If you have a treadmill in your home, you probably know that it is one of the machines that requires a lot of care and regular maintenance. Designed to withstand a lot of pressure from running, walking or simply rubbing your feet against its parts, the treadmill has many moving parts that need constant lubrication.
Lubricating your treadmill on a regular basis is the best way to ensure a good workout and a properly working machine for years to come. This is key to solid maintenance, and something that you should do every three months or 130 miles according to most manufacturers. However, if you use your treadmill more often, you should lubricate it even more regularly and always check to determine if any maintenance is necessary.
How Does a Treadmill Work and Why Does it Need Lubrication?
At this point, some of you are wondering why lubricating a treadmill is essential to its lifespan. The truth is, these delicate machines are operated by a motor that turns what is known as the treadmill belt inside the machine. Typically, this motor is anywhere between 1 and 3 horsepower and serves the purpose of rotating as you walk, jog, or run.
The rollers are what supports the belt and keeps it in place – the bigger and heavier they are, the better they will perform. Their main job is to reduce the stress of the belt and motor. Hence, the constant tension and pressure in these items require regular lubrication.
So, regular lubrication for your treadmill can help you:
Does Your Treadmill Need Lubrication?
As we said above, lubricating your treadmill belt ensures a solid workout. In order to check whether your machine needs some lube, you should first unplug the treadmill, and loosen a bolt with an Allen wrench or a screwdriver. Once the belt is loosened, lift it up slightly and put your hand under it to see whether the surface is dry or wet. If it is dry, it is time to lubricate. If you remove your hand and see oil on it, there is no need to lubricate.
What Is The Best Lubricant For The Treadmill Belt?
If you are a DIY person, you probably think that a bit of regular oil or WD-40 gets the job done for the belt of your treadmill. However, that is far from true – not only these don’t work, they might also cause some problems.
Instead of experimenting with anything, you should know that treadmills use silicone lubricants that are essential to a proper function. Silicone is what helps the belt glide smoothly and what experts recommend to be applied on the belt after every 180 hours of running.
The 6-Step Process To Effective Lubrication Of Your Belt
If you never lubricated your treadmill before, now is the time to learn how. Generally, any machine like this needs regular maintenance every 3 months or even less. Don’t worry, though, the process is easy and outlines six main steps.
Get a suitable silicone-based treadmill lubricant. Check your owner’s manual for more details on it, or get in touch with the brand’s customer service. Do not use oil, grease, or any other product manufactured for other lubrication purposes.
Unplug the treadmill and loosen the belt. Lift up the belt and put your hand under it to check that lubrication is necessary.
Spray some lubricant underneath the belt. Make sure that each side is covered with around 3 to 5 spray applications.
Reattach the mat and turn the treadmill on at a slow speed (around 3mph or any average walking speed) for 5-6 minutes. Do not step on the treadmill at this point – just let it work on its own so that the lubricant spreads evenly throughout the surface and the main touch points.
Unplug the treadmill again to see whether any excess lubricant has fallen off and use a soft cloth to wipe it off. Check both sides of the belt.
Tighten the belt back into place. Plug in the treadmill and you are good to go for another two to three months.
Note: There are some silicone lubricants that come with long nozzles, making the lubrication process very easy and removing the need to unplug or remove any parts of the treadmill. However, a process like this does not allow you to actually clean the treadmill belt from the inside and know that the silicone application is well distributed.
Your treadmill’s belt is essentially its heart – it should always stay maintained and tight. However, belts can get looser over time, which is why you may consider tightening it every now and then. We recommend checking the belt after each 20 hours use or excessive periods of regular use, or whenever you hear any strange noises or see the motor overheating.
ConClusion
As you can see, lubrication is necessary for the best experience on a treadmill. There is no best product as long as you stick to the kind your manufacturer recommends. However, if you are free to explore some options, we recommend checking out the best-rated silicone lubricants for treadmills on Amazon or eBay.
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