Treadmill maintenance 2

Keeping your Treadmill in Tip-Top Shape cont.

As a rule, you should not use oils or silicone to lubricate the belt. (Only do so, if the manufacturer recommends it.) In order to keep your treadmill in top condition, make sure the bed and belt are clean, dry and free of dust. Follow the manufacturer's guidelines carefully if it is suggested that you use a silicone spray. Follow directions for the type of lubricant that should be used, as well as the application of the lubricant.

An initial waxing may be necessary for some treadmills in order to decrease the friction of the belt. However, do not wax a deck unless the manufacturer specifically recommends it because lubricating a pretreated wax deck could gum up the wax.

The deck and the belt should have low friction contact because a high friction deck and belt will cause damage to the motor. The high friction belts will not coast when the power is off; they will also not be easy to "dead-walk" when the power is off.

It is possible that the motor will stall if the belts have high friction. If you lubricate the belt when it is not necessary, it could cause extreme amp draw and, as a result cause damage to the motor.

Make sure to replace the circuit breaker fuses with the proper fuses when required. However, it is not usually recommended to replace blown fuses in the motor or motor controller. Keep in mind that treadmill fuses are not exchangeable with automotive fuses. You should contact the dealer if a fuse is blown to ensure correct replacement of it.

In order to prevent console crashes, ground the equipment to an AC wall outlet. Crashes can occur in treadmills that contain a programmable computer console. A computer crash is considered to be an occurrence that is not ordinary such as a display that blanks out, locking up or not recording information, or even a complete shutdown of the treadmill. If a crash occurs, turn the power off and on again and this will determine whether a crash is due to a defect. Most often, if you turn the power off and on again it will recycle the power and reset the computer on its own. Defects in the computer may cause a loss in the incline and speed or the treadmill may not start at all. Plug a treadmill into a grounded AC outlet to help prevent crashes. Your treadmill computer console could need replacing if it experiences frequent outages.

It is important to read your treadmill’s owners as it can save you from expensive repairs. A maintenance schedule as well as procedures should be listed in the manual. There should also be troubleshooting guidelines, listings of parts and instructions on repairs. You could void the warranty on your treadmill if you use it incorrectly or tamper with it when you shouldn't. Contact your dealer or manufacturer if you are not sure of the proper handling of your treadmill.

Maintaining your Treadmill 2