iRobot Scooba experience

[mosmos]

i tried leh... but it just ask me for billing address. when i put singapore base on location they say irobot do not ship to singapore via googlecheckout then how i type?

do i tell my cc that my alternative mailing address is the vpost address?

I am not very sure. My billing address is sg one while shipping address is usa one.

 

[sAxman_Returns]

OMG, i just reached home a few hours ago, took out my socks....arghhh.....I never had such a clean floor b4!!!!! thewiseone, I started to be poisoned already.......

But I almost fainted when I saw how thick the dust accumulated and picked up by the 550, which was scheduled to run at 5pm just now. OMG, in less than 16hr, my house already accumuated so much dust even with Windows almost closed up!!!!!

By the way, how do you guys clean up your Roomba? I realized I made its surface dirtier after I cleared the dust bin. my brushes are fine but the whole robot is like having a layer of dust sticking to it any idea? anyway, total damage for the past 16hr was 0.15kWh......idling is capped at 5W. Just reset the meter counter to check 24hr usage again. If it's drawing 0.2kWh everyday, 1 month only 6kWh nia......this is equivalent to running any super duper vacuum cleaner for 3hr only!!!!

now I am seriously considering moving to clean and quiet places like Pasir Ris......

 

[XxDrAg0nxX]

OMG, i just reached home a few hours ago, took out my socks....arghhh.....I never had such a clean floor b4!!!!! thewiseone, I started to be poisoned already.......

But I almost fainted when I saw how thick the dust accumulated and picked up by the 550, which was scheduled to run at 5pm just now. OMG, in less than 16hr, my house already accumuated so much dust even with Windows almost closed up!!!!!

By the way, how do you guys clean up your Roomba? I realized I made its surface dirtier after I cleared the dust bin. my brushes are fine but the whole robot is like having a layer of dust sticking to it any idea? anyway, total damage for the past 16hr was 0.15kWh......idling is capped at 5W. Just reset the meter counter to check 24hr usage again. If it's drawing 0.2kWh everyday, 1 month only 6kWh nia......this is equivalent to running any super duper vacuum cleaner for 3hr only!!!!

now I am seriously considering moving to clean and quiet places like Pasir Ris......

Mine also can see a layer of dust

But I just dun care.. lazy to clean it also

 

[hansolo76sg]

i dont think we can tell the credit card company to allow another billing address coz the point of having it in the 1st place is accountablity. we must put where we are staying at so that can chase for $ if theres a need.

anyway which of the roomba did you try to order? maybe we may know of other US merchants who can deal with international cc

i tried leh... but it just ask me for billing address. when i put singapore base on location they say irobot do not ship to singapore via googlecheckout then how i type?

do i tell my cc that my alternative mailing address is the vpost address?

 

[sAxman_Returns]

Mine also can see a layer of dust

But I just dun care.. lazy to clean it also

cannot dun care, if you dun clean it, your roomba will have to work harder to suck the dirt. That will shorten the lifespan of the battery.

I'm wondering what's the best way to clean the filter, think cannot wash one....

 

[thewiseone]

Yes, u cant beat them when it comes to cleanliness, as long as they can reach the places u need them to clean.

How did u end up making your Roomba's surface dirtier after cleaning its bin? U remove the bin and clear it away from the bot. What i do is empty the bin into a plastic bag, remove filter from bin and use a brush to brush off the dust. Easy does it.

In any case, i always do a quick check/clean up when i clear the bin. Take note especially for dirt/hair accumulated at the brush sockets and spinning side brush. Clear them if there's any.

OMG, i just reached home a few hours ago, took out my socks....arghhh.....I never had such a clean floor b4!!!!! thewiseone, I started to be poisoned already.......

But I almost fainted when I saw how thick the dust accumulated and picked up by the 550, which was scheduled to run at 5pm just now. OMG, in less than 16hr, my house already accumuated so much dust even with Windows almost closed up!!!!!

By the way, how do you guys clean up your Roomba? I realized I made its surface dirtier after I cleared the dust bin. my brushes are fine but the whole robot is like having a layer of dust sticking to it any idea? anyway, total damage for the past 16hr was 0.15kWh......idling is capped at 5W. Just reset the meter counter to check 24hr usage again. If it's drawing 0.2kWh everyday, 1 month only 6kWh nia......this is equivalent to running any super duper vacuum cleaner for 3hr only!!!!

now I am seriously considering moving to clean and quiet places like Pasir Ris......

