Frequently asked questions on the Treadmill

1. The console shows only "zeroes".

Check the correct positioning of the safety key. If the console has batteries, replace them.

2. The belt stops when I walk on the treadmill.

If the belt starts again when you step off, check the belt tightening. The belt should pop up to 3-4 cm. If the tension is correct, run the treadmill without no one above it. If it keeps its speed, the belt is consumed or the board is not well lubricated. Check the instructions on our blog for maintenance. Note that you may need to replace the belt (especially if it is older than 4 years). If the belt does not maintain a constant speed, contact a service engineer, because the problem may be in the motor or in the controller (see other articles on our blog)

3. How can I adjust the belt?

Follow the instructions on our blog for the tightening and the centering of the belt. Be careful not to overtighten the belt. This can lead to expensive damages in the electronic parts. Plug in the power cord, insert the safety key and walk on the treadmill for a few minutes. Repeat until the belt is centered. If you are not an expert, start doing very small adjustments.

4. How can I loosen or tighten the belt?

Even in this case, take care not to overtighten. If you have to tighten much the belt to avoid it slipping, it means that you need to replace it. Follow the directions on our blog to properly adjust the belt tension.

5. How can I calibrate the speed and/or the incline of treadmill?

To calibrate the speed and/or incline, see the instructions under the lid of the engine hood or in our blog. Be sure to unplug the machine when working inside the engine compartment. High voltage is present!

6. There is no reading pulse/heart rate monitor (chest belt).

• If you use a chest belt, make sure that the strap is under the clothes (and not above), in direct contact with the skin, in the pectoral area.

Note: If the heart rate monitor does not function when positioned as described, try moving it slightly below or above your chest.
• Make sure the sensor logo is facing forwards.


• Use saline solution (for example that of contact lenses) to moisten the two electrodes on the sensor unit. If the heart rate is not shown, moisten the electrodes again. Position yourself at the center of the belt to display your heart rate.

• The heart rate monitor is designed to work with people who have normal heart rhythms. Some heart rate detection problems can be caused by medical disorders as premature ventricular contractions (pvcs), tachycardia, and arrhythmia.

• Operation of the heart rate monitor can be affected by electromagnetic interference caused by electric lines, mobile phones, microwaves or other sources. If you suspect that electromagnetic interference can cause a problem, try moving the treadmill.

• If the heart rate monitor still doesn't work correctly, before resorting to the assistance, another person should use the treadmill.

7. There is no reading of the frequency/handpulse.

Hand Grip Pulse Sensor/EKG:

• clean the metal contacts with a damp cloth.


• Make sure that the palm of the hand is tight around the top and bottom plates of the sensor. If necessary, moisten the palms of your hands.


• If suddenly no pulse appears on the console for a long time, the console software might be blocked and must be reset. To reset the console:


• stop the machine and remove the plug from the wall, leaving the safety key inserted.


• Wait at least 30 seconds.


• Connect the power cord, for some models a reset signal appears on the console.


• Remove the safety key to clear the alarm, then reinsert the key.

• Recheck. If the impulse is still not working properly, before resorting to the assistance, another person should try using the treadmill.

8. Demo mode of the console

When in Demo mode, the console lights up. This mode becomes active only when the treadmill is plugged in, the main on/off switch is switched on and the safety key is not inserted in the console. The Demo mode has been added to some brands to attract attention on the treadmill while it is on display in the shop. The demo mode can be deactivated at any time.

Method # 1 to switch from Demo mode to actual function:

• press and hold the STOP button while inserting the safety key, to enter user information.


• Watch the calories. When the Demo mode is active, the letter D will appear.


• Press the SPEED button DOWN to turn on/off mode.


• Once the mode is set, remove the safety key.

Method # 2 to toggle Demo mode:
• press and hold the STOP button for about five seconds.

Remember to properly connect the safety key to the treadmill.

9. Does the treadmill need a planned maintenance?

First, regularly check the tension on the belt. You must be able to lift the running belt 5-6 cm from the platform toward the center. You should also carry out regular cleaning and lubrication. Follow the instructions provided in the manual or see our blog for more information.

