Before you start to unwind the perimeter wire, you have to determine a good spot for the charging station. Doing this takes a little bit of thinking and consideration in order to get the best spot.
Installing the station at any random spot or with little attention to your yard or home layout could lead to damage or malfunctions.
Today, we’ll share with you the proper way to install the charging station for a robotic lawn mower.
Criteria for a Good Installation Spot
The first thing you need to do is find a good spot on the lawn. A good spot for a charging station is one that:
- Let’s you centrally place the charging station
- Has a flat surface or at least isn’t on an angle
- Isn’t exposed to any direct sunlight or water
- Is decently close to a power outlet
- Not near any clutter
A leveled, non-angled surface is key here. You need the mower to enter and exit the charging station with ease without it getting stuck in the process. You also need to place the charging station flat so that the mower can properly connect to the charging station and charge.
It’s also good to keep the weather conditions away. A shaded location that won’t get rained on or that the sprinklers won’t reach is a good spot.
Along with the station being clear of weather and water, the area in front needs to be clear as well. We recommend at least 3 meters of space. Any closer means the robot mower will have to possibly make tight turns to enter the charging station when it’s supposed to enter in a straight line.
That three meters of space needs to be clear at all times. No objects, small gardens, or pet houses within that area. The robot mower needs a smooth entry/exit every time.
Warnings and Considerations
In addition to the criteria we listed above, there are three more easily overlooked things to remember: the power outlet, the perimeter wire, and the ground.
In addition to there needing to be three meters of flat, open space, the station must be up to 10 meters away from an outlet. That’s the length of the power cable that comes with most robot mowers. However, some brands, like Gardena, let you order an extended cord for a longer distance.
Once placed, the perimeter wire has to be placed straight in three meters left to right of the station. There are some newer mowers from brands like Husqvarna or Worx that don’t require perimeter wire at all; instead, they do a virtual mapping of the lawn.
Read: When are Virtual Boundary Wires Coming to Residential Robotic Mowers?
When installing the station, make sure it’s not on too hard a surface. We’ll explain later, but you have to pin the base into the ground and doing so on a surface like concrete might lead to damage during installation.
Steps to Installing the Charging Station
Here are the steps to installing the mower’s charging station:
- Using the criteria we listed earlier, choose the spot for your base
- Use the supplied screws or pegs to secure the base and charger to the ground, connecting all cables to the station as you go
- Lay out the perimeter wire if the mower uses it
- Don’t cross the wire at any point
- Secure the perimeter wire to the ground across the garden, sectioning off areas you don’t want to be mowed
Once it’s all set up, charge the mower and let it run. After a few attempts, the robot will learn the area to become more efficient during its mowings. Mowers that use AI and GPS to virtually map the lawn will make the overall setup process a little easier and with much more time saved.
Read: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Robotic Lawn Mowers
How to Set up Restricted Areas on the Lawn
Some robot mowers, like the Mammotion Luba Air 1000, let you choose zones on your lawn. So if there are parts of the lawn you don’t want the mower to use, you can tell the mower which lawn zones to work in.
For mowers using perimeter wire, you can put up borders around the areas of your lawn you want to protect. For example, a flower garden can have a rock barrier to prevent the mower from mowing there.
People with more complicated lawns will spend quite a bit of time setting up the lawn if there are multiple areas they want to restrict the mower from going. Situations like these are a good reason to have an expert step in to do the installation job instead.
Read: Benefits of a Professional Install vs Trying to do it Yourself
Tedious Tasks Should Have Expert Help
While installing a charging station is pretty simple, that doesn’t mean it’s easy or quick. And those with larger or more complex lawns are gonna have a dreadful time. Save yourself the headache and let the experts at Autmow help you out with your installation.
