Re: irobot Roomba 570 problem - UPDATE

[GlLessenger]

Thank you! I have been stuck as to the cause of wheel and brush warnings when this was the root cause all along. Cleaning the brushes and ends helped but the jerking and clicking started. Amost ordered a new set of wheels!

[vikaskarade]

You must be paid by the company for the nice review :)

[tlaroche38]

iRobot have taken care of this. They brought out the 780 which is supposed to have a cleaning head impervious to dust and dirt. It was announced a while back and hopefully will be out soon.

[DjGisME]

your pet is extremely hairy

[videogameobsession]

Just went through another gearbox. :( They replaced the first for free, but now want to charge me $70 for a new one... It's BS! We live in a tiny 3 bedroom apartment with hardwood floors and it still the hair gets all caught up in the gears and melts the plastic. This is a design flaw and everyone should get this replaced for free with a FIXED unit. I'm contacting BBB on this since iRobot refuses to admit fault or replace mine with a better gearbox. and they wonder why we buy foreign products!

[PaleBlueDotCitizen]

Our roomba is still working fine, I clean out the gearbox every now and then and re-grease it with a silicone grease. When irobot introduced the black CHM (cleaning head module) with the bearings I ordered one. For some reason they withdrew those CHMs very soon after introducing them. It's almost as though they wanted to produce a product that breaks.

[bookmark71]

I just wanted to say thank you for posting such a thorough explanation of the issue. I have a cat and was about to sell my Dyson and get one of these. One because it's cool, but two because I could run it everyday while I'm at work. Obviously an issue. I've also heard the sweeper brush for edges breaks off easily. I'd gladly buy one if they fix this.

[cdosj]

Do you know if the Roomba 610 has this problem?

[900bigd]

Ok looked at your 1st video and it was good. U should really send this one in too. I want a roomba so if you can send it in asap then Maby they can fix it come Christmas

[imayneer]

Hey, Pale....., let me look at the CHM for you - free. And you can compare it with iRobot's and my modification. But you will pay for shipping to n from the UK. Let me know.

[zinfer1]

Yep same identical problem. I have to remove and clean the gearbox on every run. So which takes less time? Running a vacuum or having to clean the gearbox on each use... No time savings at all. Thanks for your vids, they've been a huge affirmation of my very same problem. The hair all comes in from the brush sockets and wraps around the gears tieing them up.

[XboxNerd08]

put permatex around the gearbox to prevent this

[rick2u1786]

Wow. I just finished sending IRobot a complaint. I just got the 580/570 a week ago and have had to take it apart 4 times to clean. Not like the video but as the manual requires. It is not working and I am really contimplating sending it back for a refund. Thanks for a great video

[dmcfalls]

I have a Roomba 530, a 560, a Dirt Dog, and Scooba. While I don't have a Golden Retriver I do shed like one! I use compressed air to clean out dust every couple of days. I haven't had any problems. I put away my Dyson these puppies are GREAT!

[PaleBlueDotCitizen]

New video posted showing the fix for this problem. Enjoy!

[weirdobob21]

but, this one is nice, u changed irobots disign a little, so thats good, thx, cuz i just got a new one, and it works fine. but may be beacause of u, so thx.

[weirdobob21]

u no, u look and sound like simmon cowl on american idol, and u act like him to, just clean the brushes daily, and check for the heavy duty stuff every month or so. ive had mine for over 2 year and it still runs great cuz i clean the brushes and do heavy duty cleaning every month, so that should save ya some money. and there was a gap becuase of the melting.

[mesvideos2009]

Hello,

Nice informations ! I have see your video in the first publication. Now the model 2009 from iRobot have corrected alls gear for the brush down. I think your video have making reflection for iRobot. NICE.

Sorry I speak french

[CPTMyers]

Great video. I am having the same problem. Every time I clean my Roomba I ask myself how did they not notice this flaw and a club of high school science club members could have given them the solution. I have been talking very highly of the Roomba and now I am afraid that this robot wont last until Christmas just in time for me to buy their next improved model (or so they think). Thanks again for the post, I was hoping for a solution though, do you have an easy fix yet?

[macrossner]

why they didn't put bearings/bushing on a couple of them doesn't make sense though.

[macrossner]

got mine for 2 weeks now with at least one run a day. still nothing wrong in the gear box. and no heat burn like what you said. however i did notice a lot of gear fluid/oil inside it, that must be why, they just put extra lube, lol.

[nutterireland]

i have mine a month and it works well i took it apart and gave it a good clean allot of dust in at main motor !

[oniisanmaaku]

by using bearings to keep the gear-box as clear as possible from: hair, fluff, and really anything else that could possibly hamper the functionality of the Roomba itself. So-far, I'm satisfied, and have noticed that the new Brushes that work with this new assembly (original brushes are not compatible) seem to pick up a bit more dirt than before.

With that said, I hope that you can get your issue('s) resolved soon. Perhaps, you should give the new C.H.M. a try? iRobot has it on their site.

