How to tell if Roomba i3 is charging

The chief advantage of a robot vacuum like your Roomba is the freedom and convenience it offers — you no longer need to dedicate time to a menial household chore. But you need to clean and maintain your vacuum occasionally, or it will not perform at its peak (or might stop working entirely).

And sometimes, unexpected issues crop up. Your Roomba might inexplicably stop charging, for example. If this has happened to you, not to worry. Here are seven of the most common solutions to try when your Roomba is not charging even though it's on its charging station. 

Clean the contacts

In order to charge properly, your Roomba must make solid electrical contact with the charging station. It does that via a couple of small metal plates — one set on the Roomba itself, and a matching pair on the charging station. When your Roomba isn't charging, this is the first place to look, because not only can they get dirty and covered in grime, but the metal can oxidize over time. Use a soft, damp cloth to clean the contacts and the area around them, then dab a clean cloth in some rubbing alcohol and polish the contacts until they look clean and there is no debris in the way.   

Clean the wheels

You should clean the wheels in the same way — both the main driving wheels and the unpowered caster wheel in front. While it might not be obvious how grime on the wheels can interfere with charging, if the height of the underside of the Roomba changes because of accumulated dirt on the wheels, the contacts might have trouble making a secure connection to start the charging process. 

Reboot your Roomba

Sometimes your charging problem might be software-related rather than in hardware. If that's the case for you, rebooting your Roomba — also known as performing a soft reset — could get it up and running quickly. This is easy to do, so try it before moving on to more complicated fixes. 

The method to reset your Roomba varies depending upon which model you own, so if you're in doubt, check your user guide. But most Roomba models (such as S, I, and 900 Series versions) can be reset by holding the Home, Spot Clean, and Clean buttons simultaneously. Wait until you see a light appear around the Clean button, then let go. If you have a 600 or 800 series Roomba, press those same buttons but wait until you hear the vacuum beep. 

Reseat the battery

It's possible that the Roomba won't charge because the battery isn't seated properly inside the vacuum. Of course, if your Roomba is brand new, be sure you've pulled the plastic tab, if there is one. But if you've had the Roomba for a while, the battery may no longer be properly aligned. Turn the Roomba upside down, remove the screws for the battery cover and remove the battery. Reposition it carefully and screw it back into place. 

Move the charging station

If the Roomba still won't accept a charge, it's possible that the charging station isn't powered on properly. An easy way to test this is to move the plug to another wall outlet. Or make sure that the outlet isn't controlled by a wall switch.  

Replace the battery 

If the Roomba has been on cleaning duty for a while, the battery may have lost its ability to hold a charge. It should last for hundreds of cleaning cycles, which can add up to several years of regular use. But eventually, all batteries stop working. You can order a replacement battery from iRobot or get a compatible model from another brand and swap it out. Your Roomba should be essentially as good as new afterwards.   

Contact iRobot customer support 

If you've tried everything in this list and your Roomba still refuses to accept a change from the charging station, you probably have a pretty serious hardware problem with the charging station or an internal power component in the Roomba itself, and it's unlikely you'll be able to fix it yourself. Contact iRobot's customer support for assistance.