 

[thewiseone]

The filter is washable, just dont do it too often. In any case, the filter material can be replaced if u dont want to buy a brand new filter. Its the same material used for CD/DVD sleeve. Alternatively, those Scotch Filtrete can do the job as well.

cannot dun care, if you dun clean it, your roomba will have to work harder to suck the dirt. That will shorten the lifespan of the battery.

I'm wondering what's the best way to clean the filter, think cannot wash one....

 

[sAxman_Returns]

The filter is washable, just dont do it too often. In any case, the filter material can be replaced if u dont want to buy a brand new filter. Its the same material used for CD/DVD sleeve. Alternatively, those Scotch Filtrete can do the job as well.

that's cool, but washable ah? interesting......i thought this kind of fibre may have bigger lobang after you washed it....

luckily I dun have pet, my personal "hair dropped" can't beat any cat and dog lol!

I saw this picture I almost want to faint, think he has pets at home....or simply because they have big carpets to be vacuumed....luckily I dun have any carpet @ home lol!

they also mentioned using air compressor to clean the bin woh....

the dust lar, when you open up, some of them will fly here fly there, that's how it ended up on the 550 surface lor, but it happened to my Scooba 335 b4, think I need to mop it every few days.

 

[sAxman_Returns]

some hardcore maintenance......copied from roombareview.com

As per request, here are some pictures of the tools I use as well as my cleaning area. Canned air can substitute for the compressor.

Table top 4ft on drop down bracket that holds 300lbs. No legs that way.

535 After cleaning 550 Before cleaning

(NOTE HAIR ACCUMULATION ON RIGHT ROOMBA FLEXI BRUSH)

DAILY: 1. Remove bin and dump out - remove hair from bin teeth - tap dust off of filter. Use air compressor to clean both chambers and filter.
2. Remove both brushes and use air compressor to clean out wheel wells, behind plastic flap, in 4 openings for bumper front sensors and surface of brush deck
3. Pry out front wheel with flat screwdriver and then use needle nose to pull up and out wheel housing. Use air and brush to clean under it if needed. Remove hair from chrome axle ends and slide out axle and remove dirt from indentation in center. Replace all.
4. Remove spinning side brush and remove any debris from under it. Replace
5. Clean bristle brush by removing yellow ends and bearing. Remove hair and dirt from under bearing with tweezer and brush and in it's hole with straightened paper clip if necessary. Use tool to remove hair on brush and then use seam ripper, dog comb or air to finish cleaning bristles
6. Clean flexible brush by removing bearing and removing hair and dirt under it, use seam ripper to cut hair wrapped around middle and ends and rag to dust it off when done. Replace filter and brushes.

BI-WEEKLY:
1. Remove 4 large phillips screws from bottom plate
2. Remove side brush and all cleaning brushes and dirt bin
3. Remove bottom plate
4. Remove 4 smaller screws from around blue brush deck
5. Carefully pull up on blue deck and blue and red will come out (screws come out so be careful not to lose them) NOTE small printed circuit board connector on bottom.
6. Remove red pins from blue plastic on front edge by carefully prying blue apart a little - one at a time.
7. Turn over blue part and use air or tools to clean out fuzz from around brush motor and possibly on the shaft of it.
8. On left side of red plastic, remove all small screws that hold the gears in. Carefully place them aside for reassembly.
9. Remove outer red plate to expose gears being careful not to drop the white gears. This will be greasy.
10. Remove carefully two larger gears that the brushes fit into. Clean with tweezers or brush to remove hair and debris. Re-grease with lithium grease and replace.
11. Reassemble side plate with screws then pop red pins back into blue part carefully.
12. Carefully reassemble blue part onto Roomba by lining up screw holes and making sure the indentation at the bottom fits into the circuit board connector. It will pop in easily if the screw holes are aligned. Replace 4 smaller screws.
13: Replace bottom plate and you are done.

Once you have seen it and done it, the daily routine takes about 5 minutes and the longer one takes about 15 or less.

Hope this helps. It's all modular now so in the future I'm assuming the replacement parts will be sent as needed vs entire Roombas being shipped back.

