Treadmill Belt Maintenance Guidelines You Should Follow!

Having a treadmill in the comfort of your own home may be a nice luxury; you no longer have to travel to your local gym to get a good cardio exercise. Also, owning your own treadmill eliminates many of the "typical" fitness reasons you could have used to avoid everyday exercise. Still, constant usage causes a lot of wear and tear on your treadmill belt, so be sure you're properly maintaining it.

Importance of Treadmill Belt Maintenance

Treadmills are enormous and intricate pieces of cardio equipment; therefore, it is not uncommon to spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to install one in your own house. Given the expense, it only makes sense that you want to extend the life of your treadmill and avoid costly repairs. The best method to care for your treadmill is to do routine maintenance.

Maintaining your treadmill belt will lessen the likelihood of a machine breakdown. And, because a badly maintained treadmill might be unsafe to use, you'll lower your chances of getting hurt while using it.

Maintaining your treadmill belt

Routine maintenance can help prevent problems with your machine.

It's also critical to ensure that the safety clip that came with your treadmill is correctly fastened and functional. You should use this clip whenever you walk or run on your treadmill since it permits the machine to come to an emergency halt if necessary. If this critical safety feature stops working, contact your manufacturer for a replacement clip.

Finally, if your treadmill's power socket causes a tripping danger when plugged in, either unplug it after each usage (which will also save money on electricity) or anchor the cable to the ground.

Clean your machine

After each usage, clean the console of your treadmill using a cleaner formulated exclusively for gym equipment. Otherwise, germs and other unpleasant substances may accumulate on your machine.

Every couple of weeks, vacuum around your treadmill deck (the section where you run/walk) and dust the deck itself. Otherwise, dust and dirt might find their way into microscopic gaps and finally reach the treadmill's motor, causing significant damage.

If possible, clean and dust the engine region of your treadmill at least once a year.

Lubricating your treadmill belt

Unless you purchased a self-lubricating treadmill, you will need to manually grease the machine's various moving parts regularly. Check your owner's handbook to see what sort of lubrication you should use and how often the equipment should be oiled based on usage.

Because treadmills have so many moving components, they must be thoroughly greased. Otherwise, parts may require premature replacement or become damaged. At the same time, you must avoid over-lubricating your treadmill, since this may cause harm to the machine.

Adjusting Or Replacing The Walking Belt

Over time, your treadmill's walking belt is prone to becoming misaligned. If the treadmill belt is obviously skewed or off-center from the deck, you'll know it happened. Unfortunately, if your belt is out of alignment, you should cease operating your machine until the problem is resolved. Otherwise, you risk causing more expensive damage.

Fortunately, altering the alignment of your walking belt should be rather straightforward. In most situations, all you have to do is tweak a couple of nuts on either side of the machine, making little modifications to the belt's position as you go. If the belt gets too loose, these bolts can be tightened to improve the tension.

Eventually, you may need to totally replace your treadmill belt. Replacing the belt as it wears is critical for minimizing damage and premature wear to the deck itself. If your belt needs to be changed, you should be able to obtain a new one straight from the manufacturer. Depending on your level of familiarity with the process, you may decide to install the new belt yourself or hire a professional to do so for you.

How to lubricate your treadmill belt?

Proper belt lubrication will help keep your treadmill in good condition and prevent the need for maintenance over time. We recommend lubricating your treadmill once every three months, with one ounce of lubrication each application.

Turn your treadmill off and unhook it from the power outlet.

Starting at the front (motor end) of your treadmill, move your hand below the belt to separate the deck and belt.

Slide the lubrication tube as near to the treadmill's center as possible.

While carefully applying regulated pressure on the squeeze bottle, slowly slide the applicator from the center to the perimeter of the treadmill belt. Apply around ½ oz (1/8 of the bottle) on the underside of the belt.

Repeat steps 1-3 on the other side of the belt.

Plug in the treadmill, turn it on, and run it for 3-5 minutes to distribute the treadmill lubricant evenly.

We recommend wiping down the treadmill after each usage to keep it clean and dry. A little detergent may be used on occasion to assist in removing all dirt and salt from the belt, painted portions, and console.

With one hand, pull the treadmill belt away from the deck. With the other, place the silicone spray nozzle below the belt and spray the silicone towards the center of the belt. Spray up and down both sides of the running belt, totaling 1-oz (2-oz when installing a new treadmill belt) with 100% silicone lubricant.

Rotate the belt by hand one-half revolution until you reach the unlubricated area of the running belt, then repeat the treadmill lubrication procedure. When finished, use the treadmill at 3 mph for about 3 minutes to distribute the silicone evenly on the running deck and belt.

When lubricating the treadmill belt, ensure that it is on a surface that can be readily cleaned. After lubricating the treadmill, remove any excess silicone from the belt and frame.

We recommend wiping down the treadmill after each usage to keep it clean and dry. A little detergent may be used on occasion to assist in removing all dirt and salt from the belt, painted portions, and console.

Conclusion

Knowing how to properly maintain your treadmill belt can keep it in safe working order and save you money on avoidable repairs in the future. To keep your machine in excellent condition, follow these directions and the owner's handbook that came with it!