Dyson Not Charging? A Step-by-Step Guide to Get Your Vacuum Working

Don't panic. There are a lot of likely reasons for your Dyson not charging. Follow the checklist below to figure out the issue before asking for help from someone else.

Sometimes, it's as simple as a sock getting sucked up and blocking the airway. But you may also need to order a new battery pack to bring your Dyson vacuum back to life.

What To Check When Your Dyson Won’t Charge

If your cord-free Dyson vacuum cleaner doesn't seem to respond when you plug it in, many things could be the culprit. There are some easy checks you can carry out to find out the root cause of your Dyson vacuum not charging.

A Dyson cordless stick vacuum Via: Amazon

Check whether the vacuum is plugged in.

The issue could be as simple as an unplugged machine. Sometimes, we're too exhausted from a tiring day at work and forget everything. Make sure you have plugged the charging cable into the wall and your vacuum is sitting properly in the charging station.

Your Dyson vacuum won’t charge even if the cord is off by a fraction. If the issue still persists, check if the socket is working. Try other ones in your house.

Check if the airway is blocked.

This might seem unrelated, but blockages in the dust canister, hose, and wand are a common issue on vacuum cleaners and could lead to a total power loss. A sock, for example, could get sucked up and lodge itself in the airway.

In a similar manner, if you neglect to regularly wash the filters, the airway could be blocked and make the entire vacuum shut down completely. The issue could get worse and result in permanent damage with a filthy filter.

Thoroughly check every inch of your vacuum for any blockages and ensure that you carefully dislodge them.

   ➜ RELATED: How To Clean A Dyson Filter - An Easy Step-By-Step Guide

Check if the battery needs replaced.

The battery on the V6 modes can last for about three years. It could degrade significantly and have a terrible run time and result in your Dyson V6 not charging.

You can purchase a separate battery directly from Dyson and replace it to bring back the performance. The same thing applies to Dyson V7 not charging and Dyson V8 not charging.

The whole process isn't as complicated as it might sound. You can find the instructions in the user manual, which are very easy to follow.

Good news for users of the newer vacuums, V10 and V11: with new technology, their batteries can survive at least 15 years. If you have bought a V10 or V11 model, you don't need to think about replacing the battery any time soon.

How to remove the battery from Dyson vacuums Via: Amazon

However, there are small issues for all cordless vacuums from Dyson. Some customers have reported that their new vacuum was shipped to them with a dead battery. And of course, the machine can't be turned on or charged as well.

If this is the case, you can contact your seller or Dyson directly to request a replacement. This problem could come from a retailer that lets its products sit in the stock room for a long time.

Appliances that haven't been used for a year or more could have a degraded or totally dead battery too. Regardless of the reason, you should replace it and have peace of mind with the top performance coming from the new battery.

Check if the charging cord is damaged.

Electric cords, in general, can become damaged over time. You may run over and trample them, pull them too hard, or your pets could nibble them as well. A damaged cord doesn't just make the vacuum stop working but is also dangerous and poses a serious threat to your safety.

When your Dyson vacuum won't turn on, unplug the cable before checking. If you notice any damage, stop using it and buy a replacement from Dyson immediately.

Check for any damage to the battery casing.

In most cordless Dyson vacuums, the battery is located on the handle of the machine. Models before the V10, such as the V6 and V7, came with a removable battery pack. This makes it easier for users to slide it out and take it off to look for the problem.

Damage and cracks on the casing are the key indicators suggesting that the battery has been permanently damaged and should be replaced.

The battery pack on the Dyson V10 and V11 can still be accessed by users, but it requires a screwdriver to remove the protective outer layer first.

Like the older models, a damaged or cracked casing is certainly not a good thing, and you should replace the battery pack as soon as possible. The replacement process may need a little fiddling, but at the end of the day, you don't need a whole new vacuum.

Check the fuse.

There is a fuse in the charger of all Dyson vacuums, which could blow due to excessive current like any other household appliance. If this is the issue with your vacuum, it's easy to inspect and replace the fuse.

Dyson battery packs offer many safety features Via: Amazon

The fuse is located in the small panel in the plug. Use a flathead screwdriver, and you will be able to pop out the old fuse. When replacing it, you will see the amp rating printed on the old fuse. Pay close attention to this value and make sure you use the correct level of power.