 

[sAxman_Returns]

bro thewiseone, i think this was the "problem" you mentioned earlier......

actually comparing to them, I think my house is not that dirty, relatively lol, or they didn't clean properly after each run......

by the way, is it really better to keep the power running 24/7? coz if you schedule it daily, the idling time is at least 16-18hr. based on 5W, a total of 80W is wasted everyday leh....although not a lot of $$$, but it will be "greener" if I dun need to turn it on 24/7 right?

 

[thewiseone]

Its washable but i've never bother to wash mine though. When it becomes too dirty to clean, i'll discard and use a new one

Yeah the one in the pic is extreme. I can understand the build up if its the first time the place is Roombaed but if this is a daily buildup, its really terrible...

I do use canned air to spray the Roomba during maintenance (2-3 month basis). Helps to get rid of the dust inside all the gaps and concealed areas. The dust really gets to many places! If u ever dismantle the dustbin, u'll be surprised to find the dust buildup in the hidden areas.

I never have dust flying out when removing the bin. Suggest u remove the bin carefully (dont tilt down) and not in a windy environment.

that's cool, but washable ah? interesting......i thought this kind of fibre may have bigger lobang after you washed it....

luckily I dun have pet, my personal "hair dropped" can't beat any cat and dog lol!

I saw this picture I almost want to faint, think he has pets at home....or simply because they have big carpets to be vacuumed....luckily I dun have any carpet @ home lol!

they also mentioned using air compressor to clean the bin woh....

the dust lar, when you open up, some of them will fly here fly there, that's how it ended up on the 550 surface lor, but it happened to my Scooba 335 b4, think I need to mop it every few days.

 

[thewiseone]

Saxman, this is not the problem i was referring to. The 5XX gearbox has a gap in its gearbox design whereby dust can get inside easily. In time to come, the build up will damage the gears. Hopefully its not an issue for those with a less dusty environment...

If yours is scheduled on a daily basis, leave the power on 24/7. If u power off the dock, i dont think it'll power on itself for the scheduled run. In addition, dont think that once the fast charge is over that the battery is really full. Due to imperfect cell matching, u need the slow top up charge for the weaker cells to catch up. It'll be better for u to leave it 24/7 to allow it time to fully recharge all cells.

bro thewiseone, i think this was the "problem" you mentioned earlier......

actually comparing to them, I think my house is not that dirty, relatively lol, or they didn't clean properly after each run......

by the way, is it really better to keep the power running 24/7? coz if you schedule it daily, the idling time is at least 16-18hr. based on 5W, a total of 80W is wasted everyday leh....although not a lot of $$$, but it will be "greener" if I dun need to turn it on 24/7 right?

 

[sAxman_Returns]

wah, canned air! are they expensive?

btw, somebody mentioned about the notebook charger, they said it's OK to use those coz the voltage adjustment is done within Roomba woh, not the charger...so who is right who is wrong? i'm still itchy hand to get a AC charger lar....save the world, some some $$$ also on the electricity although it's like 2kWh per month kind of thing.....every month. but the cost may not be justified though

 

[XxDrAg0nxX]

tot someone tested that he have to manually adjust the voltage output because it was not charging properly?

 

[tthsrml]

anyway else to go about it?

I am not very sure. My billing address is sg one while shipping address is usa one.

 

[dankoo]

anyone got a pair of extra scooba tires for Scooba? Mine was stuck and it sort of grind out the tires! If not, need to order from US...let me know...

 

[sAxman_Returns]

tot someone tested that he have to manually adjust the voltage output because it was not charging properly?

on the other hand, somebody else at Germany got no problem leh...

he's using this:

 

[koiphone]

I saw it too. However, he only test it recently. So have to wait for further feedbacks.

 

[thewiseone]

The foam tires dont last, i got to replace mine after every 2 or 3 months, especially the right wheel! Think u have to order from overseas...

anyone got a pair of extra scooba tires for Scooba? Mine was stuck and it sort of grind out the tires! If not, need to order from US...let me know...

 

[brightanvil]

oic, what i am saying is not that it is impossible, but given everybody here, anybody else experience that? and staying HDB/private?

probably your case was isolated one. maybe the electric circuit was not wired up properly, then caused 2 times power surges.

Happen to me before.

I had my Mac Mini fried because of a power surge, and I'm staying in HDB.

Its up to the individuals but I'll rather be safe than to take the risk.