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How Do I Know If My Roomba Is Charging? Updated 2023 Guide

How Do I Know If My Roomba Is Charging

Everything dies.

Sorry for the morbid thought, but it’s true.

Even my Roomba dies. Suddenly. Without warning.

And this makes it more frustrating since I have to drag its corpse back to the Home Base.

If only there were a way to diagnose when it’s dying.

Oh wait, there is.

Keep reading to discover:

  • How long does it take to charge a Roomba.
  • 5 easy fixes for your Roomba that isn’t charging.
  • What the lights on your Roomba are trying to tell you.
  • How to know your Roomba’s battery status without light indicators.
  • And so much more…

How do I know if my Roomba is charging?

You’ll know your Roomba is charging by its indicator light. For Roomba i Series, the light should be white and pulsing. On the other hand, it should be amber on Series 400 to 900 and e5. But if you have a broken indicator light, you can also use your smartphone to check its battery status.


Roomba battery status indicators (all models)


“These lights confuse me.”

Have you ever had that thought?

As a Roomba owner, I know I have.

The truth is, I still don’t know what my Roomba is trying to tell me half of the time.

That’s why I compiled this list for me and for you as well:

Roomba 400/500/600 series

No battery: Solid red.

Low battery: Blinking red.

Partially charged: Amber.

Fully charged: Solid green.

Currently charging: Amber pulse.

Roomba 700/800/900 series

No battery: Solid red.

Low battery: Blinking red.

Partially charged: No light.

Fully charged: Solid green.

Currently charging: Amber for a minute.

Roomba e5

No battery: Solid red.

Low battery: Warning noise only.

Partially charged: No light.

Fully charged: Solid green when CLEAN in pressed.

Currently charging: Amber when CLEAN is pressed.

Roomba i1, i3, i4, i6, and i7

No battery: Solid red.

Low battery: Amber pulse.

Partially charged: No changes in light.

Fully charged: Solid white.

Currently charging: Pulsing white ring.

Roomba j7

Roomba J7

No battery: Solid red.

Low battery: Swirling red ring.

Partially charged: Partial white.

Fully charged: Solid white with intermittent flashing at the rear.

Currently charging: Swirling white ring.

Now, I know this list can be too much to take in.

And I don’t want to overwhelm you.

So, let’s go through it one by one. 

Okay? Good.

Roomba 400-900 Series

Despite the evolution of Roomba for each model…

The indicator lights settings for the Roomba 400 to 900 series remain largely the same.

The only differences?

iRobot junked the ‘Partially Charged’ lights. As well as the amber pulse while charging after the 600 series.

Also, you might not know this, but your Roomba can also pulse amber only once.

When that happens, don’t panic. Your lights aren’t broken.

A quick amber pulse means your Roomba has entered the 16-Hour Refresh Charge mode.

“The what?”

The 16-Hour Refresh Charge mode is Roomba’s way to prevent damage to its batteries.

And your device can only enter this mode if you haven’t charged it in a long time.

What happens is that your Roomba enters a state of extensive charge.

For how long?

16 hours.

During these hours, you’ll be unable to use your Roomba or interrupt its charging cycle.

Note: Besides the blinking red lights, there’s 1 more way your Roomba notifies you of a low battery.

How?

Listen. If you have a low battery, you’ll hear 4 descending tones and then a voice saying:

“Please charge Roomba.”

Roomba e Series

Next, we have the Roomba e5.

For this model, iRobot limited the use of lights to prioritize energy saving.

This is why its lights are closed until you press the CLEAN button.

Roomba i Series

For the i Series, you’ll notice that the light indicators are consistent.

But, let’s discuss the phrase under partially charged, which is:

“No changes in light.”

What do I mean by that?

You see, your Roomba doesn’t only use the indicator lights for its battery.

The lights can mean a lot of different things.

When your Roomba is partially charged, it won’t interrupt the current light status on display.

Now, I know you might be asking:

“Wait, what other things can my Roomba tell me with the light indicators?”

And, for that, I got you.

Here’s a partial list of the i Series’ other light indications:

  • Blue ping: Virtual Wall detected.
  • Red downwards sweep: Full bin.
  • Blue marching: Returning to the dock.
  • Blue clockwise spin: Pairing with Wi-Fi.
  • Blue flashing: Dirt Detect mode triggered.
  • Blue counterclockwise spin: Spot cleaning.
  • Continuous white downwards sweep: Cleaning.
  • Blue sweep upwards: Emptying bin into Clean Base.
  • White clockwise swirl: Opening or updating software.

Furthermore, like the 400-900 Series, the i Series also has an audio indicator for low battery.

So, keep an ear out for:

“Low battery. Please charge.”

Fun fact: On some i and j series models, you’ll see a Plus (+) sign next to its name.

Do you ever wonder what that means?

Some users assume that models with a Plus sign mean that they have better software or hardware.

