Roomba Won’t Turn On: What Could Be the Reason

The Roomba vacuum cleaner helps you clean your home more efficiently and quickly. It saves you time, but it’s important to know how to troubleshoot if your Roomba won’t start. Failing to clean it regularly can lead to operational issues.

Roomba robotic vacuums are useful creation of technology. It is very handy for busy people. You turn it on, and it will do the cleaning job for you.

However, it is a big problem if it is not turned on. Examine the charger; is it supplying power to the vacuum? Why Roomba won’t charge might be due to dirty charging contacts.

If its charging is full and still it is not turning on, the problem could be with its software or hardware. In this guide, we’ll discuss some problems with Roomba vacuums, and tips will be given to resolve them.

Why Roomba Won’t Turn On – Causes & Solutions

These are the possible reasons along with their solutions for the problem of Roomba not turning on:

When iRobot Won’t Charge

If your Roomba is not charging, look into the following:

• Examine the cable of the charger line and check if there’s any damage.
• Plug the charger into the power the light will turn green.
• Connect the charger to the home base to check whether it is completely inserted.
• The lighthouses of virtual walls, other home bases, and virtual walls should be placed 8ft away from the Home Base to avoid infrared beam obstacles.
• Install the home base in an exposed place.
• There should be no unusual substances on the Home Base.
• Use a soft cloth to clean the charging objects on Home Base and robot.
• Place Roomba within 6 feet of the Home Base and press dock to make sure Roomba returns to its home Base manually.
• Ensure that the virtual wall is on and the beam faces the exact target of the area to block.
• Since Roomba cleans up many hardwood floors in just one cycle, it might not complete a task. For this reason, an auto docking system was introduced by Roomba.

Roomba Won’t Work

The following possibilities are there if your Roomba is not starting, not charging, or is not giving any response:

• If the robot is unboxed just recently or has never been activated, it’s just that the battery would have been misplaced during shipment. So better take off the battery and place it back in the robot to make sure it is properly fixed.
• Switch on the home base and check its indicator light. You will see that it’ll begin to flick for a few seconds, or the light will turn on for a few seconds and then turn off.
• If the light is not putting on, try plugging-in in another socket, and check the cable for any damage. If the base is not opening, you might need to replace it.
• If the home base light ignites, the robot is still uncharged; make sure there is any dirt in or on the cables.
• There should be no dirt in the filter of the tank.
• Place Roomba on charging spot for an hour. The troubleshooting indicator of Roomba starts flicking, and it shows a fault, observe the message chart of charging faults.
• In case Roomba does not charge, it could be
  • Contact dust
  • The wrong battery type
  • Power source problems
• Roomba will show an error code for the error, & the problem can be solved easily.
• Confirm the base connected to the power
• If the home base is connected to the power and Roomba is not charging, the electricity might be dim.
• The home base might have plugged into the Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI) vent. The dislocation might be occurred due to a break of the circuit. The plug will tightly seal in the outlet if the GFCI vent has power. To verify the home base is working, plug it into another vent.

Error Codes to Check if Roomba Won’t Turn On

You will not see any lights if the Roomba is charging properly. Lights are made to preserve energy. In case of any problem, a troubleshooting light will switch on.

It notifies you about errors whenever it blinks. The device will say the error code. These error codes are eight. All the information about the error codes is available on the iRobot app on mobile.

Error Code 1

When the battery and base station can not communicate, this error occurs. You may not disconnect the yellow pull-tab before putting the Roomba on the home base. Install the battery properly to avoid this error.

Error Codes 6 and 7

Extremely hot or over cold battery won’t charge. Roomba will say code 6 if the battery produces extra heat. Eject Roomba from the home base now, keep it at room temperature for 30 minutes, and reconnect.

Error Codes 2, 3, 5, 8, and 9

These error codes tell about the home base and battery contact problem or battery’s difficulty. To remove this error, clean the connection on the Roomba home base.