10. Other faults.

Failure to read the speed sensor.

Magnetic sensor: unplug the treadmill and remove the motor cover. The sensor is located on the frame near the front roller pulley. There's a magnet glued on the front roller pulley. When adjusting the sensor, make sure it is pointed directly at the magnet. Move the sensor so that it passes to 2/3 mm far from the magnet. Also, check that the wire is not damaged and is connected to the controller.

In case of no-reading, purchase a replacement sensor.

Optical sensor: unplug the treadmill and remove the motor cover. Optic disc (encoder) and sensor are located at the end of the motor or on the right side of the front roller. Optic disc rotates between two optical sensors. The disk must rotate freely without touching the sensor roughly in the middle of the two sensors. The sensor can be moved by loosening the adjusting bolt.

In case of no-reading, purchase a replacement sensor.

In case of other faults, check out our blog for more information.

How to conserve your treadmill?

Exposed to dust, drops of sweat and bacteria, the treadmill must be maintained regularly. Ongoing maintenance of equipment optimizes performance and longevity. It is not easy to carry a treadmill from the store when you buy it, because it's heavy and bulky. That is why we offer a variety of services for repair and maintenance. But, if you simply follow the below maintenance steps regularly, your equipment will operate well for a long time.



Why taking care of your treadmill?

The treadmill is accessible to external agents such as dust. It can build up in the engine compartment. That may block the cooling fans, and expose the engine or the electronics to overheating and thus reduce the duration. So, clean the running belt and vacuum the motor housing regularly. You also have to clean the environment near the equipment to prevent the accumulation of dust. In addition, as the treadmill involves all the muscles of the body, it is obvious that you sweat during exercise. The humidity generated from the drops of sweat does rust metal parts. Just spray a little quantity of 100% special silicon lubricant spray Silic One on metal parts to create a thin protective layer. Sweat will slip away and the metal parts will be protected.



Where to put the device to facilitate cleaning?

Before cleaning, make sure the unit is placed on a flat surface. If the floor has some flaws, compensate them by choosing an appropriate level of adjustment of the feet. This is also better for the walking belt and the engine of the treadmill. To simplify the matter, place a mat under the equipment to collect the dirt coming out of the cleaning job.



Clean the treadmill parts

Take a cloth moistened with water to clean the different pieces of hardware. To minimize friction between the belt and the wooden deck, reduce engine wear and prolong the life of the tread, it is essential to lubricate the running deck. When necessary adjust running belt, following the directions on our blog. This simple operation is important for optimal functioning of the equipment. Some models are pre- lubricated, but the treatment will be effective only for a short period, at most in the first year of use. Later it is therefore necessary to carry out the lubrication. Silicon based lubricants are recommended for effective maintenance of the equipment.



Small gestures to remember

Prevent premature wear of the walking belt, making sure it is straight and centered. To take better care of the treadmill, you should wear suitable shoes. They must be clean so that they don’t bring on the running belt any sand or gravel, which could damage it. The user may carry on some maintenance operations. By doing the necessary preventive care, you do not need to call a technician. However, for a complete evaluation of the treadmill, consider calling a qualified engineer, especially for products intensively used in gyms.



Follow the instructions of the user manual for the treadmill

After receiving the treadmill, be sure to read the instruction manual that came with it. The most important thing is that all the equipment must be powered by a single-phase 220 V grounded socket. Often there isn’t any specific statement regarding the duration of use of the treadmill. However, before another workout session, you must leave the treadmill rest for at least 2 hours if you used continuously for about 45 minutes. This applies to all equipment with direct current (DC). You can use AC motors treadmills much more without any risk of damage.



Monitor the tightening and lubrication of the walking belt

If the walking belt of the tread is still new, we recommend that you carefully monitor its centering and tension for a few days. After that, you need to clean, lubricate and regularly check the walking belt. In the event that it isn't enough tighten, you can adjust by turning two bolts. However, if it is too tight, turn these two bolts opposite. Follow the instructions on the blog and avoid the risk of overtighten the walking belt. This could in fact bring problems to the treadmill.


