On the market since 2002, the Roomba has had cliff sensors that prevent it from going down the stairs since the introduction of the second generation 400 series.
Like the sensors that map rooms, so the Roomba knows its way around, the cliff sensors are on the bottom of the unit instead of the sides.
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Will A Roomba Fall Down the Stairs?
Roomba is designed not to fall down the stairs, but it can if the sensors are dirty. Your Roomba has 4 sensors on the front underside that constantly send out infrared signals. When the signal is broken when it reaches a drop-off, such as stairs or a step, it will stop.
How to Fix a Roomba that is Falling Down the Stairs
Your Roomba constantly cleans your floors, and sometimes it needs to be cleaned.
The sensors that help keep it from running into walls and furniture are photocell sensors, and cliff sensors are infrared sensors.
They both have lenses that can get so dusty that they cannot send and receive a signal.
Turn your Roomba on its back and gently wipe the lenses with a soft, dry cloth to clean the infrared sensors.
If they are extremely dirty, you can use a melamine sponge to clean them like a magic eraser. After the lenses are clean, your Roomba should be able to locate any drop-offs in its way.
While you take the time to clean the cliff sensors, clean the proximity sensors. That is what your Roomba uses to know where walls and furniture are in your home.
They are a photocell instead of an infrared light; however, they don’t work well when dirty.
You will find them on the outside edge of your Roomba and can clean them the same way you clean the cliff sensors.
Are my Roomba’s Cliff Sensors Bad?
If your Roomba falls down the stairs after cleaning the cliff sensors, it may have one or more bad sensors.
If that is the case, you will need to replace them or have them replaced before your Roomba works properly again.
Sensors for the Roomba are plug-and-play so that almost anyone can replace them, and if you do, you will save the cost of having a technician fix your vacuum.
In addition, the sensors are readily available because some people’s Roombas go through a lot of them, so it is a common problem.
If your Roomba is used in high traffic areas, where there is a lot of dirt tracked in and grease from kitchen floors, your Roomba may need to be cleaned every day.
The soil buildup causes the sensors not to work, and some dirt is harder on the sensors than just dust alone.
Homes with pets and many people will work a Roomba harder than a single person living alone with a parakeet.
The more heavily your Roomba is used, the more likely you will have an incident where a sensor fails, and your unit falls down the stairs or runs wide open into a wall.
Keeping your Roomba Clean Makes it Work Better
Your Roomba cleans your home, and it gets dirty doing so. Keeping it and its sensors clean will keep it operating as it should.
You need to do more to keep it clean than just emptying its dustbin. Like a regular vacuum, the Roomba has brush bars that need to be cleaned and sensors.
The Roomba is made to make it easy for you to clean yourself. Even replacement parts are made so that you can do it yourself. This makes the Roomba the perfect vacuum for your home.
If cleaning it does not keep them from falling downstairs, you have a bigger problem than dirty lenses.
However, unless you are comfortable working on appliances, then it may be best to leave maintenance, other than cleaning, to a trained technician.
Creating an iRobot Wall will Stop your Roomba from Falling Down Stairs
The iRobot virtual wall will prevent your Roomba from falling down the stairs and works with the 600 to 900 series units.
Some people have also used carpet transition strips to stop their Roombas from taking a plunge down the stairs.
Please don’t assume your Roomba will not fall down the stairs when you first use it because it has cliff sensors.
The way some stairs are made may make it hard for the sensors to determine there is no floor in front of it.
If that is the case with your stairs, you will need another method to stop your Roomba from falling down the stairs.
Frequently Asked Questions about Roombas Falling Down Stairs
Do all Roombas sensors work the same way?
Cliff sensors that prevent your Roomba from falling down the stairs use infrared light to determine if there is a floor in front of the unit. Proximity sensors use a photocell to locate walls and furniture instead of infrared beams.
How will I know if my Roomba’s cliff sensors are going bad?
If, after cleaning the cliff sensors of your Roomba, it still falls down the stairs, it likely has one or more bad sensors.
Is it hard to replace a cliff sensor?
Replacing a cliff sensor can be challenging if you don’t have the skill or tools to do so. If you do not, better take your Roomba to a technician. If you are not careful when changing cliff sensors, you can destroy your entire Roomba.
Roombas are Designed Not to Fall Down Stairs
Roombas cannot clean stairs, yet falling down them was an issue that was overcome in the earliest designs.
The key to operating correctly and not falling down steps and stairs is to keep your Roomba clean.
If you do, your Roomba will be less likely to fall down the stairs or run into the wall or your furniture.
