Roomba Repair

When I got home yesterday the roomba had made it about ten feet before stopping. When I started it up again it made a clicking noise as it went a few feet, then it stopped and told me: “Error 2. Open Roomba’s brush cage and clean brushes.” The brushes were already clean, but they wouldn’t turn when I tried it. I figured that something inside it had gotten packed with cat hair since none of the stuff that was there to keep hair from wrapping around the moving parts that were exposed actually worked very well.

Simply taking the bottom cover off revealed the modular design of the insides and a large amount of loose cat hair, but nothing that was problematic. I meant to get a picture of the impressively large pile of cat hair I removed, but Talore lay down on it and tracked it all over before I managed to. Since the brushes were the part that wasn’t working I took out the brush module and took it completely apart.

Sure enough:

The drive gear and the gear next to it were tied together such that they couldn’t turn. Oily cat hair is a pain to wipe off of stuff, but I did manage to get most of it out. What I didn’t manage to do was find all the clear plastic washers that came out with the cat hair (or so I assume, I only ever saw one). I also didn’t re-oil the gears when I put it back together due to lack of oil.

I’d have thought that the pet model roomba would be able to handle cat hair better than it did, but at least it was all put together with standard screws and came apart pretty easily, even beyond the part that was probably intended to be user serviceable.

Once I got it all back together (which was nearly as easy as taking it apart) it was willing to start right up and start making up for being out of commission since Friday. It now makes a slightly different noise on the linoleum in my kitchen (probably the noise it made before it got full of cat hair), but while I was watching it it had no trouble cleaning.

The schedule and the clock did get cleared while I had the battery out, but those are both easy to set, and I even changed the schedule I have it on slightly like I’ve been meaning to do for a while.