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Own a home treadmill and not doing such a good job of keeping up with routine service and maintenance? Don’t feel bad. Many home treadmill owners find themselves in this situation. For some reason, many people do not realize that the home treadmill is a machine that does need routine service, cleaning, and maintenance from time to time.
One of the most important things to do for the long life of your home treadmill is to keep the walking belt properly tensioned and aligned – that is tight enough to not slip around the front roller and running mostly right down the center of the deck without rubbing the siderails. Treadmill walking belts do not need frequent tension adjustment of alignment. Once it is set, the tension and alignment should not change under normal wear and use. If it does change, that means something in the system changed and it needs attention. For a brand new home treadmill, the installers or home owner, should check the belt tension and alignment, before placing it in regular use. How do we do this? For a brand new treadmill, in most cases, the walking belt is tensioned and aligned before the unit is packaged for sale and shipment. That means when you buy it and take it out of the box, the walking belt should be aligned and tensioned properly and need no adjustment. However, it must be checked. How to check the walking belt tension and alignment on your brand new home treadmill: First, assemble the treadmill. Make sure to follow the instructions for assembly in the owner’s manual precisely. Follow the steps in order and use good tools. Make sure the walking belt and deck are lubricated with a lubricant that is approved by the manufacturer. For most home treadmills, this will be a liquid silicone oil. See the article here on when and how to lubricate! Then, when ready, plug the machine in to wall power and turn it on. Give it time to start up and for the console to say “ready”. When the treadmill is ready to go, we are ready to test the walking belt tension and alignment. Before pressing “start”, be sure to read and follow all the safety warnings and precautions in the owner’s manual. Step up on to the walking belt. Stand with the right foot on the right siderail and the left foot on the left siderail, so that you are not standing on the walking belt in any way. Hold on to the handrails on both left and right sides. Press the “quick start” button to start the treadmill. In a few seconds, the treadmill walking belt should start to move at a very slow speed of 0.5 to 1.0 miles per hour. When the belt starts to move, watch it for a few minutes. The walking belt should move smoothly and evenly down the belt. It should stay mostly down the center of the deck with equal spacing between the edge of the walking belt and the siderails on both left and right sides. Note. You may hear a low, “thunking” type of noise in a regular rhythm as the new home treadmill starts to move. This is normal. What happens is the belt is tensioned around the front and rear roller in the factory. Then it is boxed up, shipped somewhere, and sits in storage until it is purchased. During that waiting time, the walking belt conforms in some degree to the curve of the front and rear rollers. When the walking belt is placed in service and starts moving for the first time, the belt is slightly deformed. As it starts to run, it is normal for it to make a light thunking type noise. Also, the treadmill walking belt has a thick seem where the belt is joined together. This seem is usually at an angle, so that it runs diagonally across the belt, not straight across. When this thick seem hits goes around the rollers, it is also normal for it to make a light “thunking” type noise. The noise is similar to the sound your finger makes when you drum it on the table. You should not hear any dragging, scraping, or rubbing sounds. If you do hear those kinds of sounds, stop the treadmill and inspect the walking belt to see where it is rubbing. Now that the walking belt is moving and you have observed it running straight down the middle. Observe it running for 4-5 minutes. It should continue running straight down the middle and not be moving, even slightly to the left or right. If the belt is running straight, then it is time to see if the walking belt is tight enough. When it is tight enough, it will feel solid under foot and not “slippery” at all. To test this, carefully transition to walking on the walking belt. Walk on it at 2 mph and then increase that speed to a fast walk for you. This may be 3 mph or 4. As you walk, pay attention to your foot plant and step off. The belt should feel solid underfoot. If the belt feels solid, then slowly increase the speed until you are running at an easy, jogging speed for you, somewhere between 5 and 6 mph. Pay attention to your foot striking the walking belt. It should feel solid with no slipping feeling. If the belt does feel solid, then press the stop button. Your treadmill walking belt is properly tightened. If it is running straight down the middle and not moving to one side, then it is properly aligned. The walking belt tension and alignment do not need to be adjusted unless the belt gets loose or starts to move to one side. If that happens, then the tensions and alignment need to be adjusted. If you have an treadmill that has been used for any period of time over two weeks or 12 hours of use and the belt is loose or feels “slippery” under foot, or if the walking belt is moving to the left or the right, then the tension and alignment need to be checked and adjusted. Step up on to the walking belt. Stand with the right foot on the right siderail and the left foot on the left siderail, so that you are not standing on the walking belt in any way. Hold on to the handrails on both left