How to troubleshoot your Dyson battery

All Dyson cordless vacuums use the same battery, and they're all easy to remove and swap which makes them easier to troubleshoot when you may encounter issues. As with all cordless products the battery is usually one of the first components to fail, or at least begin to deteriorate.

There are a few ways the battery can fail, and although a lot of battery issues are easily identifiable, others may be a little more tricky to discover and may seem like it is a different component that is at fault.

In this guide we will go through some of the more common faults and what you can do to try and fix your cordless Dyson vacuum without necessarily needing to replace the vacuum itself, and in some cases even without needing to replace the battery.

Dyson doesn't turn on at all

Well this isn't a good start. There are a few things to try here.

Take the battery out and put it on charge. It's important that you remove it from the vacuum before charging it. Leave it charging for at least 8 hours. When the Dyson battery charges the blue LEDs should slowly fade in and out, but when the battery is fully depleted this may not happen until it has charged for a short time, so don't panic if you don't immediately see the LEDs.

Once charged put it into the vacuum and press the trigger. If you get nothing then your battery might be dead. If you don't see any blue LEDs when charging then your battery is almost certainly dead.

Also, as a quick troubleshooting test, if you're certain the battery has a charge then try removing the battery and putting it back into the device. Leave the battery out for at least 15 seconds when doing this. Doing this will effectively restart the vacuum, and can sometimes result in it coming to life. It also fixes any problems with the battery not sitting properly.

Dyson vacuum charge doesn't last long

The first thing to remember is that the advertised run time is only applicable for new vacuums, with new batteries in 'normal' mode without any tool attachments. If you use the powered brush head, which you invariably will do, then you can expect much less run time. As an example, the Dyson V8 has a 40min run time, but you'll only get about 20min run time if you use the brush head, and that's with a brand new battery and vacuum.

Take all that into account, and then consider that the older the battery the less efficient it is, so you can expect it to degrade run time. And lastly, consider that the vacuum itself will become less efficient as it gets older due to the filters and motor collecting dust and debris which causes the motor to consume more energy.

After all of this is considered you should be able to anticipate where your run time should be at and whether your battery is actually lasting less time than expected. Assuming it is, there are a few things to check.

Check your drum for blockages

Empty the dust bin fully, ensuring there is nothing in there at all. Once empty, look up the dust bin and into the vacuum. Most Dysons have a shaft leading to the motor at the top of the bin. Using a pipe cleaner or something long and hard like a pencil or piece of plastic, reach up into the shaft and wiggle it around a bit. Do this several times. The goal is to try and release any blockages you might have here.

Even the smallest blockage can cause the motor to have to work harder to achieve the same level of suction, so it's very important to try and clear anything.

Lightly tapping the entrace of the dust bin on a hard surface will also help dislodge trapped dust and dirt, just be careful not to damage the vacuum itself.

Clean your filter

All Dyson cordless vacuums have a removable filter. The filter should be removed and cleaned regularly, and a lot of cordless Dysons will actually remind the user to clean the filter using the display.

Remove the filter, and check for blockages around the inside of the vacuum itself where the filter came from. Clean the filter thoroughly, with warm water, and leave it to dry for at least 24 hours. It is very important that the filter is completely dry before you replace it into the vacuum.

If your have a particularly dirty filter or an old vacuum then it might be worth considering buying a new filter.

Ensure you have a full charge

Once you have ruled out blockages it's time to turn to the battery itself. The charge time for a Dyson battery is around 5 hours, however we would always recommend charging for around 8 hours to avoid any slow charge issues. Also ensure you're using an official Dyson charger.

Battery is always empty

Some Dysons have a fault that draws power when not in use. You might not notice this if you always plug it in when not in use, but if you don't do that (and you shouldn't!), then you may notice that every time you go to your Dyson it is dead.

If this is the case the fix is simple: remove the battery after use. Removing the battery is really easy, just push the button and pull the battery out. You can store it next to the Dyson and you can even charge it without it being placed in the Dyson.

Check the LED status

All Dyson batteries have an LED on the sides. Take the battery out of the device, and plug it in. It should slowly fade in and out to indicate charging. If it remains off just leave it on charge for a couple of hours. If even after a couple of hours of charging the battery LED remains off then it is likely that your battery has completely died.

Once your battery is fully charged the LEDs will remain lit for 5 seconds and then go out.

If your battery is plugged in and the LED is flashing on and off then this usually indicates a clog within the vacuum itself.

What next?

If none of these troubleshooting steps have helped then try Dyson's troubleshooting walkthrough. Dyson's guide will allow you to contact customer services who can help you even further if necessary.