Honestly, having owned a Braava robot mop, it’s almost funny how often a simple oversight can lead to a non-spraying issue.
The most frequent culprit?
An empty water tank or one that’s not seated right.
Before diving deep into it, always start by checking these basics; it’s astounding how many times I’ve found the problem to be just this!
- If you discover an empty tank, the fix is simple: refill it. And while reseating, ensure you’re following your manual’s guidelines. An improperly seated tank can certainly stop the water flow. Double-check that it’s securely snapped in and look out for any potential leaks.
- Yet another reason could be a clogged sprayer nozzle—happened to me more times than I’d like to admit. A nifty trick I’ve learned? Just remove the water tank and use a trusty paperclip or something similar to gently clear any blockages in the nozzle.
- And let’s not forget the water filter. If it’s clogged, it might just be the reason your Braava is acting up. In my opinion, if you’re frequently deploying your Braava for cleaning, the water jet filter deserves a cleaning at least monthly. Keeping these components in check really does make a world of difference in performance.
Here is a video on how to clean the jet filter:
There are often more filters, located near the tank, that you need to removed and cleaned.
A toothbrush may be needed on the fine filters to get them unclogged. If you notice dripping or dribbling instead of spraying, this extra fine filter could be your issue.
Check Cleaning Settings
Some robot mops have an option to wet and dry-clean your floors. So make sure you have the correct setting in your robot mop app.
You can even set a no-mop zone for many of the robot mops, so make sure your home is not set as a no-mop zone. Please ensure you’re not starting the robot mop on carpet or a rug, as this can confuse its sensors as they try to avoid such things.
Don’t forget, you can adjust the water level that your robot mop will use, so make sure it’s not too low. Try cleaning with the highest settings first to see if that helps.
Use The Correct Mop Heads
Don’t forget to have the correct mop, many robot mops can determine what type of mop you have installed and will not release water if it’s a dry mop head.
I suggest going with reusable wet mop heads for your robot mop.
The one-time use ones are not that great and just a pain to use.
Check Float
A float is used to determine how much water the robot mop has, and if this float is damaged or stuck it can read wrong and the robot mop may not release water.
Locate the float and make sure it can move up and down.
You may have some robot mops that use two electrical probes to measure the water level, so make sure those are not corroded or damaged, they should be two shinny metal probes or plates.
Braava Still Not Spraying Water
If you tried everything else and your Braava robot mop is still not spraying water, then it’s probably the pump or the hoses at the pump.
If you use a floor cleaner that is not recommended, you run the risk of clogging the small tubes the robot mop uses. The wrong cleaner can basically glue a tube shut and stop the water from flowing though it.
To solve this problem will require some basic tools, but it’s not hard to do. Follow along in this video to unclog the pump on your Braava robot mop.
Best Floor Cleaners
The best floor cleaner for your robot mop is plain and clean water.
The best type of water is bottle or distilled water, as covered here.
Some models, like the Braava, have special floor cleaners you can use. But if you’re ever in doubt, use plain and clean water.
Hard Water & Robot Mop
Hard water, or well water, is not the best for robot mops.
Robot mops use small hoses and don’t have a lot of suction, so small debris in water can get them clogged. Hard water also has more minerals that can corrode certain metals and make your robot mop not work as well.
Try to stick to distilled or bottle water when it comes to your robot mop.