and right sides. Press the “quick start” button to start the treadmill. In a few seconds, the treadmill walking belt should start to move at a very slow speed of 0.5 to 1.0 miles per hour. When the belt starts to move, watch it for a few minutes. Observe the walking belt in motion. Does the belt move to the left or to the right? For this explanation, lets assume the belt is moving to the right. Press the stop button and get tools needed to turn the treadmill walking belt adjustment bolts found on the rear of the treadmill deck. You will most likely need a set of allen wrenches, metric or standard, depending on the manufacturer. You will also need a #2 phillips screwdriver. Remove the end caps that cover the belt tension adjustment bolts. There are usually 2 or 3 phillips screws. Pay attention to which screws came out of which holes. They will need to go back in to the same holes when you are done. Remove the left and right endcaps. This will expose the left and right ends of the rear roller and the belt tension adjustment bolts. Find the correct wrench to turn the belt tension adjustment bolts. Start the treadmill again and increase the speed to 3 mph. In this situation, the belt is moving to the right. This means that we need to increase tension on the right side. Using the correct tool, turn the right side belt tension adjustment bolt ¼ turn to the right, clockwise. Let the treadmill belt run and observe. If the belt continues to move to the right, then add another ¼ turn to the right, clockwise, on the right belt tension adjustment bolt. Repeat this process until the belt just stops moving to the right. Then add an 1/8 turn to the right, clockwise, on the right belt tension adjustment bolt. Your walking belt is properly tensioned. Good job. If the belt is moving to the left, then follow these same steps, but on the left side with the left belt tension adjustment bolt. If the belt is not centered and is closer to the side rails on either the left side or the right side, then use this simple method to get it in to the middle. Stand on the floor beside the running treadmill. If the belt is closer to the right side, then stand on the right side of the treadmill. If it is closer to the left side, then stand on the left side of the treadmill. Get the treadmill started and increase speed to 3 mph. Hold on to the handrail on the treadmill. Use your foot to gently kick the moving treadmill walking belt towards the center of the deck. What you are doing is pushing the walking belt sideways with your foot. Use quick, short kicks. Avoid kicking forward against the motion of the belt. Kick the belt over until it is about in the center. Observe. It will re-align itself slightly as it runs and then even out. It should not be moving to the right or left. If it is moving, then adjust the belt tension. See the instructions above.
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How to plug in your Home Treadmill.
Home treadmills, Residential Use Only Treadmills, are made to run well on your residential, 15 Amp power circuit. Here are some best practices to make sure you get the best use of your home treadmill and avoid costly repairs. Safety First! Make sure to read all the safety warnings and guidance from the manufacturer about your specific treadmill. Follow those warnings and guidance. Electricity is powerful and dangerous. Be sure to seek licensed, professional electricians if any changes are needed in your home electrical circuit. Never bypass electrical safety measures, such as circuit breakers or fuses. Position your home treadmill close to an approved, properly grounded, 3 prong, 15 amp power outlet. The treadmill should be close enough to the power outlet, so that the treadmill can be plugged in to the power outlet with its own power cord. Should you use a surge protector? Generally, no. Treadmills do have circuit boards in them and other sensitive electronics, which, generally, would benefit from surge protection. However, most surge protectors are 15 amp rated. This means that they are voltage choke points. Your home treadmill wants a full load of clean, 15 amp power at 110-120 volts. Most surge protectors are a “kink in the hose” of electricity, meaning they send less power to the machine. When voltage drops, amperage spikes. Excessive amperage will burn up your treadmill’s motor control board. If you really must use a surge protector for your treadmill, then buy a 12 gauge, 20 Amp surge protector. They are typically twice as expensive as the 15 amp kind. They are well worth that extra money, because they will send full, clean power to your home treadmill and not choke it. Avoid using an extension cord to plug in your home treadmill. If you must use an extension cord, then spend the extra money to buy the shortest possible, 12 gauge, 20 amp extension cord. Make sure the power cord is clear of the home treadmill frame and rollers, especially if you use the incline feature. Pinched, crushed power cords create an unsafe condition. Save yourself a lot of time and money by following these simple steps to prepare for home treadmill repair and service. From time to time, owners of home treadmills experience some of the following situations: The treadmill starts to make an unusual noise; the treadmill slows down when you get on it; the treadmill will not start; the treadmill develops a “hot” smell while in use; or the treadmill does not respond to some controls. In these situations, it is a good idea to call and get the advice of an expert treadmill service technician. In order to make this call as efficient and productive as possible and get the best advice, it is a good idea to follow the steps described here in this article. These are simple things that will potentially save you a lot of time and money. Get the Treadmill Model and Serial Number.
