Beater Quit

[isaac]

I've read references to diagnostics but all I find today seem more technical than my question. My Roomba is running fine except the beaters are no longer beating. Where do i start to check for problem?

[vic7767]

something may be wound around your brush, you may be missing the bearing from one end of the brush, best thing to do is perform the built in diagnostic program and see if you can spot your problem.

[isaac]

How do brushes get diagnosed? I see sensors in the beep codes but not brushes.

[vic7767]

Test 11 performs the brushes test. You have to proceed throught the previous tests to reach test 11 at which point the motors will turn on and rotate the brushes.

[RichardRoomba2]

i have a Roomba SAGE and same issue as Isaac after 6 months of use. The two rollers/brushes/beaters.. on the bottom have stopped(one is a brush the other a rubber spinning pre-brush); there is no debris or anything .. I clean after each use and they turn manually, the machine is charged and runs, theres nothing blocking the sensors.. The bearings (yellow caps) are installed correctly and fit into slots; the fan even bloes(feel air movement from rear vent) ..it ACTS like its working but the brushes do not spin at all; Read warranty; contacted (email) Roomba.. 3 times in 3 weeks .. no response.. any ideas?
-Richard

[vic7767]

Access the Sticky READ FIRST and follow the thread for Roomba diagnostics. This will help determine if you have a faulty brush motor. If so, then call IRobot if your unit is still under warranty they will help you resolve your Roomba issue.

[GadgetAddict]

i have a Roomba SAGE and same issue as Isaac after 6 months of use. The two rollers/brushes/beaters.. on the bottom have stopped(one is a brush the other a rubber spinning pre-brush); there is no debris or anything .. I clean after each use and they turn manually, the machine is charged and runs, theres nothing blocking the sensors.. The bearings (yellow caps) are installed correctly and fit into slots; the fan even bloes(feel air movement from rear vent) ..it ACTS like its working but the brushes do not spin at all; Read warranty; contacted (email) Roomba.. 3 times in 3 weeks .. no response.. any ideas?
-Richard

6 months? Mine only lasted 1 month. I cleaned after EVERY use.

[GadgetAddict]

Ok, I just spoke with Roomba and told them my brushes no longer rotate. She instantly said it's the brushes, not the motor or anything else. She's sending me replacement brushes. She said this happens all the time and she was certainly prepared with a very quick answer. Guess I'll wait for the new brushes, try them out and see if she's right. I've only had my Roomba a month. The new pet model sounds interesting but I'm not buying another until I see how this one lasts with it having a problem like this after such a short time. I clean it compusively.

[THX-1138]

Hello GadgetAddict!

Do you mind posting your step-by-step instructions on how you clean your robot compusively? I am very interested to find out, also let me know the frequency of the cleaning. I want to find out if there is a pattern to this issue you are reporting which looks like a dead/faulty brush motor and/or stripped brush gear/socket.

[isaac]

I've run diagnostics and, duringtesting I can coerce the brushes to run. Much like priming a pump, if I start them turning they continue. I see references to disassembling and cleaning motor sockets. I have cleaned everything reachable without disassembly and need instructions for further access. Funny, that used to be the easiest to find when I started watching Roomba Review. Can't seem to find it now that it is undoubtably carefully filed somewhere. Help please, where are disassembly instructions?

[rfjaco]

I have had my roomba discovery about 9 months and the brushes quite turning. I bought it remanufactured so the warranty is out. When I called in she said it was internal and I would need to send it in and for only nintey some odd dollars they would replace it. Whatever!! Why would I want another piece of crap with only a 90 day warranty. I loved the conviece of the roomba but I have always had issues with it never "sensing" when it was done. It would just run until it went dead. And I only used it on hardwood, it's not that hard to tell when it's clean.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

[Geniusjustin]

Are the ends of your brushes rounded out where they fit into the sockets on Roomba?

[GadgetAddict]

When I spoke with iRobot, they were quick to say that all I needed were new brushes. It made no sense to me. Mine were only about a month old and looked great. They said they would send replacements for both. I received a replacement bristle brush today, not the rubber one. Still won't turn. Fits fine, the end is not rounded out.

As to the question of how I clean my Roomba, I follow instructions and tips found on this forum so there's no real point in going through them again here. I clean it after every use. If the problem is dirt or pet hair, it's somewhere I can't find it.

I'm calling iRobot again in the morning. I think I spent a lot of money for a few weeks worth of Roomba. Can't believe it breaks this fast!

