iRobot Roomba® | Troubleshooting and Maintenance | Full Bin - Error 36

If your Roomba® is experiencing a full bin error or Error 36 follow these simple steps.
If Error 36 persists after performing all these steps please contact iRobot Customer Care.
homesupport.irobot.com/s/cont...
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[@tjeerdhoek2549]

Another fix for the ‘full bin’ error I have not yet seen mentioned anywhere: The rubber green entry/exit at the bin bottom (visible @2:22 ) can very easily by accident get pushed inward e.g. while cleaning or picking up the unit, causing that rubber to no longer make air-tight contact with the base. And it’s not visibly ‘wrong’ for the user, unless they know how it’s supposed to be. That flap folded inward will cause emptying of the bin by the base to fail, with the same ‘clogged’ or ‘full bin’ error message. Even if your unit is totally clean and clear. FIX: Use a small screw driver to carefully flip the green rubber outward back in place, so it is is fully visible and contacting the outside surface of the bin. It’ll then make good contact with the base and bobs your uncle. I discovered this about 2 mins before giving up having spent hours trying the cleaning solution and sending the Roomba back, which I really dislike and try to avoid knowing the cost and huge waste of those returns. Especially since I’m an engineer and product designer so I should bloody well be able to fix it. ;) But Roomba/iRobot: Check if this problem is common (some models don’t have the green rubber part), and please make this fix visible to your customers. Save them frustration and yourself product returns. I see so many people saying they cleaned every part and the base still doesn’t empty out the bin, it makes me wonder if this is a common cause. And on a next gen of the hardware, have a little ridge ensuring that the green rubber part cannot be pushed inward so easily by accident.

[@mmachena2626]

I had this same issue as well. None of those steps worked for me. Tried some of the suggestions in the comments, and none of those worked either. Found a post somewhere, reddit maybe, with a tip that actually fixed my issue. It turned out that the filter, despite dusting it with every time I empty the bin, got clogged up. I used another vacuum cleaner to vacuum the dust out of it with a brush attachment. Supposedly if the machine is working harder to suction dirt, it assumes it's because the filter is full. Vacuuming the filter returned Barry (named after the Barry character from Archer) back to his best. Now it works like a charm. Would be nice if the documentation/support videos made mention of this. Would save us all a lot of time.

[@cap_j59]

So the exact same thing the app tells me to do that I already did that didn’t help

[@jakesong3311]

This is soooooooo helpful, thank you

[@jn7818]

Why do I get this after every vaccum? It's getting annoying to clean the sensors everyday.

[@ashleynewcomer8100]

My robot is clean, it won’t even don a full pass and goes back to home. I have to clean it manually and it’s not even full, barely any dirt. Ironic how I’ve had it just over a year so it’s no longer under warranty when it does this. I feel like a lot of people are having the same problem. I’ve kept my robot clean and replaced parts as needed. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@irobot]

Hello, Ashley. We are sorry to hear about the situation. For product and technical support, please contact us at homesupport.irobot.com so we can assist you further. Thank you!

[@fabiana6580]

Mine is doing the same. Second one with warranty

[@irobot]

Hello Fabiana, we hope you didn’t give up on us forever! We’d love the opportunity to turn your experience around. Please contact us at homesupport.irobot.com.

[@adrianpale2342]

Why can't I activate my combo bin on my i5? Scanned qr code, says it's preparing update but nothing happens. Can't use combo bin since the app says unable.

[@angelahansen1274]

Is it normal to have to clean it every time you use it ? Really annoying

[@irobot]

Hello there, Angela. This sounds like a question for our iRobot experts. Please contact us at homesupport.irobot.com, so we can assist you. Thank you!

[@nancygillmer7506]

Where do batteries go in an older version

[@JLJohnson]

The sensors are designed terribly. Of course they are going to get dirty, it’s a vacuum. Once I hit the one year warranty the Roomba stopped emptying into the clean base. So I clean it and it still won’t work. Tech support talked me into a new $70 component. It worked for maybe a week. What a disaster of a product

[@irobot]

Hello, JL Johnson. We are sorry to hear about the situation. If you would like further assistance, please contact us at homesupport.irobot.com. Thank you!

[@yerawizzardharry]

They are all spotless. Sitting with a dead product for a year now. Waste of money

[@irobot]

Hi Rudi, we hope you didn’t give up on us forever! We’d love the opportunity to turn your experience around. Please contact us at homesupport.irobot.com.