Disconnect the home base and rub it with a wet cloth.

Fixing Errors of Roomba

This is how you can fix some of the errors of Roomba:

Reboot Roomba

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The cause of charging errors can be the corrupted memory in the processor of Roomba. Reboot the vacuum to remove bugs.

Keep pressing and holding down the button “clean” for 10 seconds. After disappearing the indicator lights, release the button. Now the vacuum will reboot. However, you have to schedule all the settings again.

While Charging a New Battery, Be Patient

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You have to wake up a new lithium-ion battery to work. Plug the home base station in the socket and set it on a level floor; now check the lights have turned on.

After placing Roomba on a home base station, the battery will wake up later. The base station’s light will turn off, and the light of the battery of Roomba will start blinking. After a minute, it will stop blinking.

Battery Status

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• The clean button shows the charging of the battery.
• The red color of the battery shows that charging is required.
• To show that the charging is in progress, flashing amber illuminates.
• The green color of the light shows that the charging is full.
• When you put it on charging for 15 hours, the amber light will start blinking to extend the battery’s life.

Roomba Brush Not Spinning

If your iRobot Roomba brush does not spin, you can follow these steps to solve this problem.

• Turn the device on its side and remove the center screw with a screwdriver; the side brush will be taken off. Take off all the four screws at the bottom of the device.
• The brush motor and blue housing are located in the compartment by two screws. These two screws are at the edges, and one screw is on the head. Remove the two screws to take the engine out. Two spring controls under the engine compartment are responsible for providing electricity.
• Now loosen the third screw and take it off. A triangular slot will come with a third bolt. Now a screwdriver with a flat-head won’t work. Be cautious because the third screw comes with a plastic part.
• The motor of the blue housing has two pieces. At one end of its motor, a fastener is visible. A narrow plane head screw will be detected on one side. Cautiously separate the motor’s one part. There will be an electric motor and gears on one side, while a wide gear and metal axle are placed on the other side. There will be a stuck gear while testing with a 9-volt battery.
• Now loosen the stuck gear. You will find that stuck gear can be turned. However, it isn’t easy to take it out. If you continue turning and twisting, some broken stuff will be found there. Blue housing and motor can be cleaned to work the Roomba effectively. Now the problem is fixed.

FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions

What Will You Do if Your Roomba Won’t Turn On?

Remove the battery, then reset and cycle the unit. For 5 to 15 seconds, keep pressing the clean button. Charge its battery again and try to turn it on.

How Do You Wake up A Roomba?

Press the Clean button once to wake the Roomba up. A beep sound will be heard, and the Clean button will be lightened.

How Do I Force My Roomba to Reboot?

To reboot the the robot vacuum, keep pressing and holding the button Clean for 20 seconds. The button will lighten, taking a minute to turn on.

Is There a Reset Button on Roomba?

Some models of Roomba have a reset button, while you have to reset some models manually.

How Do You Manually Turn on A Roomba?

Press the Clean button once, and you will hear a beep tone. The Clean button will illuminate, then press the Clean button again to start cleaning.

How Do I Reset My Roomba Battery?

Press and hold the spot and the doc buttons until the clean button becomes blurry.

Where Is the Dock Button on Roomba?

The dock button is located under the Clean button.

How Do I Check My Roomba Battery?

A yellowish-brown light indicates the vacuum is charging. Greenlight means the battery is fully charged. The red light shows the battery is finished and it must be charged.

Conclusion

Roomba robot is a great option for you if you are fed up with vacuuming. It is a durable, reliable, and systematic vacuum cleaner.

You will enjoy the ease of your sofa, and it will clean the floor for you. It will clean every place of your home.

To keep the Roomba last longer, care and maintenance are required. It would be best to clean it regularly, not use it on stairs, and the charger should be placed near the Roomba.

This guide will help find why Roomba will not turn on and what could be the reason.