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Last Updated: July 14, 2023
It’s important to do regular maintenance on your treadmill, and lubricating the treadmill belt is part of that process. Without proper lubrication, your treadmill’s belt and deck could rub and create too much friction. Over time, this can cause serious damage to your treadmill’s belt and motor.
These parts are essential and expensive, so you want to be sure that your belt is lubricated regularly. Recommendations vary greatly from brand to brand on how often you should lubricate a treadmill belt. An average time frame that’s recommended to apply lubricant is by around 40 hours of use or every three months, whichever is sooner. Your treadmill’s manual might give a specific recommendation as well.
Something to keep in mind is that there are many different ways to lubricate your treadmill belt, the following is the process that has worked best for our team here at TreadmillReviewGuru when we lubricate our treadmills’ belts.
How To Lubricate Your Treadmill Belt
1. Start by shutting off and unplugging your treadmill. This is to avoid injury and keep you safe.
2. Reach under the belt and feel for lubrication and dirt/debris. You may need to loosen your treadmill
belt some to reach underneath it.
3. Use a cloth to wipe under the treadmill belt to ensure it is clean prior to lubricating.
4. Grab the lubricant and starting on one side about a foot away from the hood, disburse the lubricant
under the belt about a quarter of the way to the center of the belt from one side. Dispense in an “S”
or zig-zag pattern towards the end of the deck.
5. You’ll then do the same thing on the other side, using about ½ of a bottle of lubricant on each
side.
6. Once you’re finished placing the lubricant under the belt, retighten the belt if you loosened it and
plug it back in.
7. Turn the treadmill on and let it run at about 3 mph for about 5 minutes, so the lubricant can be
evenly distributed.
That’s it! Lubricating your treadmill belt is easy and lets you get even more life out of your treadmill.
What Can I Use To Lubricate My Treadmill Belt?
You always want to use a lubricant that is specifically for treadmills, and never products like WD-40 or any type of oil. Using the wrong lubricant can damage your treadmill belt.
Many treadmill manufacturers suggest using 100% silicone, which can be found as a spray or liquid. Some brands include a bottle with the purchase of one of their treadmills. Many brands also sell their own lubricants as well.
There is a misconception that the brand Teflon is appropriate for lubricating treadmill belts. Teflon isn’t completely silicone so it might not be best to use as a lubricant for your treadmill belt. When in doubt, we suggest checking out your treadmill’s manual to see what is recommended by the manufacturer.
How Do I Know If My Treadmill Needs Lubricant?
A good rule of thumb is to check under your belt periodically to make sure it is well-lubricated. Under the belt should feel oily or waxy, indicating that there is lube present.
If you notice your treadmill deck starts squeaking or making a loud noise, or the belt feels like it’s slippery or sticky, then this could mean that your belt needs to be lubricated. Also, if you live in a warmer climate, your lubrication may dry out more quickly and need to be reapplied more frequently.
It’s also important to note that some treadmills don’t need to be lubricated and some are already lubricated when they are shipped. If you’re unsure if your treadmill is pre-lubricated, check in the owner’s manual or with your treadmill’s manufacturer.
Now, that you know how to lubricate a treadmill belt, check out our Best Treadmills list to see which one you should bring home!
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