rather than using water and the contact will not get any damage.

Before cleaning the Contact Points, unplug the Home base otherwise you can get electric shocks while cleaning.

After cleaning the charging points leave the unit to completely dry before recharging it.

2. Use different Power Outlet

The charging problem can occur if it gets plugged into faulty or damaged power outlets. You can check the outlet if it has power by using an outlet tester.

You can use a different Power outlet for the Roomba Home base if the tester is not available

If the outlet is good, then the indicator light should be turned on in the Home base. If there is no light, it means the power outlet is not supplying enough power or there may be a wiring issue. So, try to use a different Power outlet or fix an electrical issue.

3. Cleaning Caster Wheel

You can see a small wheel at the front of the unit which is called a caster wheel. This wheel keeps the Roomba device elevated perfectly and gives enough space to the unit to clean dirt and dust.

Sometimes, the wheel gets alignment changed by which it elevates higher. This is due to the wheel located at the front.

When this wheel goes upward, the contact points of Roomba and Home Base can’t reach each other, so this situation creates a charging problem in the unit.

To fix the caster wheel, you need to clean all the dust and debris stuck on it.

Follow these steps to clean properly:

1. Remove the wheel from the case.

2. Clean the dust and debris stuck on a wheel by using a clean or microfiber cloth.

3. Now, reinsert the wheel into the case. Make sure the wheel is correctly placed otherwise the problem can’t be fixed.

4. Repositioning the Battery

You have to check if the battery is correctly placed or not. It may get displaced due to some reasons like shipping, or falling from high places.

The batteries should have proper contact with the contact points to work properly. If the battery is not placed properly then you need to reposition it.

To reposition the battery:

1. First, turn your Roomba device upside down.

2. Remove all screws from the base.

3. Now, remove the cover of the base.

4. Check if the battery is properly placed. If not, then reposition it.

5. Attach the cover again and put all the screws back.

5. Removing the Battery Pull Tab

Have you forgotten to remove the yellow pull tab from the battery? This tab comes with a battery of brand-new electronics to prevent the device from turning on automatically.

So, this tab can create an issue in the contact points which as a result the unit will not charge.

To remove the pull tab from your new Roomba unit:

1. Put the Roomba unit upside down.

2. Check if there is any yellow tab hanging.

3. Now remove or pull it completely.

4. After removing it, your unit will start charging.

6. Reset Battery

Sometimes, the Roomba battery needs to be reset to refresh its system which can improve performance. If your Roomba battery is draining very fast then you can reset it.

To reset the battery of the Roomba 600 series:

1. Remove the battery from the case of the unit.

2. Now, press the clean button and hold it for a minimum of 15 seconds.

3. Attach the battery again.

4. Charge the battery for at least 16 hours until the green light turns on.

To reset the battery of the Roomba 700 series:

1. Turn on your Roomba unit.

2. Press the Clean button and hold it until you see “r 5 t” on the display.

3. Now turn off the unit and do a reset.

4. Charge your unit for 16 hours.

7. Reboot Roomba device

After you have checked contact points and power source if the unit is still not working. The reason maybe there are some software bugs and errors present in the system.

If you are noticing an indicator light on the button but it isn’t charging, it means there is some software bug or error in the system.

These bugs can be easily fixed through rebooting. This process is easy and depends on the series you are using.

To reboot Roomba unit:

For 700, 800 Series: Press the clean button and hold it for 10 seconds until the reboot tone sounds.
For i and s Series: Press the clean button and hold it for 20 seconds. Now release this button and wait for the light to shut off, this process can take up to 1.5 minutes to complete.

8. Factory Reset the Roomba

After rebooting the device, then you can factory reset the unit. Keep in mind that the factory reset will delete all data and customized settings and even the cleaning schedule.

You can factory Reset the unit by using iRobot Home app or by the unit.

Follow these steps to factory reset by using iRobot Home app.

1. Open iRobot Home app.

2. Select Settings.

3. Tap Remove/Factory Reset.

4. Now select the Robot name of your unit.

Follow these steps to factory reset the unit itself:

1. Press the clean button.

2. Hold clean button for 20 seconds.

3. Now release it after you listen to the reset sound.

9. Replace Your Battery

You need to replace the battery if you think your battery is getting too old and not working properly. You can choose from the various options available in the market, but in my opinion, you should pick up an original iRobot battery for better performance.

There are some tips to preserve your battery life:

Charge the device in a cool and dry place.
You need to clean the device regularly.
When you are not using the Roomba device then plug it into the charger.

You have to keep patience while charging the new battery. There are some steps:

1. Place the Base on the flat surface and connect it with the power supply. An LED should glow.

2. Now put Roomba on the base and wait for Roomba starts flashing light.

3. After the light flashes, it means the device is now charging.

10. Contact Customer Support

If the troubleshooting flashing number of times in your Roomba unit, then it relates to an error code. You can know about all the error codes on the iRobot app.

You can also contact customer support or technical experts to get clarification on the code. It is very easy to contact them, you can go to the website or dial a number to contact iRobot customer care.

You may also like

Conclusion

These were the easy steps that you can follow without getting help from anyone to fix the issue of your Roomba not charging.

As we mentioned earlier, you need to clean dust properly on this device for it to work. So, clean the dust from contact points and the caster wheel. After that, reset, restart or reboot your Roomba device to fix the issue.

After following all steps, if your issue still exists, then contact Roomba Customer Support to help in fixing the issue. If they do not, then ask for a new battery as a replacement if your device is in the warranty period.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Mention your other queries in the comment section. Thanks for reading.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I know if my Roomba is charging?

You can check the LED indicator on the Clean button to know the cleaning status.

Flashing Amber: the unit is charging
Green: charging completed
Solid Red: Need charging

Does the Roomba base light stay on while charging?

No, the light of the Roomba base only flashes for four seconds in the starting and turns off to save energy.

How to know if my Roomba needs a battery replacement?

There are some reasons to know that you need a new battery for your Roomba unit.

Roomba does not function properly after 15 to 20 minutes.
Power light not flashing.
The battery of the Roomba gets drained very fast after full charging.
Resetting the unit does not increase the performance.