Your Roomba’s light can mean three very different things: it is charging normally, it is doing a long maintenance charge, or something is wrong. This guide explains the lights using iRobot’s own support articles. The meaning depends on your series, so find yours first. If you have the older Roomba 500 or 600 series, start with the first table. If you have an i, j, s or Combo 10 Max robot, jump to the light ring section.
Roomba 500 and 600 series: battery light colors
On these models the CLEAN button shows battery status during cleaning, or when you press CLEAN while the robot is on its charger.
| CLEAN light | What it means |
|---|---|
| Green | Fully charged |
| Amber | Battery partially drained |
| Pulsing amber | Charging |
| Red | Battery nearly drained |
| Flashing red | Battery drained |
iRobot adds that on some robots the CLEAN light pulses red or amber while charging, and others switch every indicator off after about a minute but keep charging. That is normal.
Why is my Roomba flashing orange (amber)?
On a 500 or 600 series, a pulsing amber light means the robot is charging. If the amber light pulses quickly, the robot is in refresh charge mode, described next. Neither is a fault.
Refresh charge: the 16-hour charge
iRobot describes refresh charge as an extended charge that refreshes the battery and extends battery life. The key facts from iRobot:
- It lasts about 16 hours.
- It applies to Roomba 400, 500, 600, 700 and 800 series with a standard battery. It does not apply to lithium-ion batteries.
- The robot starts it by itself when it senses a significantly discharged battery, typically after sitting off the dock or charger for a long time. You cannot start it manually.
- The light is an amber pulse that is quicker than normal charging. On the 700 and 800 series, the battery icon pulses quickly instead.
- Do not interrupt it. Leave the robot on the Home Base.
Why is my Roomba blinking red while charging?
On a 500 or 600 series, flashing red means the battery is drained. Leave the robot on the dock so it can charge. If the robot is drained for a long time it may start a refresh charge (quick amber pulse). If you hear a voice say “Charging Error” followed by a number while the ring is red, jump to the error table below.
Roomba i, j, s series and Combo 10 Max: light ring
These robots use a light ring around the lid or the CLEAN button. The relevant patterns from iRobot:
| Light ring | What it means |
|---|---|
| Pulsing red | Charging, but the battery is too low to start a job. Leave the robot on its base. If it is still not fully charged after 3 hours, follow the charging troubleshooting steps. |
| Solid red | An error. Tap CLEAN to hear the error again, and check the iRobot HOME app. |
| Pulsing bottom half (white) | Charged and on the dock, hibernating |
| Solid white | Fully charged |
| White clockwise swirl | Starting up or updating software. Wait. |
The i1 to i5 do not light the CLEAN text. Some models, including the 600 to 900 series, e Series and i1 to i5, have no Status Lights setting in the app.
Charging error codes
When charging fails, the ring turns red and the robot says “Charging Error” and a number. iRobot’s chart for Roomba 500 to 900 series, e, i, j and s series reads:
| Error | Meaning | iRobot’s fix |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Battery not detected | Remove and reinstall the battery |
| 2 | Over-current charge fault | Confirm the battery is an authentic iRobot lithium-ion battery and check for liquid damage |
| 3 | Charging system fault | Try charging again and check for liquid damage |
| 4 and 5 | Low current from the dock or robot | Clean the charging contacts |
| 6 | Battery too hot | Bring the robot to room temperature, then try again |
| 7 | Battery too cold | Bring the robot to room temperature, then try again |
| 8 | Robot can’t communicate with the battery | Confirm the battery is authentic, then remove and reinstall it |
| 9 | Battery failure | The battery may need replacing. Confirm it is authentic, then remove and reinstall it |
| 19 | Charging timed out | Remove and reinstall the battery and clean the charging contacts |
| 20 | Battery fault or not ready to charge | Remove the battery for 15 minutes, reinstall it, and replace it if the error persists |
| 21 | Docked but couldn’t charge | Clean the charging contacts |
iRobot’s full chart also lists codes 11 and 17 and a set of 100-series codes shown in the Roomba Home app. iRobot warns that aftermarket batteries can cause these errors and can void the warranty.
What to do next
- Light is behaving normally but the robot never fully charges: see why a Roomba won’t charge.
- Robot charges but the battery dies fast: read how long a Roomba battery lasts and Roomba battery replacement.
- Robot can’t get back to the dock: use our Roomba won’t dock guide.
- Something else is wrong: the Roomba troubleshooting guide covers the rest.
Not covered here
We could not find an official iRobot light table for the 700, 800 and 900 series, so we do not guess at those lights. Press CLEAN and check the iRobot HOME app, which shows the status and any error for Wi-Fi models.
Sources
- iRobot support, Roomba 500 and 600 series battery and charging
- iRobot support, Refresh charge mode
- iRobot support, Charging error chart
- iRobot support, Light ring guide for i, j, s series and Combo 10 Max
My 600 series Roomba shows only a solid amber light. No matter what I do, it never seems to fully charge nor does the light ever pulse. I use it for 15-20 minutes before the red battery light comes on, i dock it, it’s connected, the light is solid amber and the batter image is amber. What do you suggest?
Hi Sandra,
You could try the reset. Unplug the charger, remove the battery, hold down the clean button for 30 seconds, put in the battery, and then plug in the charger.
Sincere
My green light on base goes out after a few seconds on my roomba 981 no light at all goes on the actual robot. It is totally dead, won’t charge at all. Tried cleaning all contacts, still no result.
Hi Karen,
If nothing helps anymore, you can try resetting the Roomba software. In fact, this is quite simple. All you have to do is press the “Dock” and “Spot” buttons simultaneously for at least 10 seconds. After that, you should hear a beep which is an indicator for the reset.
Sincere
Good article and video with lots of good information. I found it very helpful. My i7 had stopped charging so thinking it was the battery (even though only a couple of years old) I bought a new battery. It still wouldn’t charge. I had gone through the cleaning and other manuvers as you and the iRobot support suggested and my i7 was still was not charging. I cleaned it again with a brand new melamine foam sponge and then as a added step used canned air to spray out beneath the contact points on the base. Voila! It is now charging. Thanks again!