There are thousands of different home treadmills out there. Even if your treadmill has a common name, it will be different from other models with the same common name in some ways. With the correct model number, the technician can look up diagrams and drawings, technical specifications, lubrication requirements, parts information, as well as technical bulletins about your specific treadmill. He can also better discover if repair parts are available and find an estimate of what the cost of those repair parts is. With the serial number, we can get better, specific information about your treadmill from the manufacturer if we need to call for technical support, parts, and warranty information. Manufacturer's level of support does vary a great deal between different manufacturers, so we cannot guarantee what information, if any, the manufacturer will have about your specific home treadmill. Most are pretty good. Some are not good. How to find the serial number? I will use the most popular types of treadmills out there for the purpose of this walk through guide. Home treadmills made by Nordic Track and ProForm dominate the residential market for home treadmills, so lets start there. Where to find the model and serial number on (most) Nordic Track and ProForm treadmills? The model number and serial number are on a white sticker on the treadmill frame. This sticker is about an inch high and 2.5" long. It is affixed to a part of the treadmill frame that is on the floor, below the treadmill deck. Before you go looking for this sticker, get a dust rag, a flashlight, and your reading glasses if you need them. If you have a treadmill that folds up, then it is a very good idea to get a second person to help fold the deck up and also hold it while you are under it. It hurts to get hit in the head by a falling treadmill deck. Ask me how I know. If you do not have a second person to secure the deck in the upright, folded position, then please make 200% certain that the deck is securely locked in the upright, folded position before you get under it. Fold up the treadmill. Look down on the floor. There will be a steel frame of the treadmill on the floor, running from right to left. Look on top of that frame, usually positioned from the center and right. The sticker is there. Now it is time for that dust rag, flashlight, and reading glasses. Each digit is important. If it is too hard to read, then it is a very good idea to take a well focused picture of the sticker. Then you can more easily read it. The model number will usually start with the letters NTL, PLTL or the numbers 831. Following the initial letter or number sequence, there will be a series of numbers with dots or hyphens. These are examples of typical Nordic Track and Proform Treadmill model numbers:NTL14124.7; NTTL1151.0; 831.29878.1 If the sticker on your treadmill is not on the frame member on the floor, as described above, then expand your search to the rest of the steel frame. Look in the area of the frame section on the floor. Then look up to the frame of the treadmill deck itself, which should be above you at that time in its folded position. Be diligent. Make sure the deck is locked securely in place. If you cannot find it, then give us a call at 888.503.6620 ext 6. When you have the treadmill model and serial number, then you are ready to call for technical assistance or service support. Do an Operational Test of your Home Treadmill.No tools or special skills required!
Here are a few, simple things to do to have a good description of the treadmill and the way it is operating now, and any existing problems with the function of the home treadmill. Safety First! . Before you get started, please take heed of these safety warnings and operating tips. Inspect the power cord of the treadmill. Make sure that the power cord is in good condition and that it is not under the wheels or frame of the treadmill. Stand on the siderails of the treadmill when starting the treadmill walking belt. Hold on to the handrails when getting on to the treadmill and when moving from siderails to the walking belt, and when getting off of the treadmill. When doing a power cycle of the treadmill, first turn the treadmill off using the On/Off rocker switch for the treadmill. This On/Off switch is usually located on the frame near where the power cord goes in to the treadmill. After the On/Off switch is turned off, then unplug the power cord from the wall outlet. There is high voltage electricity in the motor tray compartment (under the hood). Use extreme caution around electricity. The treadmill motor control circuit board has capacitors on it. These capacitors can hold an electric charge even after the treadmill is turned off and unplugged. If your treadmill is operational, meaning the walking belt moves when you press the start button, but the belt slows down when you put weight on it, then be very careful. It is best to call a service technician and get professional advice on any repairs that might be needed. A slowing or “skipping” belt is a sign that the treadmill is far outside its normal operating condition. Continued use can cause significant damage to the treadmill, and that damage is costly to repair. Follow these steps to be well prepared for a call with a treadmill technician:
Unplug the machine from the wall outlet. Let it sit there for 5 minutes. Plug the machine back in to wall the wall outlet. Turn the machine back on and watch the console.
