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Modern electronic devices are child’s play to operate – but problems can quickly become complicated and difficult… But most of the time you just have to know what to do and then the solutions are quite simple.
It’s the same with the problem when a Roomba can’t find its way back to the base station, can’t recharge its battery and dies before docking. It’s stranded somewhere and you’re wondering where it is and why it’s not working.
In this article, you will find all the solutions and tips on how best to avoid this in the future.
Table of Contents
Why doesn’t my Roomba drive to the Base Station before its Battery runs out?
There are a lot of reasons why the battery of your Roomba can be empty before it finds its way back to the docking station. Normally it automatically returns to its base station to recharge. If it doesn’t, there’s a problem somewhere.
Here is a list of the most common causes of this phenomenon:
- The base station power supply is defective: If the base station power supply is defective, the base station is not supplied with power and the Roomba cannot be charged. You can check this by plugging the power supply into different sockets and see if the power light flashes every few seconds.
- The base station is not properly connected: If the base station is not properly powered, it cannot charge the Roomba. If this is the case, the Roomba will drive off to do its job without being properly charged. Make sure that the base station plug is properly plugged into the wall outlet. On the base stations themselves, a small lamp should light all green.
- The Roomba has been moved: If you move the vacuum robot on its tour, you confuse it. It won’t be able to find its way back to its base station after that. Once it is more than 1.5 meters away from its docking station, you should no longer lift or move it.
- Too many obstacles: Another typical reason your Roomba doesn’t find its way back to the docking station is too many obstacles on its way. To test this, you can send the vacuum cleaner robot right next to its base station back to recharge. Make sure that there are no obstacles in the way. If he manages this, he will probably get lost on his normal route because it has too many obstacles in its way. You can also set up virtual walls* to help your Roomba navigate.
- Dirt on the connectors: Your Roomba has to touch the base station contacts with its contacts to be charged. If anything has accumulated on these contacts, the charging process may be disrupted. So make sure that these contacts are free of dirt or other foreign bodies.
If you now have the problem that the battery is completely empty and you want to try one of these points, you have to recharge your Roomba first. To do this, you can either manually dock it to the base station or, if it still has some juice left, press its Home or Dock button to go to the docking station on its own.
Alternatively, you can also do this in the app. Within the Roomba App, there is also a “Clean” button. When your Roomba is on the move and you press this button, the current cleaning process is stopped and you can then send it back to its base station.
Another way to send your Roomba back to its base station is with Alexa*. As long as you have activated the Roomba skill in Alexa, you can order Alexa to send it home.
In this article you will find the most useful commands for your Roomba: Does my Roomba have Wifi and does it work with Alexa? +List
Where is the Best Place to place the Base Station?
As already mentioned, the location of the base station can also contribute to how well the Roomba can orient itself and find its way back to it. If it can’t find its way back to the base station, its battery will run out and it’ll be stranded somewhere in your living room or wherever it’s been.
There are a few basic rules you should follow to make your Roomba life as easy as possible. If you keep to these, it should automatically find its way back to its docking station every time it needs to recharge itself or has finished its cleaning process.
These rules are listed briefly here:
- No stairs nearby: Stairs are a difficult obstacle, especially if they are near the base station. When your Roomba manoeuvres back to its docking station, it will have to correct its direction several times. Stairs can be a dangerous obstacle.
- Watch out for free areas: It is best to place the docking station where there are few obstacles in the vicinity. If the base station is squeezed directly between a couch, a lamp and a vase, for example, it can be difficult for your Roomba to manoeuvre there and dock at the station. Therefore, larger areas at a wall without larger obstacles in the vicinity are best suited.
- Flat ground: The ground on which the base station stands should be as flat and level as possible. A Flokati carpet is the Worst Case that a Roomba can find around its base station. Since it has to maneuver a lot to get into the docking station at the right angle, it is important that it can do this without much effort. Tiles or other hard floors such as wood are best for this.
What is the Lifespan of a Roomba battery?
A normal charge of the battery will give your Roomba about two hours of working time. The battery can be charged a total of 400 times. This means that it can get by with one battery or one rechargeable battery for at least 1 to 2 years. In reality, it’s more like 2 to 5 years!
However, the built-in battery is somewhat special and its lifespan can be extended with a few methods:
- Less resistance: The less resistance your Roomba experiences when vacuuming and moving, the less power it consumes. This also means that it has to be charged less often. So if you make sure that no hair or other obstacles get tangled in its mechanics, you can significantly reduce the necessary power per operation.
- Use it frequently: Paradoxically to the first point, it is healthier for the battery to be charged and discharged frequently. It is best if you let your Roomba drive every day or every other day and leave him at the docking station outside his “working hours”. It’s even better if his route is designed in such a way that he just manages to get back to the docking station.
- Avoid discharging on holiday: To avoid completely discharging the battery when you’re not around for a long time, you should charge the battery completely and then remove it from Roomba while you’re away. This prevents the battery from constantly recharging itself at the docking station.
- Avoid extreme temperatures: This rule also applies to all other batteries. If you expose batteries to high or low temperatures, they may either discharge or be damaged. Most of the time this is not a problem, because the Roomba is used in the house and there are quite constant temperatures.
How do you reset a Roomba?
If nothing helps anymore, you can try resetting the Roomba software. In fact, this is quite simple.
All you have to do is press the “Dock” and “Spot” buttons simultaneously for at least 10 seconds. After that, you should hear a beep which is an indicator for the reset.
Note, however, that the reset also deletes the entire cleaning plan. But if this solves your software problems, then you can probably live with it.
But when is it really necessary to perform this reset? There are a few signs that your Roombas battery needs a reset. The first thing you’ll notice is that he has to charge longer and longer and his battery won’t last that long. At some point he won’t be able to find his way back to the docking station because his battery is already empty on the way. This is a clear indication that a reset is necessary. Most of the time this reset solves the problem and you don’t have to buy a new battery right away.
Summary
Roombas are great! Unless they don’t work… We hope that in this article you could find the problem why your Roomba doesn’t dock automatically anymore and its battery is constantly empty.
In principle, you just have to make sure that he can reach his docking station easily, that his contacts and those of the base station are clean and that you reset the battery from time to time. After this, your Roomba should not die anymore before docking.
If nothing works and you need a new one, you can find the best vacuum robots with a small budget here: 🏆 The 3 Best Smart Vacuum Robots for Small Money
Attention: When installing electronic equipment, please be sure to observe the manufacturer’s safety instructions. You have to take care of your own safety. The information on this site only helps you to learn.
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