What we’re going to talk about is the most important maintenance tips you can follow. Let’s face it, if you own a treadmill, you will eventually have problems with it but I’ve owned two different treadmills over the years and have never had a single problem because I follow the advice I’m going to give you today.
The belt and deck mechanism, to borrow an analogy from anatomy, is the spine of your treadmill. Just like a back problem can render your entire body useless, so will a troubled belt and deck. If you will focus your maintenance efforts in this area, you will be much happier in the future.
Regular Maintenance Tips:
1) Keep a cloth by your treadmill. Before you use it every day (you are using your treadmill every day, aren’t you?), wipe the area between the edge of the belt and the side of the frame. This will remove dirt and debris that can get caught between the belt and deck.
2) About once a month, clean the top surface of the belt with a good belt cleaner. Do not use anything that can damage the surface. A very mild soap and water solution will work fine. You will be amazed at how much junk you get off the belt. This helps the belt run cooler thereby reducing the wear on the backing of the belt. We have a good degreaser cleaner on our site that works great for this if you want an easy spray-on application---helps keep it even.
3) Once a year, lubricate the belt. Even if your treadmill claims that it is a no-maintenance treadmill, here’s a hint; THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A NO-MAINTENANCE TREADMILL!!! I once had a Toyota that had a no-maintenance front end on it. It was completely sealed and there was no way to lubricate it. At around 90,000 miles I had to buy a new front end because….IT NEEDED LUBRICATION!!!
This no-maintenance idea in treadmills was the result of marketing gimmicks to do 2 things:
• sell you on the idea that it would never, ever have to be touched and
• sell you parts when it prematurely wears out. Keep it well lubricated and you’ll be happier you did.
4) Take apart the entire treadmill, mix all the parts up and then try to reassemble…THIS IS JUST A JOKE. Just seeing if you are paying attention. Take good care of the belt and deck and you will never have to do this.
We hope these tips help out. You will get much longer life out of your treadmill if you follow these tips to keep your treadmill trouble free.
Keep in shape and keep your
Treadmill in shape with you.