If there is an error message displayed on the console, then write down the error code.Error codes point to the potential fault area.They do not indicate a specific fault.An example is an E1 error.The E1 error code points to a problem with the treadmill speed not matching the speed indicated on the console.It does not identify why that condition exists.The technician will use the error code as a basis for troubleshooting to identify the specific fault and any repairs that are needed.
The treadmill should now go through its normal, start-up sequence, and then the treadmill walking belt should start to move slowly. Did the treadmill console “beep” when you pressed the start button? Did the console display change? Did the walking belt start to move?
Does the treadmill respond to speed up and speed down controls?Press the “speed up” button. Listen for beeps and watch the treadmill belt. Do the same for the “speed down” button. Does the treadmill respond to incline up and incline down controls? If your treadmill has a power incline function, then press the “incline up” button.Observe the console.Did the incline display on the console change when you pressed the button?Did the console beep? Does the actual incline position change?DO the same for the “Incline down” button. Take note of the results of these three steps. Now you will have a lot of very good information for the service technician when you call. I get calls like this frequently. People call a few times a week asking for advice looking for a treadmill for their home. I am happy to help answer their questions about new treadmills and used treadmills. Just this week, a lady in Champaign, IL called and asked such questions. She had really done her homework, and we had an excellent, thorough discussion on the how-tos of buying a treadmill for her home gym. We discussed what to look for in a used treadmill as well as what to look for in a new home treadmill. We talked about the pitfalls and mistakes to avoid when buying a home treadmill. We talked about the expected cost of maintenance for both used treadmills and new treadmills. It was such a complete talk about the whole process, I decided to write it down here, so that everyone can benefit from all the homework this potential treadmill buyer did, and the resulting discussion on the process of buying a home treadmill. How to buy a treadmill.1. Find your budget. Before you go shopping or even start looking for new or used treadmills, or any other home gym equipment, please sit down with everyone involved in the purchase (those doing the paying-for-it part of it) and figure out what your real budget is. Set the desired and set the max. Write it down and stick to it. In that process, also consider that in the world of fitness, you get what you pay for. There is an adage in the industry that says, "The options are Good, Fast, Cheap, and you can only pick two." What that means is that once you arrive at the correct budget for your purchase, then you might have to adjust your shopping perspective a bit. If the budget is too low to get the machine you believe you need, then please feel free to give us a call. We are happy to help evaluate options and identify a good treadmill for you that will help you achieve your fitness goals and stay in your budget. Or adjust your budget. It is better to wait and get the right machine than to throw money away on the wrong machine. Treadmills are big and heavy and not something you want to be moving around a lot. It also does not make sense to buy a machine that will not work well for you for a long time and meet your for your specific fitness goals and needs. Identify your Fitness Goals and Physical needs. When people call and ask us about what treadmill to buy, then we start asking questions. We ask a lot of questions. Is this in your home of business? This article is about home treadmills, and some people run training businesses out of there home. A Residential Use Only machine is not built to be used by more than immediate family, and in no case to be used more than 3 hours per day. The warranty on a new, home treadmill will be instantly voided if it is used by other than immediate family (not counting the occasional house guest or friend) or if it is placed in any commercial setting where customers or clients are using it. A residential use only treadmill will wear and breakdown at a frustrating rate when used more than 3 hours per day. Business owners who use residential only machines for commercial purposes, such as home fitness training studios, expose themselves to massive liability in the event there is ever a machine related injury. Imagine the dollar signs flashing in a plaintiff attorney's eyes if they learn the defendant had their client on a machine that is specifically labelled for "residential use only". If you are running a business, buy a minimum of a Light Commercial Rated machine. We are happy to explain the difference between a residential, light commercial, and full commercial treadmill. Light Commercial treadmills are not that much more expensive than a high quality, residential treadmill. Does anyone who plans to use the treadmill have over 250 pounds of body weight? Yes, it is a 'personal' question. Treadmills have "maximum user weight ratings. Most home treadmills have a 250 or 300 pound max user weight rating. Some home treadmills have higher weight ratings. Light commercial rated treadmills are generally rated for 300-350 pounds for max user weight. Full commercial treadmills are generally