How to Replace a Roomba Battery, Step by Step

Battery swapping is the simplest repair when it comes to a Roomba and it provides the greatest benefit since the robot will go from dying in the middle of a corridor to completing the entire floor once more. The instructions that follow apply to all models. The only genuine risk is getting the wrong plug when you first place the order, and there is a section dealing with that at the end.

What you need

• A Phillips screwdriver, #1 or #2. Either works on these screws.
• A dry cloth.
• A towel for the robot to rest on.
• Your phone. You'll want the camera.

Put the screws in a bowl, not on the floor. The screw you drop is always the one that rolls under the couch.

The swap, step by step

1. Flip the robot over. Lay the towel on a flat surface and put the robot on it upside down, wheels pointing at the ceiling. Remove the side brush if your model has one, it sits right over one of the cover screws.
2. Undo the bottom cover screws. Four or five Phillips screws hold the cover, depending on model. Undo them all and keep them in the bowl. Lift the cover from the back edge. It's held by clips, so a gentle pull is all it needs.
3. Photograph the old pack before you touch anything. The label photo answers every question you will have in five minutes, especially the part number question. More on that below.
4. Unplug the connector. The pack connects through a small white plug. Press the latch and pull straight out. Never pull by the wires, they come out of the plug faster than the plug comes out of the socket.
5. Fit the new pack. Lift the old pack out. Drop the new one into the same spot, connector side first, and push the plug home until it clicks. Tuck the wires into their channel so the cover closes flat.
6. Close up and charge. Cover back on, screws tightened, robot flipped right side up. Put it on the dock and let it charge to full before the first run.

Series differences, in one table

If your series isn't clear yet, the full fit map lives in the compatibility guide, one table for every robot.

After the swap

Before carrying out the first use, fully charge the new battery. Do not evaluate its run time based on the first run alone; a new battery needs a few complete cycles to get used to its routine, so wait a week before making any judgments. If the battery is still weak after having been fully charged for a week, then there must be another issue, and the troubleshooting list in the not charging guide should be consulted next.

Two mistakes that cost people a week

First,Start by sorting according to the name of the robot rather than the part number since Roomba batteries are not all the same. The plugs for the ABL-D1 and ABL-D2 models look very similar and cannot be used interchangeably, and this entire situation is dealt with in the section comparing the ABL-D1 with the ABL-D2 and the ABL-F. Just match the part number on the label of the old pack with the one in the listing and the replacement will work immediately.

Second, if you have to push the connector in, then you have the wrong plug or the wrong angle. Trying to force it will bend the pins, so stop and compare the new battery pack with your photo from step 3 before attempting it again.

I carry out this swap using one hand nowadays. It took me fifteen minutes the first time since I was worried about breaking a clip. You won't end up breaking anything.