[rfjaco]

The ends of the brushes are fine, not rounded or wrapped up with anything. I clean the unit every 3 or 4 uses. I only use it on hard wood so it never gets heavily used. I am very frustrated. I would love to have another but I am not paying that much for something with a bad dependability record.

[vic7767]

OK, for those bold few that want help in tearing down their roombas (Naturally no longer under Warranty) you can follow this link:
http://mysite.verizon.net/gsplews/
And Good Luck

[ProTech Robotics]

I've run diagnostics and, duringtesting I can coerce the brushes to run. Much like priming a pump, if I start them turning they continue.

If your roomba is not under warranty and you decide to do surgery to fix the problem. I would do the following based on your description that "I can coerce the brushes to run"

1. Inspect the brush/beater brush to insure that the ends are not rounded

2. Inspect the two gear sockets that the brush tips fit into for any rounding or breaks/cracks.

If both of these apear fine and you actually could coerce the brushes to run ie., the brush motor functions than the next part would be to look at the brush deck assembly and remove the gearbox end to expose the 6 brush gears. One or more of them may have teeth missing or worn or possibly the gearbox cover that has 3 brass bushings is either missing a bushing, cracked or worn.
In any event, all of these parts can be replaced by finding a cheap non-working unit on ebay providing it isn't suffering from the same issues.

Looking for hard to find roomba parts? Visit RECON_SUPPLY_STORE Today!

___________

[Gordon]

I've run diagnostics and, duringtesting I can coerce the brushes to run. Much like priming a pump, if I start them turning they continue....

Isaac, that behavior generally means that one out five armature coils in the brush-motor is no longer functioning. Four windings will keep a motor rotating if no mechanical load is applied to its shaft. Motor-torque is very much reduced by the loss of one coil, so the motor will stop under load. Frequently, another coil will open up under such duress; resulting in total inability to run.
The motor, or the entire Roomba, must be replaced. A replacement motor will have to come out of a *parts* Discovery -- Roomba motors are not commercially available.

[GadgetAddict]

Received the second replacement beater a few days after the first. As I suspected, the new beaters made no difference. They don't turn just like the old ones. No reason to think they would, it was an idiot exercise. I called iRobot again and this guy says that the motor isn't working so it's not turning the brushes. Well, that seemed obvious to me two weeks ago!

Now I have to send in the unit and after they receive it they will send me a replacement unit. I'll see how long that one lasts since this one only lasted a month. That's a lot of money for a vacuum that only runs a month before wearing out, imagine buying a new one every four weeks!

So, as soon as I find a big enough box, back to iRobot for warranty replacment he goes. Then the burning question will be, do I use the same name for the new one or give it a new name?

[GadgetAddict]

So, as soon as I find a big enough box, back to iRobot for warranty replacment he goes. Then the burning question will be, do I use the same name for the new one or give it a new name?

Sent him in and tracked the package so I knew when they received it. They did send me a replacement. They were slow to send it and when it arrived it was a Red, not a Sage. I called and complained that they replaced it with a lower model. I was told that all Roombas are the same, they are just different colors. UNBELIEVABLE I said I wanted to speak to a supervisor, she came back and said the supervisor said for me to send the Red back and they'd send me a Sage after they received it. I said NO! My Sage worked 4 weeks and died. I had now been dealing with them for longer than that and the turnaround for sending one in and receiving one back is over two weeks. I told her to send me my Sage and I'd send her back her Red. She said she could not do that. I AGAIN said to put the supervisor on the phone. She said the supervisor was too busy to speak with me. I pointed out that the supervisor needs to deal with complaints and problems. She came back and said she'd send my Sage out that day along with something that would allow me to return the Red at no charge.

I got the new Sage yesterday. He's running around cleaning my floors now. There was nothing included for returning the Red so I guess I'll wait and see if it comes separately.

Now I will wait and see if this Sage lasts longer than 4 weeks. So far, this has been a very disappointing investment. This costs too much to only work a few weeks. Customer Service is terrible (I had read such positive things about their Customer Service before buying my Sage in the first place). I love the job the Sage does when it's working but I can't recommend iRobot products to anyone based on my experiences so far.

[GadgetAddict]

Well, I've used my new replacement Sage for a day and have already discovered that it will not dock. Instead, after a cleaning cycle, it will do figure 8's repeatedly a few feet from the docking station until the battery runs down.

I have little hope that this Sage will last longer than the first one. I don't know if I should bother calling customer service now or just wait until it stops cleaning like the first one.