rated for 400-500 pounds max user weight. There is a wide range of home treadmills out there. It is important to check the specifications before shopping for a home treadmill. We need to figure out how you want to exercise with, or hang laundry, on the machine How many family members will be using the home treadmill? Count all immediate family who will working out on the treadmill. Most people use the treadmill in cycles, running or walking on it for a few months and then skipping a few months while the weather is nice, or when they go to Florida for the winter. Therefore count all the people who will use it, even if it is not all the time. How will you be using the treadmill? What are the fitness goals people have? Is it running? How fast? Is it walking? How fast? Typically some people will be walking on the home treadmill 3 times per week at 3-4 miles per hour, and some people will be running on the treadmill for 45 minutes around 6 mph 3-4 times per week. Both those workout routines work well with most home treadmills. When people have plans to work out more intensely, train for a race or competition, then a home treadmill with better specifications is the right answer. There are also a wide variety of these treadmills. We can help find the machine with the performance you need at a cost that fits your budget and, more importantly, help you avoid throwing money away on a treadmill that will not meet your needs. How many hours of use will the home treadmill get in a week? A general number is good enough for the purpose of finding the right treadmill. For example, consider this 2 person household: One person walking for 45 minutes, 3 times per week is 3 hours of use. Another person running around 6 mph, 3 times per week is another 3 hours of use. In this household, the weekly total is 6 hours of use. Is incline important? Most home treadmills have some kind of incline feature ranging from 0-12 degrees of incline. There are specialty, 'incline trainer' treadmills that are built differently and have very high degrees of incline. When people want to do high incline training, then these incline trainers are the correct choice. They do come at some higher, initial purchase cost. They are also more expensive to own, operate, and maintain. They are generally built differently than 'regular' treadmills. The motors are in the back, underneath the deck. This makes them more difficult and time consuming to service and repair, so the cost of service and repair is higher than the charges for 'regular' treadmills. What is your ownership style?
Do you generally buy things, use them, have them serviced and repaired for a long period of time, 5 years and older? Do you generally buy things and replace them when the warranty is over or they have a mechanical issue? This is a big one. For those people who are 'buy and keep', it is well worth the money to get a good quality machine that is easier to service and repair. Most popular brands of home treadmills have mechanic and functional designs that support regular service and repair of the walking belt, deck, and drive belt. These are called the wear items. Those parts are not so expensive, and they are very good for home use. Those popular brands of home treadmills are expensive and difficult to repair when it comes to the controls and console. Some of those treadmills have consoles that are not field repairable. that means we cannot fix the start button if the start button stops working. To get the start button to work again, we must replace the entire console at a parts cost of $700-$1,000. Of course, no one really wants to pay that much for a repair. The other option is to replace the treadmill. Both of these options are major issues, that we can help you avoid, so that you get a home treadmill that will work the way you want it to work and not cost and arm and a leg to maintain. Where will you keep the treadmill? In a garage, basement, bedroom, barn? The best location for a treadmill is in a low humidity space, on a hard floor surface. This usually means inside a conditioned space such as inside the home. Basements are popular spots for treadmills. If your basement is damp, then consider using a dehumidifier in the wet season for wear you live. High humidity promotes rust and oxidation. Human sweat is extremely corrosive to metal. High humidity conditions make it easier for sweat to migrate from treadmill exterior surfaces to internal surfaces that are not as well protected from corrosion. Consider the floor where you will place the treadmill. The best kind of floor is a well supported floor built using modern construction techniques with a dynamic load rating of at least 30 pounds per square foot. Concrete floors are ideal. If the floor is carpeted, then strongly consider using a heavy, rubber mat under the treadmill. Carpet fibers break and the treadmill will suck these broken fibers in to the motor compartment. Dust and carpet fibers stick to major components like the control board and motor and cause excessive heat build up in those parts. Excessive heat causes pre-mature failure in those parts which will require an expensive repair. If the carpet is thick, then consider placing a 3'x6' section of 3/4" OSB plywood on top of the carpet. Put a thick rubber mat on top of the OSB. Put the treadmill on top of the Rubber mat. Do you plan to do the routine service, lubrication and maintenance yourself or hire someone to do it for you? When is it a good idea to save money and do a Do It Yourself treadmill move?