They’re wrong.

The truth is, they’re the same Roomba. Seriously.

But Plus models come with a Clean Base.

Roomba j Series

The j Series, on the other hand, uses a lot of swirling for its battery indicators.

But there’s 1 cool thing that I want to highlight about the j Series:

This model uses the solidity of color to indicate battery levels.

Essentially, when it’s charging after having no battery, the light starts at nothing.

Then, as the charge fills up, it becomes whiter and whiter…

Until the light becomes solid white at 100%.

Check with your smartphone

Alternatively, you can also use your phone to check your Roomba’s battery level.

And here’s how you can do that in 5 easy steps:

  1. Download the iRobot HOME app on your Android or iOS phone.
  2. Connect your Roomba and phone on the same network.
  3. Open your iRobot app.
  4. Under Devices, select your Roomba.
  5. Wait for the pairing to finish.

Once it’s done, you’ll have access to your Roomba’s menu.

Above the CLEAN button on your phone, you should see your Roomba’s battery percentage.


Frequently asked questions:


Does Roomba light stay on when charging?

Charging Roomba

Your Roomba light doesn’t stay on when charging.

The 400 to 600 series should have pulsing amber light every 4 seconds.

Meanwhile, the light on the 700 to 900 series turns on for a minute and then closes.

For the i Series, it should be a pulsing white light that turns off after a while. The j Series should be doing this as well, but it swirls instead of pulses.

And lastly, the e5 doesn’t even have a light indicator unless you press the CLEAN button.

Should green light be on when Roomba is charging?

The green light shouldn’t be on when Roomba charges until it reaches the full battery.

Instead, here’s what you should see for a few seconds when you charge your Roomba:

  • e5: Nothing. 
  • j7: Swirling white.
  • i1, i3, i4, i6, i7: Pulsing white.
  • 400 to 900 Series: Amber pulse.

How long does it take to charge a Roomba?

It usually takes less than 4 hours to charge a Roomba.

Based on the information given by iRobot, here are the usual charging times for Roomba:

  • i Series: 2 hours.
  • j Series: 3 hours.
  • E5: 2.5 to 3 hours.
  • 400-900 Series: 3 to 6 hours.

That said, iRobot also recommends charging your Roomba overnight on your first use.

Furthermore, your Roomba also goes into a 16-hour charge state when it’s not used for a long time.

Warning: According to iRobot, you must not expose your Roomba to an outlet that isn’t 120V AC.

Why won’t my Roomba charge?

Your Roomba won’t charge because of a bad power source, dirty port, or extreme temperatures.

But, when that happens, stay calm. It’s not always a lost cause.

Instead, let me show 5 quick DIY fixes:

Replace battery

First, you’ll need to replace your Roomba’s battery.

How?

Follow these instructions:

  1. Turn your Roomba upside-down.
  2. Unscrew the edge sweeping brush.
  3. Loosen and remove the 5 screws that secure the cover.
  4. Detach the cover.
  5. Press the Release tab to remove the battery.
  6. Place the new battery using the alignment of the Roomba.
  7. Click the battery into place.
  8. Put everything back together.

Clean Roomba

Now, it’s also a good practice to regularly clean your Roomba.

To do this, iRobot recommends using a dry microfiber cloth to prevent further damage.

Move Roomba to room temperature

When you try to charge your Roomba, do you get Error Code 6 or 7?

If so, your device can’t charge because it’s in a hot or cold environment.

Why can’t it? Let me explain…

Your Roomba is powered by Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries.

Li-ion batteries don’t work well in extreme temperatures, especially heat.

So, iRobot took it upon itself to create a failsafe.

And what does that failsafe do?

Prevent you from charging the Roomba unless it’s in an area with a suitable temperature.

Factory reset

You can also try to factory reset your Roomba.

This method will effectively undo all the changes you’ve done to your Roomba.

But it will also get rid of the corrupted data that may be damaging your power module.

Don’t worry. This will be over quickly.

i, e, s, 600, 800, and 900 Series

All you need to do to factory reset these Roombas are to hold and press the following buttons:

  • Clean.
  • Spot Clean.
  • Home/Dock.

For how long, you ask?

  • 900 Series: Until all of the LED lights illuminate.
  • e Series: Press and hold for exactly 20 seconds.
  • s and i Series: Until the indicator lights swirl with white light.
  • 600 and 800 Series: Until the Roomba makes a beeping noise.
j Series
  1. Remove the dust bin.
  2. Press the CLEAN button.
  3. Hold for 7 seconds.
  4. Press the CLEAN button again to confirm factory reset.
Roomba Combo
  1. Remove the lid.
  2. Locate the recessed Reset button.
  3. Press and hold the button for 10 seconds.

Contact iRobot

Once you’ve gone through the DIY solutions and nothing’s working…

There’s 1 last thing you can try.

And that’s to contact iRobot themselves and ask for professional help.