Mount the charging station.

If the charging station of your Dyson vacuum is a wall-mounted model, you can try mounting it. Many customers have said that the docking station cable of their vacuums couldn't reach the machine properly. This cable may also be overstretched and can't charge the vacuum as a result. To fix this, you can mount the charging station to see if it helps.

Thoroughly clean the vacuum.

The interior of vacuum cleaners can get grimy and dusty, disrupting the connection between the vacuum and its battery. Thorough cleaning and dusting can bring your cordless Dyson vacuum cleaner back in use. Check out other articles on our site to learn how to clean Dyson vacuums.

Dyson Battery Packs: Genuine Products Vs. Third-Party Knockoffs

Much like the vacuums themselves, official battery packs from Dyson aren't inexpensive at all. However, we still recommend you avoid the cheap knockoff packs that are widely available on many e-commerce sites. As expensive as they are, you still should stick with authentic packs from Dyson.

Actually, we have bought and tested many third-party battery packs ourselves. They will operate your Dyson vacuum just fine at first, but the longer lifespan of genuine Dyson packs alone can justify its price tag. On top of that, there are many serious safety risks coming from those cheaply made unofficial battery packs.

You can see the huge difference in quality when you open the third-party packs. The biggest indicator here is that they use no-name battery cells.

A third-party replacement battery Via: Amazon

The batteries of popular vacuum brands like Dyson come from big-name suppliers like Murata, Panasonic, LG, and Samsung, among others. They put the battery cells through rigorous quality-control tests, making sure they comply with required safety standards. In particular, Dyson uses cells from Murata, one of the most reliable lithium battery suppliers in the world.

Cheap battery packs cut a lot of corners and use cells from smaller suppliers, which usually save costs by not equipping built-in safety mechanisms and applying slapdash quality control. They could even be damaged, refurbished, and relabeled cells.

Additionally, they aren't assembled very well. The slipshod construction requires a lot of silicone insulation to prevent short-circuiting. The control boards of those knockoff packs usually come with no conformal coating either. This resin layer is usually added to high-quality circuits to protect them from moisture and dust while making it harder to reverse-engineer or modify the board.

These cheap packs aren't able to stand up to wear and tear as well as genuine products can. While few Dyson battery packs fail within one or two years, the third-party ones usually last even shorter, some failing after just a few months. Those knockoffs are also missing some safety monitors and charge/discharge controllers.

Performance-wise, the third-party battery packs aren't too bad. You can still run your Dyson vacuum with them, albeit with a shorter run time. With a genuine Dyson battery you can vacuum for about six minutes, while the knockoff products may run out of juice in under five minutes or so.

Most manufacturers of third-party packs claim that their products offer higher capacities than the official Dyson packs but this is usually not the case. The battery cells we found on these cheap packs didn't carry the capacity advertised.

On top of that, the temperature of these packs often spikes and falls dramatically multiple times while charging. This is a clear indicator of a badly-made product from design and manufacturing. In stark contrast, the temperature change on Dyson battery packs is mostly smooth.

Find the correct battery for your Dyson vacuum Via: Amazon

Lower-quality battery packs result in poorer performance, shorter lifespans, and many safety risks. We already have heard a lot of horror stories relating to the hazards of shoddy batteries. That is why you should always opt for genuine Dyson battery packs for your vacuum cleaner.

They are certainly wildly expensive. For some customers of the best Dyson vacuum cleaners, the battery failed at the same rates as products from cheaper brands (like Shark vacuums). Dyson also only covers one year of warranty for Dyson battery packs, despite their claim of a 15-year lifespan.

That said, official battery packs from Dyson are still a safer choice with zero evidence of battery safety issues. If you already own an expensive Dyson cordless vacuum, don't be cheap with the part that powers it. It's well worth the cost and will save you money and frustration in the long run.

Conclusion

There are many reasons behind your Dyson not charging, and luckily, they are usually easy to fix. There are times you may have to call Dyson customer support and order a new replacement part, but the process is mostly painless. If you find these tips useful, please share them with your friends who may face the same issue in the future.