When is it better to spend the money and have professionals do it? This is such a great discussion topic for several reasons. Many peope are shocked when they get the price of a professional treadmill move. The shock is totally understandable, because it is an expensive job, often costing several hundreds of dollars. Let's first talk about that for a little bit. Why does it cost so much to have a treadmill professionally moved? What's wrong with my Precor 9.33 Residential Treadmill, and how do we fix it?
A gentleman with a Precor 9.33 Treadmill at home recently contacted us with this question. His intitial contact said, paraphrasing, "I have a Precor Treadmill at home. It was working great. Now it stops after just a few minutes of operation. Error 27 is displayed when it stops. What is wrong with the treadmill and what will it take to fix it?" This is such a great (and often mysterious) topic, that we wanted to publish it for all to read. Hopefully we can de-mystify the situation and take away a little frustration. Precor has some fantastic design engineers and they build fantastic treadmills and other fitness equipment. Sometimes service and repair information, for the average treadmill owner, can be a little, shall we say, challenging to find. Luckily, we are what you call professionals, and we have the answers. Bottom line up front: Error code 27 means the drive motor has pulled maximum current - usually due to worn walking belt and deck. There are other situations where the drive motor will pull maximum current, such as when there is a drop in supply voltage. When the available voltage drops, the amp draw increases. The treadmill drive motor might also pull excessive current if it the maximum user weight is exceeded, or if a foreign object gets jammed somewhere and seizes the walking belt or rollers, or of the roller bearings are failing. In most cases, it means the walking belt and deck are well worn and need to be replaced. The very smart Precor engineers built in this safe guard to protect more sensitive electronics on the treadmill, such as the Power Control Module also called the lower control board or motor control board. What does it take to fix it? The walking belt and deck need to be replaced. While you are at it, the drive belt should be replaced. The deive belt probably needs to be replaced, but even if not needed immediately, you should do it. The reason is that the walking belt, deck, and drive belt are all wear items and all need to be replaced from time to time. If you replace the drive belt at the same time as your are replacing the walking belt and deck, then you will save a bunch of money on labor. If you only replace the treadmill walking belt and deck, and then 3 months later, decide to replace the drive belt, you'll be charged regular labor rates for the work. The cost of the drive belt part is pretty cheap, relatively. How about the cost? At the time of this writing, the Precor 9.33 Treadmill walking belt is $297. The Deck is 295. The drive belt is $44. These figures do not include tax, shipping, or any handling charges. A lot of folks balk at such a high repair bill. Our advice is that repair is generally always less expensive that replacement, so if the treadmill is otherwise in oretty good shape and is giving you the kind of workout that you want, then it makes financial sense to repair it. If, on the other hand, you are thinking about some other features or a bigger or faster, new treadmill, then this is a good time to buy one. The deck on the Precor 9.33 treadmill is reversible. That means it is doublesided and can be flipped over, so that the othersise can be run on for a, hopefully, a couple years. If it has not yet been flipped, then we can repair it by just replacing the walking belt and the drive belt and flipping the deck. Please check your service records and see if that deck has been flipped or not. That info will give us a pretty good idea of what we need to do to get it fixed. Or, Handy Maintenance & Service tips for Residential & Commercial Elliptical Trainers. **** VIRTUAL **** service calls Learn More $49.0 To better support you, your fitness goals, and health, we are now offering virtual troubleshooting, service, and repair guidance. All online. Elliptical service tips. "Help. My Elliptical trainer is knocking when I use it." "My Elliptical trainer feels wobbly." "My elliptical makes a whining or scraping noise." These are the most common complaints/questions we get for elliptical type trainers and cross trainers. Here's some useful info to help understand the reasons for these problems, and what we can do about it. Repair your elliptical yourself, or give us a call. We're happy to help. Knock and Level: Old elliptical trainers are noisy and usually have a knock, from a rotating arm inside the flywheel housing hitting the plastic housing. This is caused by a few things: Ellipticals are not very rigid and are subject to a lot of torsional force (twisting around the center axis): Aggravated in residential and commercial settings by being placed on a carpet; and not kept level or properly supported. 