[@larryperry3889]

I am having the same problem as Rudi let you know what happens been on the phone with support for aver an hour. They say I have to charge the battery wait two hours and call them back

[@ElsatheNewf]

My J7+started acting up at the 11 month mark, but IRobot kept me jumping through hoops with various resets and bogus “fixes” until just after the warranty ran out at 12 months. We’ve reset the machine more times than I can count, followed this cleaning tutorial dozens of times but still get the same bin full error over and over again. There’s no way to override it either-dumb thing just goes back to it’s base and refuses to run. $800 hunk of junk. I’m paralyzed and really need a robot vacuum, and as such have had 6 or 7 Roombas over the last 15 years, but they’ve lost me as a customer now. I’ll never buy another iRobot product.

[@irobot]

Hello @ElsatheNewf, If you have reported the issue and created a case within 12 months, your warranty will be applicable even after the 12 months passed. We would suggest contacting us again, so we can further assist you with the matter. Please go to www.global.irobot.com/, choose your country and contact our customer support via e-mail or phone.

[@LandreNova]

This does apply to the S9?

[@Spheterix]

Karen Nova yes I have a S9 and have gotten this error

[@bethlanoue589]

My i3 hasn’t ran since Oct 2022! Bin full light after every pass, suction or something broken! Took it all apart it’s been clean, still not working!

[@irobot]

Hi there, Beth! If you would like more support, please contact us at homesupport.irobot.com. Our iRobot experts would be glad to assist you!

[@GD15555]

Nothing but errors. Reinstall the bin. Close lid. You have to slam the lid for error to go away. How do you design your stuff?

[@irobot]

Hi there, GoodDay! This sounds like a question for our iRobot experts. Please contact us at homesupport.irobot.com. Thank you!

[@NataliaMartan]

I agree and it costs £1k!!!

[@Martin.Krischik]

Came here because this video is suggested when the i8 can't detect which of the two bin are inserted. Of course this video doesn't help. It only highlights that the i8 as huge problems with it's sensors and the company tries to offload there problems to the customer. My i8 was already in repair for this. Before it was stuck in dustbin mode. After the _repair_ it's now stuck in combo bin mode. No matter what you do it will not notice that you changed the bin. 1:40 No, it means you sensors are badly designed.

[@nathanexplosion878]

Sensors and bin are clean. Your support staff offers no suggestions other than the contents of this video, which is beyond worthless. Robot does not even attempt to empty the bin. Replies to the ticket take days and ultimately just go in circles making the same suggestions which have no effect. I'm very close to disposing of this robot and ending my Amazon subscription because of my beyond poor experience with this company.

[@irobot]

We hope you didn’t give up on us forever! We’d love the opportunity to turn your experience around. Please contact us at homesupport.irobot.com.

[@masonharris1245]

Iloveyou

[@cumberbatchthumbertwate7869]

Feel like roomba + cleanbase are gaslighting me Roomba: Error, bin won't empty because it is full. Cleanbase: IDK what this is. Finna post up and do nothing. Me: How about you empty it!! Cleanbase: But there is an error Me: But the error is sending you the notification that the bin is full! Roomba has told you the same information without an error state and you emptied! Cleanbase: But you see, it says error. It isn't like iRobot intentionally engineered their software and hardware to no longer work for arbitrary reasons so you have to get a replacement. Me: Is there a way to manually activate the cleanbase? Cleanbase: How about you manually buy a new Roomba?

[@irobot]

Hello Cumberbatch, this sounds like a question for our iRobot experts. If you would like more assistance, please contact us at homesupport.irobot.com. Thank you!

[@christopherhaynes8633]

About to throw my Roomba out the window tbh. Ironically the one in my basement with no clean base actually works fine while the one with a base is a pile of crap.

[@freethinker4048]

This doesn’t help the full bin messaging. Called support they said send it in for $150 for repairs and get a 6mon warranty. You have to keep paying for a warranty which I didn’t ask how much it was. Or you can send in your broken roomba for a whole $100 credit to buy a new $600 vacuum to break down after 18 months. What crap is this?! Don’t buy this.

[@irobot]

Hello, Free Thinker. We are sorry to hear about the situation. For product and technical support, please call 1-866-747-6268 or contact us at homesupport.irobot.com so we can assist you. Thank you!

[@NataliaMartan]

Absolutely rubbish, dont buy!