[oniisanmaaku]

I had filed a formal complaint with iRobot in regards to the Roomba 500 series six months ago; one of the main issues I had, was what you described as 'fluff' in the gear-box of the cleaning head module.

iRobot Corporate Headquarters in New England responded by stating that their Engineers have taken into consideration the flaws that were reported, and with that said, they would be resolved 'soon'. Well, the time has come, and iRobot has made the fix by updating the C.H.M. ...to be continued

[nutterireland]

how about fixing a scapal blade between brush and orange frame to shred hair into smaller pices . good video thanks for posting

[acsshopservice]

I can find dimensions(height) of iRobot 560 i not sure that it fit under my furniter ?!

[nutterireland]

about 4 inches ,its very good if it gets stuck it raises and lowers if its in trouble.

[horselynne]

Thanks for the info and the update. IRobot should send you other models and have you (and perhaps other consumers, as well) use them regularly so they can find the potential issues. My daughter & I both have one; mine seems slower than hers. It says in the manual to clesn them thoroughly on a regular basis. We took hers apart, or so we thought. We missed this area. It was dust-free everywhere we looked, but she just got a dog. They do make one for animals; dunno how it is.

[pete5668]

that roomba looks like it was used in a dog kennel or something lol

[eugenievt]

Just wanted to say thanks for this video. I know your intention was complaint rather than instruction - but I've just managed to stop my Roomba making a disturbing clack-clack-clack noise by following this video. The culprit was hair in the gearbox.

[funtomino]

mine 650 is ok. bought 10/2008. I checked the gearbox and it is clean and sealed.

[CAlex6977]

very interesting the you have solved this mystery. I still cant figure out how you move so fast though, quite amazing

[sgtpinky]

He sped-up the boring parts of the vid (i.e., removing screws)

[petrocket]

Same problem with our roomba here. Dog hair got in to the gearbox and has bent the plastic back amongst other things. Strangely I would think that cleaning it would fix the problem because the gears turn fine now after a cleaning.. but the brushes still don't turn by the motor - perhaps it is burnt out?

[mytuuube]

(I have to do this in 2 posts bcs of the 500-char limit)

After I got off the phone with tech support, though, I got curious about that flexible brush because it looked OK. However, when I looked at the ends more closely, the looser end had some hair and fuzz DEEP around the shaft. I fiddled with toothpicks and tweezers to remove as much of that hair etc as I could. Put the flexible brush back in - and now it is running clack-free again.

[mytuuube]

I had the same problem with my Roomba 535.

I called iRobot and the very helpful tech support person had me remove the dustbin and then run it with either of the brushes out. I discovered that when I took the flexible brush out (the one w/o any bristles), it didn't clack. iRobot is sending me a replacement flexible brush.

[espkh02]

the karcher 3000 pwns irobot

[StitchMS]

Thanks for posting this. I have bought Roomba 50 a week ago, and it looks like it will need some moer maintenance.

But when you open the gearbox for cleaing - do you break any seals and void your warranty? Or you just remove some screws and clean? Thanks again

[StitchMS]

I meant, Roomba 560..

[mytuuube]

See my posts from 10/25/08. I managed to fix mine (at least, for now) without having to open the gearbox.

[sciguy0504]

So this is what you get with MIT design and Chinese manufacturing? I was going to purchase one for my mom for Christmas but since we have two pets and the main rooms in our house are carpeted, I think I'll pass.

[spoiledworm]

i have a VERY hairy dog and i was wondering how often should i clean the gearbox to prevent this from happening?

[rebelwren]

This helps me decide to return my roomba 650. The chm failed and it has been on back order for 3 wks, I bought it 2/2008 . Even if I get another chm, this problem will occur again. I live in a 1 bedroom with 2 cats so I am vulnerable to the hair issue. I am gentle with my roomba and it looks new so it is an obvious design flaw. I have received horrible customer service fom irobot. I got it from Bed Bath Beyond and assume they will take it back, they rock! Thanks much for this helpful video!

[ReneeRod]

I JUST discovered the same problem myself. IRobot sent me two replacement cleaning head modules in the past year, but I expect the problem to continue. I, too, thought the pooint of entry was the socket, but upon further examination (I had MUCH more debris in my gearbox than you!), think the hair is entering from the other side of the cleaning head module where a silver colored cylinder axle enters the gear area. Sent e-mail to company today; hope to get a response.

[valmara1971]

Have you considered buying a dirt dog instead of the roomba? I have a roomba 560 a scooba 5800 and now a dirt dog and all work well on the surfaces they are designed to run on. From your video it seems like me you have a lot of tiled flooring, dirt dog runs very very well on hard surfaces and his dust bin can collect a huge amount of fluff and dust before it needs emptying out. Just a thought.

[PaleBlueDotCitizen]

valmara - In my house I have tile, hardwood and carpet. The carpet will eventually kill the gearbox but the main problem is the dog hair. The fluff you see in the video is probably 10% carpet fluff and 90% pure Golden Retriever!

IMO Roomba mis-sell this device as good for pet hair and carpets when it is obviously not. Dismantling the gearbox is NOT a part of the manufacturer's sanctioned user cleaning regimen.