100% of older ellipticals knock (in my experience). If on a thick, plush carpet, can't really level. Put a piece of 3/4" OSB under the machine. We will do this for our for customers for $55 +tax and trip. If on a hard, level surface, then check the level of the machine, and adjust so that it is level. MAKE SURE leveller feet are still there and still have the little rubber foot. The wear bushings in ellipticals wear out over time, and make the arms and limbs looser than original fit. When this gets too bad, the foot platforms will actually start to rotate or pronate. PARTS ARE CHEAP to replace, but is a lot of labor. Wear. Ellipticals biggest wear items are the rollers for the left and right platforms. They should be wiped clean before every use, but this rarely happens. Dirt builds up and the wheels wear, spall, or chip unevenly. This affects the ride, feel, and noise of the machine. Inspect the wheels carefully on every machine. Replacement is warranted for uneven wear on the wheel of any kind. The flywheel housing. This is difficult to get in to. Fasteners are hidden. The rotating arms are very hard to remove, and it is hard to maneuver the plastic housing around. CALL technical support if you need to take the housing completely off. Use extra caution when the housing is off and still around the rotating arms. disassemble as little as possible. DON"T take it apart if you don't have the tools and personnel to put it back together. Drive belt: This is a wear item. It needs to be checked during a service. Look for rubber spall or rubber bits inside the housing as a sign of wear. Inspect the belt for dry rot, cracks, glazing, and splitting. Check the inside grooves of the belt: grooves should be pronounced, not worn off, and not all filled up with gunk, dirt, and hair. Replace if any of those conditions exist. Frame assembly, uprights, console, arms: These things are supposed to be checked and tightened on a routine basis, which does not get done in most cases. The elliptical arms become loose and wobbly. Check and tighten assembly points, which are usually hidden behind plastic body parts/shrouds. Usually need metric allen wrenches or phillips drivers. all for now. That's it for now. Go forth and don't break anything :) Or, How to avoid the most costly treadmill repair bills.
Bottom line up front: Perform routine maintenance and service on your treadmill every 6 months at a minimum, in order to avoid expensive ($500) repair bills. The single biggest cause of major component failure in treadmills, from Full Commercial down to Residential quality machines, is one simple thing: Dirt! Back story: Treadmills and other pieces of fitness equipment have been built to last "forever" in the settings they were built to serve. That is to say, a full commercial treadmill is built to run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, for at least the length of the warranty period. Usually that's from 2-5 years. Frames and motors are warrantied for life. Light Commercial treadmills are designed for up to 6 hours of use per day. Residential treadmills are all over the board, but we can lump them together and say that they are good for "a couple" hours of use per day. However, even some of today's new residential rated treadmills have guaranteed for life frames and motors. It's safe to say that treadmills in particular and fitness equipment in general is built exceedingly well and should provide years and years of faithful service to your runners, guests, and residents. But they break, and the repairs are often more than replacement cost for residential models: Typical motor failure, parts and labor, $500. Typical board failure, parts and labor, $450. Typical belt failure, parts and labor, $350. Repair bills go up from there. Repair parts for commercial equipment, especially some of the older models are quite expensive, as they are no longer made new and must be re-manufactured, or are made by aftermarket specialists. Residential treadmills are usually inexpensive on the front end, but very difficult and expensive to fix in the long run. Like computer printers, it's usually easier and less expensive to just buy a new one. SO back we go to the topic: Why do these "built to last" treadmills break? It's dirt, more than anything. What happens? If the treadmill is not serviced about every 6 months, things start to go bad. Like a liver, it takes a long time for the abuse to show up, and then when it does, it is catastrophic, usually resulting in major component failure (belt, control board, motor). Dirt, hair, dust and other contaminants build up between the walking belt and the deck, around the motor, and on the control board, not to mention all over the working parts of the treadmill. Increased Friction: Dirt builds up between the walking belt and deck, increasing the friction between these two critical parts. Sometimes people put in more lube. Sometimes that helps, but if the belt wasn't cleaned ahead of time, it can hurt. More dirt gets stuck in there, which increases the friction. When there is more friction, the motor has to work harder to move the belt at the right speed. More work draws more power. More power going