Have you ever seen your Roomba flashing orange and wondered what was going on and what to do?
Although it’s not necessarily a sign that something is wrong, it’s important to know what the blinking orange light means and whether or not it needs to be fixed.
In this article, we’ll explain the reason behind the flashing indicator orange light and how to fix it. We’ll also look at other Roomba indicator lights you should be aware of such as the common flashing red light that often occurs when the device is charging.
The reason why your Roomba is flashing orange
One of the most overlooked aspects of Roomba robots is how they consume power even when in battery mode.
As long as Roomba is not connected to a power source, it continues to consume power slowly until the battery is very low or completely discharged. This is because there are several programs running on an internal processor that cause the battery in the Roomba to run constantly even when the device is not in use.
When this happens, your Roomba executes a special battery recovery program which results in the flashing orange indicator.
This battery recovery process usually takes about 16 hours and the orange light will keep flashing or blinking until the Roomba battery is complexly refreshed.
Can this be fixed?
No, the flashing orange light cannot be fixed because it indicates there is an internal program running that is initiated by your Roomba.
Once the 16-hour recovery period is complete, the orange blinking light will stop and the CLEAN light will turn green. At this point, your Roomba cleaning function should resume without any issues.
However, it is important to note that during the battery recovery period, your Roomba should remain plugged into the home base or a power outlet. Also, to prevent the Roomba from flashing orange, always leave it connected to a source of power or remove the battery to prevent total discharge.
Other Roomba indicator lights
- Cleaning headlight: This light indicates that the Roomba is currently cleaning. This is usually shown as a periodic white sweep indicating that cleaning is in progress.
- Spot cleaning light: When spot cleaning, Roomba indicates light shows a blue counterclockwise swirl
- Side brush indicator light: This light indicates when the side brush is on.
- Dirt detector light: This is indicated as a blue light that flashes when the Roomba detects more dirt than it can handle. It automatically increases its suction power to clean it up.
- Battery charge indicator light: This light indicates the battery level. It will be green when the battery is full, yellow when the battery is almost full, and orange when the battery is fully discharged and in recovery mode. If you notice a pulsing red light, it shows the battery is too low to start cleaning. A solid red light on the other hand indicates there is an error that is preventing your Roomba from cleaning.
- Updating software light: When Roomba is updating its software, you will often notice a white light that swirls clockwise similar to when it’s starting up. You should not do anything at this point until it stops updating.
- Empty the bin light: This is indicated by a red light that sweeps towards the rear. It shows the bin is full and needs to be emptied urgently. When the bin is emptied, the blue light sweeps forward.
- Connected to Wi-Fi: You know your Roomba is connected to Wi-Fi when a blue light spins clockwise on the headlight.
- Docking light: When the Roomba is going back home, the headlight shows a blue light marching forward.
How do I know if my Roomba is charging?
To know if your Roomba is charging, you can look at the indicator light on the robot. If the light is off, then your robot is not charging. If the light is solid green, then your robot is charging. However, if the light flashes red, it means there’s a problem with the battery and needs to be checked.
Conclusion
We have seen that the main cause of Roomba flashing orange is due to extremely low battery.
This happens when the Roomba is stored with the battery which slowly consumes all the power leaving it completely discharged. When the battery is discharged, it goes into a 16-hour refresh charge period during charging which is indicated by the flashing orange light.
Other common Roomba indicator lights include flashing red lights, swirling white lights, battery charge indicators, dirt detector lights, and cleaning headlights.
Most of these lights are meant to communicate Roomba’s status when it’s working, charging, or docking. But if you think there may be something wrong with your Roomba, try contacting iRobot’s customer support. They may be able to help you troubleshoot the problem or replace the Roomba if necessary.
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