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RV20 plus Main Brush Stuck, Even When Squeaky Clean

RV20 plus Main Brush Stuck, Even When Squeaky Clean

RV20 plus Main Brush Stuck, Even When Squeaky Clean
RV20 plus Main Brush Stuck, Even When Squeaky Clean
3 weeks ago

CONTEXT

I have owned this 'RV20 max plus' robot vacuum for 6 months. During that period I have received the "main brush stuck" alert several times. In the past, the robot has wrapped something on the brush like a small cord, shoe string, etc. Removing the brush and freeing the object solved the problem.

 

SYMPTOMS

This time I got the alert when there was nothing but some hair was on the brush.  I cleaned it thoughroughly, and restarted it.  During the next 5 minutes I heard the robot try to restart the brush several times, with a squeak emanating each time. Finally, the robot stopped and sent the "main brush stuck" alert once again.

 

DIVING IN

With little to lose, I took the robot apart (very difficult, as I could find no help online) to find the problem. After locating and servicing the main brush drive assembly, and then reassembling the robot, it iworks correctly.

 

PROBLEM

On the output of the main brush drive assembly is a plastic gear with a round boss, which has a square hole in the end to drive the square protrusion on the end of the brush. You can see this when you remove the brush; it is the round white thing with the square hole.  This round boss fits closely through a brass bushing, which has been pressed into the plastic body of the main brush drive assembly. Apparently a small amount of dust/dirt/hair got in between the brass bushing and the output boss, thus greatly increasing the drag on the brush motor to the point that it could not keep the brush spinning.

 

FIX

I removed the main brush drive assembly, then dissasembled it and then cleaned the boss and the bushing with a cotten swab dipped in 98% rubbing alcohol. Afterwards I moved some of the excess lithium grease to replenish what I had removed. Finally I reassembled the robot and put it back to work.

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#1
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2 Reply
Re:RV20 plus Main Brush Stuck, Even When Squeaky Clean
2 weeks ago

  @GoatHerder,

 

While I can't say we are happy that you took it apart, I am glad that you got it working again. In the future, I would recommend first stopping by our support desks to see what they can do for you, within warranty.

 

I have noticed that if I do not clean the hair out of the brush, a bunch of it will gather at the end of the brush near that joint and need to be cleaned off. If the brush is not cleaned often, I could see these getting pulled into it. Hopefully, this is simply a case of needing additional preventative maintenance and not indicative of something larger.

 

Out of curiosity, how much dust/hair was pushing against the brush? Like was the brush being pushed significantly, or was it a small amount that could have been easily missed?

 

FYI, if it is the same as the RV30Max Plus, there is a hair cutter/removal team underneath the lid on the auto-empty dock to make it easier.

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#2
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Re:RV20 plus Main Brush Stuck, Even When Squeaky Clean
2 weeks ago

  @Riley_S 

Thank you for responding.

 

DISASSEMBLY

I can tell that Tapo doesn't want anybody to take the robot apart by the sheer number of inaccessible molded-in plastic snaps holding parts together. Please consider designing your robots to be readily servicable, and make replacement parts available. I suspect the poorly designed main brush drive assembly will permanently fail long before the rest of the robot wears out, and it isn't that hard to replace (once you get past all the plastic snaps).

 

HELP DESK

Im my experience help desks are an impediment to savvy customers. I do not care to spend time communicating with people who do not themselves repair the product.

 

WARRANTY

If I made a warranty claim, I'd have to sweep the house myself until the replacement unit arrived. As it is, I fixed it in a couple of hours.

 

BRUSH HYGIENE
I clean the brush weekly using a sewing seam ripper to remove hair from the main brush - including the ends.

 

MAIN BRUSH DRIVE ASSEMBLY

The amount of debris in between the brass bushing and the output boss was minimal, and only one tiny piece of hair was present. I recommend you redesign this assembly so that it has either:

 

  1. Positive air pressure from within the assembly to deflect debris away from the output boss, or
  2. An actual seal like those used on cartidge bearings (lip or labyrinth seal)



GOOD POINTS
Navigation on the RV20 max is brilliant, and I like the sturdy design of the dust cup. The price point is unbeatable.

Regards,

GoatHerder

 

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