through the control board generates excessive heat. Components start to fail. Wicking Lubrication: What is that? Modern roller bearings, like those on the front and rear roller of the treadmill, are lubed for life, meaning we never need to get in there and add more grease, and the bearing should last the entire life of the equipment. But we still see bearing failure caused by dirt. Hair and fine dust particles actually work there way in to the bearing and start to add friction, which generates heat. This dirt and hair also starts to wick away the oil in the grease. (side note: grease is a compound made of of liquid oil, held in suspension by a soap sponge). Added heat brings more oil out of suspension, which means more of it wicks away from the bearing, which increases the heat.. and You see where this is going. Over a while, we get bearing failure. Along the way, though, we added to the work the motor had to do in order to keep the belt moving, and hastened along the eventual control board failure. Unusual Wear and Tear: While the walking belt and deck are dirty, they are wearing at an unusual rate. Too much dirt, and not enough lubrication will cause premature failure of both the deck and the walking belt. Routine service is the single best thing we can do to keep that treadmill running right and not need extensive repairs. Every 6 months, a competent professional should spend an hour taking the machine apart, inspecting, cleaning, and lubricating. It's like changing the oil in a car: It's easy and cheap, unless it is not done, and then stuff gets expensive real fast. Routine service: cleaning, inspection, and lubrication following manufacture's recommended schedule. Is it worth it? We need to devote an entire blog to just this subject of service and repair of fitness and exercise equipment, but, for now, here's something to go on. The short answer is an easy, "Yes". All fitness and exercise equipment should be routinely serviced and maintained. It's just like a car, truck or any other mechanical equipment: proper maintenance extends its functional life, lowers total cost of ownership, get's the most out of the initial investment. But it's expensive and the equipment is running fine! We can get by without it. Yes, that is absolutely true. A Full Commercial Treadmill will run non-stop, 24x7, for a very long time, with absolutely zero maintenance, cleaning, or anything. Then, one day, probably years from now, it will die. Let's look at the numbers for two treadmills, both purchased brand new, both in the same exact user environment. Treadmill A does not get routine service. Treadmill B does get routine service. Let's also assume a 6 month service interval, and maybe 500 miles/month use. Treadmill A Treadmill B Miles Initial Cost: $5,500 $5,500 6 mo service 000 $65 3,000 12 mo service 000 $65 6,000 18 month 000 $65 9,000 24 month 000 $65 12,000 30 month 000 $65 15,000 $500 replace belt, flip deck $200 replace worn elevation assy parts 36 months 0000 $65 18,000 Cost @ 3 yrs $5,500 $6,590 Hidden Costs: $500 (new belt) 000 $200 (elev assy) 000 $500 (new motor) 000 $400 (troubleshooting) 000 ???? lost use 000 ??? upset residents 000 ??? LIABILITY FOR NOT MAINTAINING EQUIPMENT THAT COULD INJURE OR KILL PEOPLE! So what's the cost of not doing routine treadmill service and maintenance on Treadmill A? It has the same use as Treadmill B, so it still needs a belt replaced, $500.00. It still needs the deck flipped, $200. Treadmill A, was still cheaper to operate. The owner could have skipped all the routine stuff and just replaced the belt and deck in three years. Hidden costs. Hidden failures. The heart of any treadmill is an electric motor. The two biggest enemies of all electric motors are heat and dirt/filth. With treadmills, especially if they are in a carpeted room, dirt builds up on the electric motor housing, internal parts, bearings, connections. The dirt acts like an insulator, allowing heat that should be dissipated to build up. Overtime, motor performance is degraded by excessive heat build up. Excessive heat can literally cook the grease out of "lubed for life" motor and shaft bearings. Faulty bearings are noisy and require a lot more energy to turn. When the motor has to work harder to do the job, it draws more amps (power). When the motor draws more amps, it creates more heat, which adds to the problem. Then we have what we call a "major component failure". Off the cuff, I'd say that's $500 to replace that motor. Then we have to troubleshoot and figure out what else got torn up when that motor failed? While we are working on getting the "burned up treadmill back to life, it is inoperable. Residents and guests can no longer use the treadmill, plus maintenance guys are running around, doing major repairs, interrupting their work out. Everyone is upset, except the service tech, drawing $65/hour to fix the machine (Actually, he is upset too, because all of this could have been avoided by proper, routine service and maintenance of that poor treadmill). Let's keep everyone happy and maintain that fitness and exercise equipment. |
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