Every time you step on a treadmill, your bodys entire weight rest on its belt, which glides across a continuously moving deck. It makes sense that most treadmill owners thinks their machine will require no care and feeding until it starts smelling like burning plastic or making a squealing noise. By then, however, it might be to late.
Lubricating your treadmill can make all the difference between owning a long-lasting machine and having to replace an expensive deck. Sounds easy right? Get yourself a bottle of oil, give it a squirt underneath the belt, and you is done.
Why Treadmill Lubricant Should Be 100% Silicone
Why Treadmill Lubrication Matters
Not so fast. Not all oils is equal. Applying an incorrect one will invalidate your warranty, ruin your electronics or even cause increased wear to the deck itself.
The Power of Pure Silicone
Pure silicone is what’s used by most manufacturers because it works and has become industry standard for a reason. To understand why, let’s talk about interaction between the belt and deck. Silicone oil are used as a friction reducing lubricant.
Its inert, stable molecular structure resist heat and pressure. It also resist breaking down from that heat and pressure. The molecules don’t interact with either the wood composite deck or the rubber belt.
In theory that sounds simple enough but in practice finding an appropriate material is challenging. Some other oils appears readily available and less expensive, but are laden with unknown hazards. For example, mineral oils tends to attract dirt and dust.
This turns into abrasive grit that wears on your deck each and every run. This causes a slow ruin that is much costlier to fix than the initial lubrication. The thicker (more viscous) the oil, the better it hold position.
Too thick and you’ll have dry spots causing spikes in friction. Too thin and it soaks into the deck and drips down into the motor. Silicone products is pure silicone lubricants that do what they’re supposed to (hold their position on a surface).
When applied to the deck surface, they don’t penetrate the material but rather coat it. It keep the belt sliding nice and smooth and doesn’t let it get into the mechanical guts of the machine. That’s why many folks make mistake of grabbing some from around the house and pouring it on.
Dangers of Mineral and Household Oils
But there’s a tempting trap with household oils. WD-40? Cooking oil?
Gotcha. In a pinch, right? Wrong.
Rubber doesn’t like solvent additives and solvents. Those things degrades it over time. As a result, your belt becomes either brittle or sticky.
Your deck becomes gummy. And what does that do? Makes your motor has to work harder to spin the belt.
That means higher resistance, which creates more heat, which puts more strain on your motor bearings. You saved five bucks on lube, now you spend five hundred on a repair. The math never works out in favor of shortcut.
Identifying Safe Silicone Lubricants
It’s all about purity. You want to look for something listed as 100 percent polydimethylsiloxane (or silicone). Anything that says it’s a silicone base, but has fragrance or filler in it should of been avoided.
What good does any of that stuff do? It doesn’t. In fact, often, it mess things up.
The guys who build the machines made them for high viscosity, clear and odorless silicone oil. Anything else is outside their spec. That means they didn’t consider those variables.
Proper Application and Belt Care
Consistency is comfortabely. How you apply it also matter for longevity. Just pour on the oil?
No. Spread several ounces evenly up the path of the deck and that’s plenty. Apply with machine turned off, and have the belt centered. Allow time for it to spread around before running again.
Belt tension also matters. More lube mean less squeak if the belt is loose, but if your belt is tight, it will wear out whether or not you lube it. Maintenance is a system; one step are not enough.
Selecting the proper lubricant is money well spent on your machine. It’s the best way to avoid slow decline… From a peppy pace, to a bumpy walk.
Unlike others, pure silicone is safe and stable. The belt should glide, the motor stay cool. Be grateful for your treadmill with every step.
