It is not out of the ordinary for a Roomba battery to diminish after exceeding its 400 charge lifespan. If you are in this position, then read on. We highlight the correct battery replacement for each iRobot model along with step by step instructions!
Different Battery Types for Different Models
When it comes to a Roomba battery, there’s no one size fits all battery for all models. Various models have different batteries.
Older models were accompanied by NiMH batteries while newer ones use lithium-ion (li-on) batteries. Li-ion batteries are lighter than NiMH batteries, but both models can hold the same amount of power.
A handful of Roomba vacuum cleaners support either battery type. Besides weight advantage, Li-on batteries are preferred as they can be charged faster.
Official OEM Roomba Battery Replacement vs Unofficial Batteries
The official OEM battery replacement for Roomba products can be a little bit expensive. That is why some users opt for cheaper third-party batteries. It is worth noting that the usage of third-party batteries can cause the device to malfunction as they do not undergo the same quality control checks as official replacements.
Warning! According to their website, iRobot stipulates that the usage of third-party parts such as batteries can nullify your existing warranty. You have been warned!
New and officially refurbished OEM parts typically have a two years warranty and 90 days warranty respectively.
Battery Replacement Instructions for each iRobot Model
To discover the series your Roomba belongs to, turn over your robot. You will see the model digit printed close to the left wheel. The first digit signifies the parent series for example models 565 and 980 belong to the 500 and 900 series in that particular order.
Roomba 400 Battery
Roomba 400 is a second-generation Roomba and comes with a fast-charging feature which makes them suitable for home, shop, or garage cleaning.
Unlike the original series, the discovery series has a bigger dustbin and better software. The improved software allows it to detect dirt and calculate the room size.
The 4200 grams vacuum cleaner comes with a brush cleaning tool, charging stand, and a rechargeable battery.
Two of the special features of the discovery series are surface transitioning and stair avoidance system.
Roomba 500 Battery
The Roomba 500 series comes with more speed and the ability to detect obstacles. Unlike previous generations, the third-generation Roomba can recharge itself from a recharging dock.
The 5701 grams vacuum cleaner comes with a bristle brush, beater brush, edge brush, brush tool, and rechargeable battery.
With the aid of a virtual wall unit and a vacuum cleaner filter, the 500 series performs a smoother operation compared to previous editions.
Various models launched with the 500 series have different types of dust and debris bins. The collection bins include the standard vacuum bin, the Aerovac bin, and the high-capacity sweeper bin.
These three collection bins vary in size, components, and structure.
The unique features of the 500 model are the electronic dirt sensor and anti-tangle technology.
Roomba 530 Battery
The Roomba 530 battery is part of the Roomba 500 family. One striking feature of the Roomba 530 is the ability to be restricted by two virtual walls, meaning users can restrict the vacuum cleaner from moving into certain rooms. The robotic vacuum cleaner is suitable for cleaning hard floors.
The 530 vacuum cleaner can pick up dirt and debris from corners and wall edges with the spinning side brushes. Its unique features include a fine filtration system, anti-tangle technology, and virtual wall feature.
Roomba 531 Battery
Roomba 531 can recharge itself via the home base when the battery is low. It resumes work once it is fully charged.
The iRobot Roomba 531 vacuum cleaner can be restricted from certain rooms with the aid of the virtual wall feature. Users can restrict it from cleaning some rooms in a bid to allow it to focus on a room. Then, after the desired room is clean, they can remove the virtual restriction from the remaining rooms.
The white and round-shaped vacuum cleaner offers quality performance, durability, and reliability. Its unique features include 3 hour charge time, virtual wall feature, and auto-charge feature.
Roomba 560 Battery
The Roomba 560 battery comes with a self-charging home base, vacuum cleaner filter, and brush cleaning tool, bristle brush, beater brush, rechargeable battery, and virtual wall unit.
The Roomba 560 has unique features such as on-board scheduling, anti-tangle technology, a gentle touch bumper system, and in-built cliff sensors. These features allow the vacuum cleaner to switch from surfaces of different textures easily without bumping a piece of wood furniture or getting stuck. If it ever gets stuck, it will call for help by voicing preprogrammed emergency messages.
Roomba 595 Battery
In terms of accessories, the Roomba 595 has a lot to offer. Its accessories include a brush cleaning tool, squeegee type brush, extra AeroVac filter, bristle brush, A/C adapter, and a charging base.
The Roomba 595 model is built with a yellow advanced power system, which is more powerful than the XLife extended Roomba battery life present in the 655 models. The 3583 NiCad battery has a run time of 60 – 90 minutes depending on the size of the room.
Roomba 620 Battery
The iRobot Roomba 620 model comes with lots of special features including a three-stage cleaning system, dirt detecting technology, AeroVac technology, wall-following system, anti-impact sensor, anti-fall sensor, auto charge, iAdapt technology, and anti-tangle technology.
While some of these features are present in previous versions, iRobot launched the 620 models with standard versions of these features.
The Roomba 620 vacuum cleaner has accessories such as rechargeable batteries, battery chargers, and an auto charging home base.
Roomba 650 Battery
Like the Roomba 620, Roomba 650 model possesses impressive features like virtual wall technology, dirt detecting technology, AeroVac technology, iAdapt technology, on-board scheduling, and a three-stage cleaning system.
The vacuum cleaner uses a dry cleaning method with a bagless dust collection system. Its cleaning accessories include a vacuum cleaner filter, self-charging home base, and virtual wall unit.
