The Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner is a great product to have if you’re looking for an effortless way to clean your home. It’s relatively affordable, easy to use, and can save you money over the course of a few years. It’s also quiet compared to typical vacuum cleaners, making it ideal for users with pets or infants.
However, there are some downsides to this product that should be considered before buying it. The first downside is that it doesn’t dock with its base station at all times. This means that if you’re not home when it starts cleaning your house, it won’t know where it left off and will keep on going until it runs out of battery power.
Therefore, you need to know why your Roomba won’t dock and what to do about it.
What are the Reasons for Not Docking?
Navigation Issues
The Roomba robotic vacuum is designed to be self-sufficient. This means that it will find its way around your home on its own and keep going until it has successfully vacuumed every inch of your floor.
However, just like other machines, it may malfunction and lose the path that it’s supposed to follow. Of course, when this happens, you cannot expect it to dock properly or even dock at all.
There is an Obstruction
The Roomba has a lot of sensors to make sure that it navigates itself in the best possible way and avoids any obstacles. But if there is something blocking its path, it will not be able to navigate correctly, and this can lead to it getting stuck on something or even running into an object. So if you see that your Roomba isn’t docking properly, check if there are any objects around that might be causing this problem.
Low Battery Power
This problem can occur if you have not charged your Roomba in some time and the battery is running low on power. To fix this issue, simply charge up your Roomba for about an hour before using it again. If you have a spare battery handy, you can also try using that if you are worried about losing power quickly while vacuuming.
Accumulation of Dirt and Debris on Charging Contacts
The Roomba may not dock because of dirt and debris on the charging contacts. This can cause the Roomba to lose suction power or even stop working altogether.
Other than that, the dirt can cause your Roomba vacuum cleaner not to dock. As such, you want to check for large amounts of dust or pet hair that gets into the docking station, which then sticks to the charging contacts and prevents them from properly connecting with your vacuum cleaner.
If this happens to you, simply take out any excess dirt or debris from inside the docking station and clean the charging contacts with a lint-free cloth.
How to Fix the Problem
Lookout for Damage Signs on the Charging Cable
If you find that your Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner won’t dock, then it could be because of a damaged charging cable. While this may seem like a problem that can be easily fixed, it’s not always that easy. If you do find damage to the charging cable, then there are two things you can do:
You can try to get another Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner and use a different cable with it. This will allow you to get back up and running as quickly as possible.
You can try to fix the damage yourself instead of replacing the entire charging cable. If you have time and patience, then taking apart the charging cable and trying to repair it may be an option for you. To get started, though, make sure that you have some basic tools and knowledge about electronics first before attempting anything like this.
Clear the Path
If your robot isn’t docking, one of the first things you should do is clear away any obstructions in its path. If there is something on the floor that is preventing it from docking, you want to remove it to create a clear path for your vacuum cleaner.
It’s also possible that debris or dirt has gotten caught between the wheels and traction strips on the bottom of the robot’s body, which could also be preventing it from docking properly. Check for that as well, and remove if you find any.
Clean the Home base Charging Connector
As previously mentioned, your Roomba vacuum cleaner may fail to dock because of dirt or debris in your charging base. You can clean the home-based charging connector with a toothbrush and some rubbing alcohol.
Start by cleaning the area where you remove the charging base from your Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner, then gently scrub the entire connector surface. You may need to repeat this step several times before your robotic vacuum cleaner starts docking normally again.
Ensure that the Docking Station Pins are Functioning Properly
If your Roomba charging system is not working properly, chances are high that it will not dock. To fix this issue, you want to make sure that the docking station pins are functioning as they should. You can do this by using a small flathead screwdriver to remove and reinsert the pins in their respective slots on the dock.
If one of them is damaged or missing, then you may need to replace it with another one from the same model of Roomba vacuum cleaner.
Reset the Vacuum Cleaner
Another reason why your Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner won’t dock is that something is wrong with the battery. This can be remedied by resetting the appliance.
Of course, not many people would know how to do this, but it is extremely simple.
You want to start the process by long pressing the clean button on the vacuum cleaner for about 25 seconds. Once you do this, you will hear a beep accompanied by a blue light. You will also see “r 5 P”.
At this point, you have reset your appliance, so you want to test whether it is functioning normally by docking it to find out if it goes back to its home base.