So, you are relaxing or having a peaceful night, and suddenly your robot vacuum starts, which can be annoying. Don’t worry, it’s common for an automatic robot device to experience glitches, like stopping or restarting independently. Regarding cleaning, Shark has high-quality robot vacuums that work tirelessly to keep all your rooms clean.
Why does Shark robot vacuum randomly start? There are many possible causes, such as the bot’s earlier settings, corrupted memory, improper clock setting, etc. This article also explains the possible solutions to these problems to save you from calling the manufacturer or thinking about returning the machine.
Why Does Your Shark Robot Randomly Start?
If you get a new robot vacuum, you need to configure it to particular timings for clean-up so that it can restart automatically even when not around. But when the robot randomly starts with no prior commands, these may be the contributing factors;
Scheduled Cleaning Cycle
A refurbished or returned robot starts working according to previously installed settings. If you buy one, you will likely experience issues with the robot starting randomly.
This can be solved easily by getting rid of the pre-scheduled cleaning cycle. After that, give the robot vacuum new commands for your preferred cleaning time and mapping for your home.
You can reschedule the robot through the Shark Clean Mobile App. Find the menu bar positioned on the left side of your screen. Click on the scheduling icon, then adjust to your preferred time.
Resumes Cleaning
It doesn’t always mean your robot vacuum is faulty if it restarts. Maybe, the robot had not finished the cleaning as scheduled when the battery went off. Thus, the machine should be returned to recharge at the docking station and start the cleaning procedure when fully charged.
Your Pet or Kid Can Be the Culprit
Pets like cats or dogs act like babies by imitating anything you do. Robot vacuums are programmed to do any commands they receive. Therefore, the robot will start cleaning automatically if a pet or kid accidentally presses the clean button. This will make you think the device started itself when it was not.
Corrupted Memory
The memory of your shark robot vacuum can get corrupted. This can make your robot start cleaning at unscheduled periods. A corrupted robot memory can be solved by rebooting it by removing the battery and placing it back or fixing it through the phone.
Incorrect Clock Setting
The most common problem for a robot vacuum starting itself is usually an incorrect clock setting. When you get a shark robot and schedule the cleaning sessions but forget to set it in your time zone, it will start at incorrect time intervals. This can be fixed easily by setting the robot to your physical time zone. Henceforth, the robot vacuum should work as per the input time settings. `
How to Factory Reset Your Robot Vacuum
If all the above methods fail to make your shark robot vacuum work, you should factory reset it. This can be done through your smartphone or manually on the robot vacuum itself.
1. Manually reset the vacuum
This option can be handy if your robot vacuum has failed to connect to your Wi-Fi network. Luckily, your cloud-saved data won’t be affected. Follow these simple steps to reset your vacuum cleaner;
- Disconnect the vacuum from its charging dock plus the power outlet.
- Turn your robot vacuum upside down.
- Find the power button.
- Press the button for up to 10 seconds. This should power off the robot.
- Wait for 10 more seconds and press the power button to power the robot on. The vacuum will reset as it powers on.
2. Reset via the Shark Clean App
This method resets the robot vacuum to the default settings you bought it with. All the information you saved, like schedules, Wi-Fi settings, or house cleaning maps, will be cleared. The robot vacuum should disconnect itself from the app if the reset is successful. You can now set new schedules, maps, and cleaning times.
Steps for factory resetting any shark vacuum cleaner, no matter the model;
- Open the Shark Clean App.
- Click on settings.
- Go to factory reset.
- Give the robot vacuum a few minutes to finish resetting and rebooting.
- The robot’s memory will be restored to default.
Can a Robot Vacuum Start by Itself?
Yes, this can happen due to Signal interference, pre-scheduled cleaning, random mode, unwanted pet activation, or accidental remote control pressing.
How do you Reset a Shark Robot Vacuum Without Wi-Fi?
Using the manual setting, you press the power button for 10 seconds to activate the factory reset. When the reset is done, turn on your robot.
Why would a Shark robot vacuum keep starting and stopping?
A robot cleaner isn’t dead even if it keeps stopping and starting. It could result from overheating, navigation issues, low battery, or obstructions. Keenly check the robot to find the problem and fix it accordingly.
Resultant Effects of a Shark Robot Vacuum Randomly Starting
There are a lot of annoyances you may experience if your Shark robot vacuum randomly starts. These are the main ones I can think of.
- Disruption of daily activities. Either you will let the cleaning continue if you had not cleaned the house earlier or go and stop it.
- Since robot vacuums don’t operate silently, random restarting can disrupt your sleeping time or scare pets and kids.
- Its time wasting as you will need to find out why it’s misbehaving and ways of fixing it. Sometimes you will be forced to call an expert to fix it, thus bringing in unplanned costs.
- The robot cleaner can displace items on the floor. Additionally, in the case of pets, poop will be smeared all over the floor if it starts when you are not around.
Many people resort to automated cleaning because they are super busy and have limited time for house chores. However, a robot can develop some anomalies and start on its own. Knowing why the robot is misbehaving and how to fix the issue is important. This will save you time if you inquire from the manufacturer or the costs of calling in an expert to do it.