iRobot Roomba 560 Troubleshooting

The robot is on, however it won't move forward, or is spinning in circles.

It is possible that the Roomba picked up an object while cleaning that wrapped around its wheel and is inhibiting it from moving. Check both wheels to see if anything is stuck on them. Then, manually push the wheels in and out (do not force them to move, they should move fairly easily) and check if the wheels turn without an unusual amount of resistance.

If the Roomba is spinning in circles, there could be an issue with the bumper sensor. This can lead to a lengthy and technical fix, but further steps can be taken by opening the Roomba and cleaning the sensor as demonstrated by this guide here.

No matter how many times you press the power button, the Roomba 560 just won’t turn on.

First, you should check to see if the battery is dead. When you press the power button, is there a flashing red light? If you see the flashing red light or don’t see any lights on, place the Roomba on the charging dock. The following will let you know when it’s charged.

• Green - fully charged
• Amber - partially discharged
• Red - nearly discharged
• Flashing Red - discharged

In spite of hours of charging, the Roomba 560 still dies minutes after turning it on.

This tactic will tell the robot to ignore the charging depth and perform a deep charge. To do this:

1. Hold the power button for 15 seconds.
2. Charge the Roomba for 16 hours.
3. If the light is green, let it run on maximum power until it runs out of energy, taking note of any improvements in battery life.

If the 16 hour reset fails to improve the battery life of the robot, use this guide to replace the battery.

The Roomba seems to be doing an inefficient job and is unable to pick up particles.

If the Roomba seems to not be cleaning well, inspect the bottom for hairs clogging the device, and remove them. Compressed air may also be used to rid the cleaning system of hair. If the problem persists, you may have to disassemble the bottom and replace the fan. A guide for that process may be found here.

If the Roomba's brushes are unable to spin, or the Roomba is much quieter than usual, then the brushes may need replacing. These brushes can be easily accessed on the underside of the roomba by pressing the two yellow clips on the corners of the green casing and then lifting this casing.

The Roomba beeps at me in a specific pattern.

The Roomba will tell you something is wrong with a two-tone “uh-oh” sound followed by a series of beeps. The series of beeps correspond to the following issues:

• 1 beep: Roomba is stuck with a wheel hanging down or Roomba is stuck.
• 2 Beeps: Roomba's main brushes cannot turn.
• 5 Beeps: Roomba's side wheel is stuck.
• 6 Beeps: Roomba's cliff sensors are dirty or Roomba is stuck hanging over a cliff or on a dark surface.
• 9 Beeps: Roomba's bumper is compressed or the bumper sensor is dirty.
• 10 Beeps: Roomba’s side wheel is stuck or its bumper is not registering obstacles.
• 11 Beeps: Roomba's side wheel is stuck or its bumper is not registering obstacles. (Yes, 10 and 11 do in fact mean the same thing.)

The Roomba will also make a 4-tone "dead battery song" when the battery is discharged. Attach the Roomba to its charging base until it is charged.

This list comes straight from iRobot's error code guide, which can be found here.

Many of these issues can be resolved by simply cleaning the unit and manually adjusting any stuck parts. If further repair is needed, please consult various repair guides linked here.

The Roomba 560 will not detach from its charging dock when it cleans.

Try putting the Roomba 560 and its corresponding docking station on firm, level surfaces while letting it charge. If the Roomba still stays connected to the charger when it begins to move/clean, then refer to the next possible issue.

Have you removed the bottom of the Roomba recently? If so, it is possible the machine was put back together incorrectly. Try checking to see if all of the screws are in tight and correctly and that there are no loose parts. Refer to this guide for help when removing the battery and bottom of the Roomba.