Symptom directory
What is your vacuum doing?
Start with the behavior you can observe. A loud noise, burning smell, power loss, or suction change is a symptom—not the repair itself. Each guide explains the actual parts and repair paths that may fit, without claiming a diagnosis before inspection.
Weak suction or poor pickupSymptom guideWeak suction is an observation, not a failed part. The useful next step is to find where airflow drops: at the floor head, hose, container, filters, or main body. That location helps separate a simple restriction or air leak from a fan or motor problem.Compare possible repairsRepeated clogs or blocked airflowSymptom guideA visible blockage may be the immediate problem, but repeated clogs usually have a reason. A damaged hose, packed filter, overloaded bin, stationary brush roll, or weak airflow can leave debris in a narrow passage until it plugs again.Compare possible repairsFilter or airflow troubleSymptom guideA filter or airflow warning does not prove that the filter itself failed. The machine may be sensing resistance elsewhere, or dust may be bypassing a damaged seal or container. Follow the airflow path before selecting a part.Compare possible repairsBrush roll is not spinningSymptom guideA stopped brush roll is a symptom with several possible repair targets. The design may use a belt, a cleaner-head motor, electrical contacts, a control switch, or a removable wet roller, so the exact model and head type matter.Compare possible repairsBelt slips, breaks, or smells hotSymptom guideSlipping, snapping, or overheated-belt behavior often involves more than the belt. A seized roller, damaged bearing, wrong belt, obstructed nozzle, or failing powered head can overload the drive and quickly damage a replacement.Compare possible repairsVacuum will not turn onSymptom guideNo power is the result you see, not the component that failed. Corded and cordless machines have different power paths, and thermal protection can also keep an otherwise working vacuum off until the underlying airflow or brush problem is corrected.Compare possible repairsVacuum cuts in and outSymptom guideIntermittent operation is most useful diagnostically when you record what triggers it. Movement can expose a broken conductor or loose connection; load can expose a weak battery or motor; and heat can trigger protective shutoff caused by restricted airflow.Compare possible repairsVacuum will not chargeSymptom guideA charging failure can start at the outlet, adapter, cable, wall mount, dock, contacts, battery, temperature protection, or machine controls. The indicator pattern and where charging voltage stops help identify the repair target.Compare possible repairsBattery runtime is too shortSymptom guideShort runtime does not automatically mean the battery is defective. Power mode, powered tools, blocked airflow, a dragging roller, temperature, incomplete charging, and motor load can all shorten a cleaning session.Compare possible repairsVacuum overheats or shuts offSymptom guideExcess heat and thermal shutoff are protective symptoms, not a diagnosis. Restricted cooling airflow, a stalled brush drive, electrical resistance, or a worn motor can all create heat in different parts of the machine.Compare possible repairsBurning, hot, or electrical smellSymptom guideA burning smell is a warning symptom, not a repair name. Hot rubber often points toward the cleaner-head drive, while metallic, chemical, or electrical odors may involve a motor, wiring, battery, charger, switch, or control. Odor alone cannot confirm the failed part.Compare possible repairsUnusual or loud noiseSymptom guideLoud noise describes an effect, not the failed assembly. Location and sound character matter: a cleaner-head squeal differs from a main-body rattle, a pulsing airflow sound, or a robot wheel click. Stop before a loose object or worn bearing causes secondary damage.Compare possible repairsLiquid is leakingSymptom guideA liquid leak means water or cleaning solution is escaping where it should remain contained. The source may be a clean-water tank, recovery container, cap, valve, hose, roller chamber, seal, or onboard liquid path, and it must be located before any part is chosen.Compare possible repairsWill not dispense or recover liquidSymptom guideNo liquid flow means the machine does not dispense, hydrate, collect, or recover water as designed; it is different from liquid escaping onto the floor or into the housing. Tank seating, valves, onboard tubing, pumps, wet rollers, recovery paths, sensors, and controls can each stop flow.Compare possible repairsRobot navigation or sensor troubleSymptom guideNavigation trouble describes circling, drifting, missed areas, false obstacle detection, localization errors, or repeated stops away from the dock. Wheels or tracks, cameras, LiDAR, cliff and bumper sensors, brush drag, battery runtime, mapping state, and controls can produce different versions of that behavior.Compare possible repairsRobot will not dock or use dock functionsSymptom guideDocking trouble begins with one distinction: whether the robot cannot find or physically reach its base, or reaches and aligns but cannot charge, empty, wash, refill, dry, or communicate. Robot movement and sensors affect the approach, while base power, contacts, alignment hardware, accessories, and electronics affect dock operation.Compare possible repairs