If the belt is too old, it’s better to replace it to safeguard the electronic parts from premature wear.

The walking belt of the treadmill slips or skips

If the treadmill is in trouble, such as slips or skips, you don't always need to call a technician if you have a bit of dexterity. So we can save one or more calls to the technician. We try to follow these steps:
1.) Remove the motor cover paying attention: electronic parts inside are exposed which must not be touched with bare hands.
2.) Set the rate at about 2 mph, stand on the side rails. Then, with one foot, step on the tape to make him stop. Keep firmly handrail to avoid falling.
3.) If everything stops including engine, there is no problem.
4.) If the front roller keeps turning but the tape stops, this means that either the tape is too loose, or is worn and should be replaced. Internal textile canvas catches normally the drive roller when tightened correctly, even if it is lubricated. When the bottom of the belt is worn, it's too smooth and hasn't got sufficient elasticity/grip to grasp the front drive roller. Do not overtighten the running belt. If the running belt is old, replace it. An old overtightened belt can lead to premature failure of the controller and the engine itself, with much higher replacement costs than the belt itself.
5.) If the front roller stops when you get off the treadmill, but the pulley on the roller still turns partially, the front roller needs to be replaced or you have to better fix roller pulley on roller.
6.) If the belt and the pulley of the front roller stop, but the engine still turns, even partially, the drive belt needs to be tensioned or needs to be replaced. In this case, avoid extra-tension, if the belt is old and/or worn, it must be replaced.

Turdan Greenmaster installation

REMOVE THE SEEGER WASHER FROM THE FAN.

REMOVE THE FAN FROM THE MOTOR AND REINSERT IT TURNED 180° (ON THE CONTRARY).

REPLACE THE SEEGER WASHER OF THE FAN.

Installing treadmill motors with special motor fixing bands

Every time it is possible, installing the motor with special motor fixing bands instead of screws allows to obtain several advantages:

1) You get a perfect alignment between belt and pulley of the motor.

2) It avoids the use of excessively long screws, which my interfere with the motor armature.

3) You can tension easily the drive belt. Release (unscrew) the fixing bands which tighten and put the belt in place. Then tighten (screw) the fixing bands to tighten the drive belt.

The treadmill run normally without a person above but hangs or misbehaves when someone steps on it above/Smell or smoke comes out of the treadmill during use

If the treadmill operates normally without a person above, but slows or behaves abnormally as soon as you step on it, the most likely causes are:

1) running belt and/or the running deck are worn. (85% of cases).

2) running belt or the drive belt is too tighten, think about this especially if you have recently adjusted. (8% of cases).

3) motor lost torque or is demagnetized. (5% of cases).

4) controller is problems. (2% of cases)

Under these conditions, do not attempt to operate the treadmill until you understand exactly where the problem originates and solve it. You may otherwise damage other components thus increasing the cost of recovery.

Worn deck:

normally it is easy to identify if the deck is worn out. The table is covered with a perfectly smooth thin layer. If the layer is worn out or there are hollows, bumps or actual cracks, deck must be replaced. You should use a perfectly straight iron bar in order to check whether the table surface is flat as some low lying areas may not be visible to the naked eye. In some treadmills it’s possible to turn the deck upside down. This is common for professional gym equipment. Sometimes unsuitable lubricants and wax leave residues on the table, which must be removed. If you can avoid degreasers and aggressive products.

Worn belt:

It is not at all easy to identify if a belt is worn or not. Often the mere age of belt (regardless of usage) will make it unsuitable! It goes without saying, you should replace the belt if it shows cracks, tears or holes in the texture below. But often you should replace it even though the texture and the top surface looks in good condition. To check the degree of worn of the belt is necessary to assess the absorption (amperage) DC or AC depending on the treadmill. Solely looking at the belt or evaluating its feeling is unreliable. Unfortunately many service engineers neglect this aspect, because they don’t have the appropriate instruments to measure the absorption. It is difficult to measure the output current from the PWM controller. That’s because of the particular type of treadmill speed adjustment system (see other articles on our blog). If you are not able to take the current measurement, consider as general rule that if the treadmill works fine when no one and the problems start when a person gets on the belt, the belt is almost certainly to be replaced. Belts older than 5 years are to be replaced. This is especially true for some brands of sports equipment, such as Proform, Weslo, Nordic Track, Domyos, and in general for all treadmills assembled with components marked Greenmaster, GMD or Icon. Those manufacturers also produce as OEM for several brands. They use a basic economic belt, which often presents over time this kind of problem. Very thick belts (for example the so-called "orthopedic", over 2 mm thickness) tend to give more problems than standard belts.