The black circular vacuum cleaner is compatible with the iRobot app and can be connected to WiFi. It is perfect for cleaning pet fur, dirt, debris, carpet fuzz, and lint.
Roomba 655 Battery
Unlike the iRobot 650, Roomba 655 model has a larger dirt collection bin and a stronger battery that can last for 80 – 90 minutes.
One major setback of using the 655 models is the absence of a bin indicator. Users have to check manually to know if the bin content is full.
It has special features such as a 3-stage cleaning system, dirt detection, auto docking, virtual wall technology, scheduling, and self-recharging home base.
Roomba 770 Battery
The Roomba 770 is similar to the 500 series, but with more advanced features.
The Roomba 770 vacuum cleaner is fortified with special features such as Aerovac series 2 technology, 3-phase cleaning system and a soft-touch bumper. It has a HEPA filter, iAdapt technology, onboarding scheduling, dirt detect series 2, and extended Roomba battery life management. Though many of these features were included in previous versions, the 770 version is an improvement.
The 770 robotic vacuum cleaner can last for about three hours after a full charge. It comes with several accessories including a virtual wall unit, battery charger, filter, remote control, instructional DVD, and cleaning tool.
Roomba 780 Battery
Both the 770 and 780 models have full bin indicators, a feature lacking in previous editions.
You will find several accessories in the Roomba 780 box namely 2 virtual wall lighthouses, flat brush cleaning tool, extra brush set, extra filter set, round brush cleaning tool, remote control, instructional DVDs, self-charging home base, and battery charger.
The 780 vacuum cleaner has special features such as a 3-phase cleaning system, AeroVac series 3 technology, advanced cleaning head, dirt detect series 2, persistent pass cleaning system, extended Roomba battery life power management, cliff detection sensor, on-board scheduling, and iAdapt technology.
Roomba 870 Battery
Launched in 2012, the 870 model is one of the most advanced vacuum cleaners iRobot has created since its inception.
The iRobot device comes with a soft-touch bumper, AeroForce cleaning system, remote control, anti-tangle technology, self-charging home base, and virtual wall technology.
The AeroForce technology is more advanced than the AeroVac system and offers up to five times the airpower.
The pewter grey robotic vacuum cleaner has unique features such as a vacuum filter and bin indicator.
Roomba 880 Battery
One of the best features of the Roomba 880 model is AeroForce technology.
The technology does not need the large rotating brush to function instead it draws air between the dual rubber rollers. Other features include iAdapt multi-room navigation, a 2-stage cleaning system, and an anti-tangle system.
The several accessories you will find in the box include two Aeroforce extractors, a side brush, a self-charging home base, two Hepa filters, two virtual wall lighthouse, remote control, and two AA batteries.
Roomba 960 Battery
Launched on August 4, 2016, the Roomba 960 comes with amazing features. It allows users to retrieve detailed cleaning maps of the Roomba from the app.
Also, users can choose to integrate the Roomba 960 with Amazon Echo, meaning it can be controlled via virtual assistant technology. You don’t need to leave your comfort zone or search for the iRobot app before you can control the robotic vacuum cleaner.
Its cleaning accessories include auto-charging home base, HEPA filter, line cord, documentation guide, side brush, and virtual wall unit.
How can I extend my Roomba battery life?
The inevitable truth is that every battery diminishes, but some diminish faster than others. The difference between a battery that lasts for 4 years and the one that loses its power after a year is a maintenance procedure.
Remove the remnants of dust, hair, or fur from your Roomba brushes more often to ease the clogged brushes. Roomba products clean your floor with two multi-surface brushes, not one. Ensure you clean both brushes. The reason is that the accumulation of debris in the brushes can make it harder for the Roomba to function appropriately, reducing the lifespan of your battery.
Remove your iRobot battery and keep it in a cool place when it’s not in use. You can put the device on vacation mode when you are traveling for a while.
Drain often. While overworking can damage your battery, keeping your battery fully charged and idle for a long time can reduce its lifespan. Charge and exhaust it even when you’re not using it.
How do I reset my Roomba battery?
When you notice your battery is not keeping up to expectation, changing it should not be your first step. You can try resetting it. Follow the simple steps below for a Roomba battery replacement.
- Press ‘clean’ to turn on your Roomba vacuum cleaner.
- Press ‘spot’ and ‘dock’ at the same time and hold for about 10 seconds.
- Release the two buttons simultaneously and you will hear the start sound (Roomba victory music). The Roomba will load for half a day. After resetting its battery, you will notice a green light on the ‘clean’ button.
How do I replace my iRobot battery?
You just purchased a new Roomba battery and you have no idea how to replace the old one. It’s pretty easy. The only tool you need is a screwdriver. Follow the steps below to change your Roomba battery.
- Gently turn your vacuum cleaner upside down.
- Take out the side brush with the aid of a screwdriver.
- Unscrew the four screws holding the bottom cover.
- Remove the bottom cover. Then, take out the current battery.
- Put the new battery in your vacuum cleaner with iRobot the logo facing up (if it is an official battery).
- Place the cover back on and tighten the four screws.
- Don’t forget the side brush. Place it back where you removed it and tighten it with the screw.
- Ensure the bottom cover fits perfectly.
The Verdict
That's it! We hope this guide helped in directing you to the correct battery replacement for your specific Roomba model.
If we’ve missed anything, please leave a comment below!