Roomba Brush Not Spinning On Carpet? – Fix in Minutes!

Wondering why is the Roomba Brush not spinning on carpet? Keep reading to find out.

Roomba is based on artificial intelligence and works by using sensors and motors.

There are quite a few components responsible for the non-spinning brush and luckily there are quite a few different approaches that we use and solve the problem in a matter of minutes!

The Roomba brushes are unable to spin on the carpet or floor when the motor is jammed due to dust and hair. Another reason would be when the rollers are clogged or the iRobot Roomba is simply performing a mapping run, hence, does not clean.

Let’s learn more about why the problem appears before jumping to the solutions!

Why Are The Roomba Brushes Not Spinning On Carpet?

If your Roomba is running quietly or does not clean the floor, it means the brushes are not spinning, therefore there is no sound.

The brush’s main job is to collect fluff, dust, and hair from the ground so let’s learn what might be preventing them from spinning on the carpet:

1. Damaged or Dirty GearBox

Roomba brushes are incapable of spinning when the gears in the gearbox are broken or they are simply clogged.

The gears are made of plastic and are responsible for the spinning of brushes. In other words, they need to be cleaned every once in a while!

2. Brush Rollers Are Clogged

Another reason is that while cleaning a lot of hairs, dirt, and carpet fiber stuck into the brush, which causes it to not spin until cleaned.

3. Motor with Poor lubrication

When you use a Roomba for a long time, then the brush motor gets dry and is unable to operate the gears.

Especially when you have not applied any oil or lubrication for a long time.

4. Roomba is Doing Map Run

When your Roomba navigates your home and does a mapping run, the brushes don’t spin because your Roomba is not cleaning.

Allow the robot to complete the mapping run and test.

Let’s proceed further and find out why the brushes are not spinning on the carpet!

How To Fix a Roomba Brush Not Spinning On Carpet?

To solve the problem we’re going to address each possibility individually until we discover why the brushes are not spinning.

It’s important to confirm that the brushes are not spinning on a carpet only and check whether they work normally on a flat surface.

Solution #1 Clean The Brush

The very first step that you have to do is to clean the Roomba bushes.

Because with time, when they are continuously used for cleaning, the dirt and the hairs are collected onto the brushes making them not able to rotate.

All you need to do is to clean the brushes using compressed air or scissors!

Follow the below steps to clean the Roomba brushes correctly:

1. Place the Roomba on a plain surface such as a floor.
2. Turn it upside down to see the brush guard’s location.
3. Look at the bottom center of Roomba.
4. Hold and pull the brush guard by grabbing its two levers.
5. This way, the guard will be released and you can easily remove brushes.
6. Carefully pull the brushes by grabbing a yellow bearing of both brushes.
7. Now remove the yellow cap from the brushes and clean the dirt or hairs from it.
8. Then take the brushes and remove dirt by using cloth.
9. Also, remove hairs by using scissors or razor blades.
10. After cleaning the brushes, install them back into their place gently.

Now you can put the Roomba Robot on the carpet and check whether that helped.

Solution #2 Lubricate The GearBox

When a Roomba is being used continuously for a long time, its motors and gears become dry and unable to move and work properly.

Then it is necessary to clean them and apply motor oil or lubricant at least once a month. This way gear will work smoothly and allow the brushes to spin.

Here is a way for lubricating the gears in a GearBox:

1. Turn the Roomba upside down to remove the Roomba’s back cover.
2. Remove the side brushes and unscrew the back cover.
3. Then unscrew the other four screws by holding the brush assembly.
4. Turn the brushes down and check whether the coil turns or not.
5. If the coil turns, that means your gearbox is fine.
6. Just apply motor oil.
7. If the coil does not turn, then you need to clean the gears.
8. Just remove the gearbox and take out its cover.
9. Then pull out gears from the box.
10. Lastly, clean all the gears using a toothbrush and detergent.

When you’re ready, install the components into the gearbox and fix all the screws.

Then you can position your Roomba robot on the carpet and press the “CLEAN” button to test the brushes!

Tip: It is recommended to clean the side brushes as well since they are responsible for cleaning dust.

Solution #3 Lubricate The Brushes Motor

As we have discussed above, cleaning the brushes is the best solution to do first. But that’s not only needed every time.

The brushes spin on the floor using motors. But when these motors become dry or old, then they lose their capacity to give support to brushes.

For smooth operation of the motor, all you need to do is to apply any oil to the motor!

For this purpose, you’ll need to acquire and use a sewing machine oil or even a non-detergent motor oil which would be perfect for the job.

The oil is inserted inside the bronze/brass bashing and the metal axle. This will optimize the strength of the brush sinning.

Alert: WD40 is not a suitable lubricant for the brush’s motor!

Solution #4 Inspect The Base Station

When the Roomba brush is not spinning on the carpet users should inspect the power supply and make sure that the Base Station is connected to a source.

Perhaps the iRobot Roomba is not able to charge, therefore turning OFF…

Also, check that the connectors, motors, and wires all are fine and working properly.

If any damage is found in any wire or connectors, then replace them with the new components.

Note: Check if Roomba can reach the Base Station!

Solution #5 Replace The Brush Assembly

After implementing all the above solutions, if your Roomba brushes are still not spinning, then the brushes might not be capable of doing more work.

Because when you use a Roomba for a long time, its gears and brushes become worn out and unable to support each component.

Now is the time to replace the old brush assembly with the new one!

Follow the steps for the replacement of brush assembly:

1. Go to the Official iRobot Website to purchase the brush assembly.
2. Tell them your Roomba model number and all the details related to your Roomba.
3. Buy a replacement Brush Assembly.
4. Replace the old brushes with the new set.
5. Change the Roomba brushes after every 7 to 12 months.

When you’ve replaced the brushes, go ahead and test your Roomba on the carpet.

In case the brushes are still not spinning, maybe the carpet is too fluffy or has a strong texture, preventing the iRobot’s normal operation.

Avoid using your Romba on this carpet.

Note: The best part is that you can get an enhanced brush assembly from iRobot.

Solution #6 Contact iRobot Customer Support

In case you’ve attempted all of the solutions above and nothing managed to make the brushes spin on the carpet, it’s time to seek professional help!

Here is the way to contact the support team.

1. Visit the official website https://www.irobot.com/.
2. On the website below, scroll down. The menu has a Support block.
3. Select “Contact Us” from the menu.
4. A page opens with many contact options.
5. By phone, email, or message, you can contact them.

Tip: Don’t forget to share what you’ve tried in this guide to save time!

Quick Recap:

You can resolve the issue where Roomba’s brushes are not spinning by cleaning the brushes and gears from the gearbox. The most frequent cause for non-spinning brushes is when Roomba components become dry and lubricant or motor oil is necessary.

Wrapping Up:

Now that we’ve learned why the Roomba brush not spinning on carpet and what to do when the problem is persistent we can get over this fuss.

We hope that you’ve learned something new in our guide and to discover more relevant topics, make sure to check our blog!