With a Roomba (robotic vacuum cleaner), you’ll be able to clean your house faster and with a lot of ease. However, there are times when you should expect it to give you hard times while using it. One of the challenges is when the Roomba keeps going in circles. So, what do you do in this case? Read this quick fix for Roomba going in the circles-easy guide. It will help you know why this happens and the best solution to stop this problem.
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Could It Be That the Roomba’s Bumper Is Stuck?
If your Roomba keeps going in circles, it could be a problem with the bumper or the bumper sensor. The bumper and the bumper sensor are made to prevent the vacuum cleaner from accidents ahead. So, whenever the Roomba senses an obstacle ahead, but the bumper sensor is dirty or clogged, it won’t operate normally. The same applies when the bumper is dirty. So instead, it will move backward then start going in circles continuously.
To solve this problem, gently tap the bumper for the debris underneath to get out. After that, press the ‘clean’ button to restart the Roomba. Note that when the bumper has lots of dirt around it will be, and it keeps rotating for long, then it can be dislodged. If this happens, you should fix it back into place. But you need to identify where it’s dislodged from then unscrew it. After that, put it back in the allotted slots.
However, if you realize that the bumper sensor is the problem, you’ve got to remove it and clean it. You can easily do this by turning the robot upside down then removing the screws. After that, use a razor to cut the messy dirt on the sensor.
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It Could Be Because Of a Problem on The Wheels
Another reason why your Roomba might be behaving that way is because of an issue either on the left or right wheel. This might result from loose dirt (hair, cotton thread) accumulation on the wheels. When either of the wheels is stuck, it will force the Roomba to go in circles as the wheel will be like a pivot.
You can remove the dirt on the wheels by pulling the wheel up and down until all the trapped debris falls. After that, use your hands to test if the wheels can move freely with the same amount of resistance.
However, if this trick doesn’t help, you need to replace the wheels.
You can do that by:
- First, you need to switch off the Roomba then put it upside down.
- Using a screwdriver, unscrew the bottom panel.
- Then carefully remove the plastic.
- Afterward, unscrew the screws holding both wheels.
- Finally, fix the new wheels.
Check If the Roomba Has Lost Its Bearing After It Starts Working
Also, this will happen when you turn on the Roomba but forget its next direction after starting to clean. This is normal when the Roomba is in the ‘discovery phase’ where it tries to get used to its new environment. The robot will, in this case, go around the whole room. But since it hasn’t mapped the area well, it won’t remember the initial cleaning spot forcing it to keep going in circles.
Monitor if The Roomba Has Some Settings On
If you set a boundary line for your Roomba to enable you to clean a particular room, it will keep going in circles around here. But this is an issue you can easily fix by removing the setting and allowing it to operate freely.
Another setting that can cause the Roomba to keep moving around in circles is the maximum suction mode setting. Even though this is the right setting, you should only use it where necessary to prevent such occurrence.
Maintain Clean Cliff Sensors
If the Roomba’s cliff sensors are dirty, then it will keep going in circles. With a dirty cliff sensor, the Roomba will have problems identifying edges and stairs, making it circles in one spot. The vacuum cleaner, in this case, is trying to avoid hitting the stairs or the edge. Additionally, if the robot works on darker areas and the cliff sensors fail to recognize the stairs or see them as dark colors, it will not clean that area. Instead, it will move backward and clean the same area over and over.
To avoid this, use a damp melamine foam to clean the cliff sensors. If you don’t have this foam, look for easy-to-use cleaning pads like magic erasers from various online shops, and they will serve you for the longest time.
It Can Be a Software Issue
When using Roomba, which depends on iRobot software to operate, you need to ensure the software is updated. If not, it can at times make the Roomba move in circles in one spot. This is especially true if the software is experiencing issues when there’s an update, but this is not a common occurrence. When the software decides to misbehave, your Roomba will spin around, hitting furniture, or be unable to go to its charging station. In addition, at times, the robot vacuum cleaner may lose all its maps making it act lost. When this is why it keeps moving around in circles, you have little to do about it but rather wait for the upcoming software update.
Are You Having More Than One Roomba in A Room?
If you live in a huge house, you’re likely to have several Roombas for each room. When having them operate at ago, one can decide to misbehave and go beyond its territories interfering with the other one. This will make one of them keep working in circles in one spot. The best solution in this situation is to have every Roomba operate at the designated time.
Can You Fix a Roomba Going in Circles?
As you’ve seen, this is an issue you can easily rectify after identifying its root cause. But if you want to stop your Roomba from spinning in circles for long direct it to an open flat area. Then let it run there for at least 2 minutes. After that, it will send an error nine message, which indicates its bumper is full of dirt or dislodged. Cleaning a dirty bumper is as simple as tapping the Roomba, then the dirt will come out. After that, press the ‘clean’ button to restart it.
Bottom Line
Even though several reasons can make your Roomba go in circles, you can easily fix them. Roomba going in circles shouldn’t make you think that you’ve damaged it or it will never operate as it should afterward. All you need to do is keenly identify where the problem is and do the necessary. For example, if it’s a stuck wheel, remove the dirt around it, and it will function well. However, if it’s an issue with the sensor, carefully remove the bumper and clean it well.
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