How long does the robot vacuum last?
Pawprint
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
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My Very Own Vacuuming Peasant (Warning: Robot Content)
Comments (16)We've had a Rhoomba for about 8 years - got him a year, or so, after they first came out. I LOVE him! The little bristles do okay in the corners if you use him frequently. Probably not so much if the floor hasn't been vac'd in a month. Ours has been used 3-4 times/week ever since he's been a member of our household. I'd love to have one that returns to his charger but since he's still working - well, you don't toss out a family member just 'cause they are a bit long in the tooth! :) dcarch, we've had no problems with the motors. We've had no problems of any sort. It takes a couple minutes to clean after each use but we've got it down to less than 3 minutes for maintenance. One thing we did have to do was replace our area rugs with the no fringe type but that was in need of doing anyway. Rhoomba does NOT like fringe. Sometimes he disappears & we have to go on a search/rescue mission but that has gotten better the longer we've had the little guy. Enjoy your new family member, John. :) /tricia...See MoreSuggestions for automatic/robotic vacuum?
Comments (5)Thank you for your quick response! I don't think we have an extra line in our pool. When it was put in back in 1973, there were two lines (plus the main drain). When we reopened the pool recently, the old pipes going into the shallow end were corroded and we had to close that line off. (We didn't want the pool guys to destroy our concrete apron while excavating). So we just have the one in the deep end. When my husband "manually" vacuums, we run the filter and he sticks the hose right into the skimmer. We were thinking of something that would operate without the filter. If we get a vacuum with a dirt bag attached, would we still need a dedicated line? Sorry if I'm asking stupid questions! I'm still learning how to maintain our pool (recently reopened) and am still getting familiar with pool jargon. Thanks! Mary...See Morerobotic vacuum?
Comments (23)My DH bought me one for my birthday (2?) years ago..He purchased it from Roomba and it was the 590? series. It came with a programable thing and several towers. He paid nearly $500 for it. The first few months, it had numerous problems (cant remember all of them but in general the brushes had issues and the battery would not hold a charge, also it would crash into the furniture when it was supposed to have sensors etc to avoid that. It was under warranty (very very limited warranty time wise) but they sent one part of the main brush thingie and a new battery. not too much later, something else went wrong with it, but now it was no longer under warranty so I had to purchase replacement parts. After talking to the customer service people, she conveyed that when the brush housing stopped working the first time or had issues, that the whole thing should have been replaced because by now it was completely damaged (so the replacement part was only a $40 bandaid) somehow, she managed to get permission to send me a whole new unit. This "NEW" unit would barely clean one room before pooping out. (the other one was designed to clean up to 3 rooms in one run and it usually came close unless I had too many obstacles for it). It is now not being used at all. I will say when it was working that it was handy for pet hair (houseful of cats and dogs) but it always had trouble transitioning from hardwood floors to rugs, and as such would half way "clean" itself off on its way up and over the edge of the rugs, leaving clumps of cat fur behind. If I had to do it over again, I would absolutely NOT spend $500 on it, but IF I could have gotten a decent one second hand, then I'd probably use it every now and then. I dont know if it was this forum or elsewhere but this topic has been discussed before and I do recall that someone had purchased one from some particular place that offered a lifetime warranty, knowing the multiple issues mine has always had, I'd DEFINITELY buy it from them over any other vendor, if I had a do over. I do not recall the place though....See MoreNeed help choosing robotic vacuum/mop!
Comments (21)I don't have area rugs with fringe so the Roomba handles them pretty well, I pick up the smaller ones by the door that I use to keep the dogs from tracking in from the yard. Low pile is fine - I don't let it run on one rug that I have that has long loops, I'm sure it would stall. I understand if you have black rugs or rugs with dark edges the Roomba won't go over them because it thinks it's a drop (like a step). It uses a sensor to watch for stairs and such and will stop when it gets to them. To elaborate on the Scooba a bit more for those who are curious, yes, it does a wash more than the Braava which only pushes around a damp cloth. You set it up to clean a "small room" or a "large room". It has a water reservoir to which you add cleaner. The cleaner is not sold in my area so I buy off Amazon. BestBuy is supposed to carry it but not my local store. iRobot also has it on their web site. It doesn't take much cleaner - I only add a small amount to the water. The I set up my lighthouses/virtual walls to keep it in the area I want scrubbed (and obviously not on the area rugs). It runs around a bit to get a feel for the space and then it starts - it lays down a thin film of water as it goes, it vacuums and puts down the water, goes back and forth and in circles, using the brushes I suppose, then it goes back and vacuums up all the left over water. So the floor is pretty dry by the time it shuts off. It's a bit entertaining at the end as it shakes itself off, kind of like a dog. You then dump out the water from the dirty side of the tank, rinse it out and pull out any hair. You can then add more water to the clean tank and top off the cleaner, and recharge it. I found it does need another small area rinsed out or you will get an error code, but easily done. The dirty water is noticeably dirty so it is doing something to clean the floor. As I mentioned, the manufacturer warns against other cleaners. and other users have posted that the unit will fail if caustic cleaners are used, as it will damage the unit. I have sprayed windex on the floor ahead of it with no issues. It's not a perfect solution as you will still need to damp mop your baseboards and tight areas occasionally, but I do like it for my bathroom and I have on occasion used it on my engineered wood, but I follow it with an old towel and wipe up excess water so the wood does not absorb it. If you, or your family members have long hair, I would definitely recommend doing a quick vacuuming or Swiffer run first to pick that up before running the Scooba, as it will pick up hair and then you will be very unhappy pulling it out of the reservoir and brushes. It is also not very quiet so don't think you can run it while you take a nap....See More
oldgardener_2009
7 years ago
ravencajun Zone 8b TX
7 years ago
glenda_al
7 years ago
littlebug zone 5 Missouri
7 years ago
jemdandy
7 years agomamatoad
7 years agoangelaid_gw
7 years ago
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