Another type of test that can be done without special equipment is the tilt test. Set the treadmill at maximum incline and walk at 4 km/h. If the treadmill operates normally at high speed, and problems start if you lover, that’s symptom that you need to replace the belt. In fact the gravity effect counteracts the increased friction factor of the belt. Note that sometimes bad belts still pass this test.

Motor belt or belt too tight:

If you have adjusted the running belt or the drive belt recently, double check. On the treadmill, tight doesn't mean any better. You must be able to lift the belt in the middle (with the treadmill off) being able to pass a hand underneath without forcing. If too much tighten the belt gives problems, but make also sure you haven't created a dangerous/slippery situation. Check the instructions in this blog to tighten properly running belt and drive belt. It should be possible to rotate 90 degrees the drive belt / motor belt (with the power off) effortlessly by hands. Avoid it to be too tighten. Check the instructions in this blog for proper tension. New belts grip easily on the roller and don’t slip, thanks to their elasticity, so they need less tension. With a new belt, you can save much more costly repairs. You also reduce the electrical consumption of the treadmill, so it pays out.

Worn brushes / Motor demagnetized:

After many years of use, the engine may need a new pair of brushes. Removing the old brushes you can see if they wear. In that case you can buy a new set. Unfortunately sometimes the damage to the brushes is due to irregularity of the collector. However given the limited cost you can try to replace the brushes. If after some usage you notice an irregular consumption even of the new pair purchased, you will need to replace the motor.

The demagnetization of the engine is not common but it is fairly easy to diagnose. This happens more often on the engines marked ICON or MEGA MOTOR, and on motors with lower than 180V rated voltage. To test if the engine is demagnetized, dismount it. After removing the bolts and brushes holder, lift the engine cover and check whether the internal magnets attract metal objects with force. If they do, the magnets are intact, otherwise the motor must be replaced.

Other engine damages are due to breaks or short circuits in the armature filaments, usually caused by overheating. It is difficult to determine such situations without the use of special laboratory instrumentation.

There is some easy way to check if a motor is damaged. We can assume an engine damage:

- when the motor does not turn smoothly by hand,

- if you see leave little pieces of plastic/resin coming out from the rear fan

- if you open the motor and see "debris" of plastic on the armature.

All these symptoms indicate that the engine was overheating up to melt the resin insulation which insulates the individual filaments. In these cases, the engine needs to be replaced, but it should also be paid attention to proper maintenance to prevent the new engine from being damaged.

Controller:

It is one of the rarest cases. In most cases, the engineer will replace the controller but won't solve the problem which is more likely in the belt. Normally, to see if a controller is good, you can perform a simple test. The controllers have a current limiter that will automatically lower the power to prevent a short circuit when it finds something abnormal. For treadmills with DC motor (the most common for household), if you can measure with a current probe or an ammeter the output current from the controller. If the value reaches at least the 5A, the controller is OK and the fault is in other components. Another test that you can do is to bring the treadmill up to max speed without anyone on: if the controller is OK, it should reach full speed. This test could also fail due treadmill engine damage or problems in the speed sensor.

Finally one last suggestion, the controller should be replaced in the case does not bring any voltage to the motor output (symptom: the motor does not move) or is shorted (symptom: the motor is at full speed and you can’t adjust it). To do this test is advisable to connect a bulb to the outputs M+ and M- of the controller instead of the original engine. By starting the treadmill and pressing + and – speed, it should be possible to adjust the intensity of the light bulb for a few seconds. If the bulb does not light or lights fully and you can not adjust the brightness, then the controller it must be replaced.

How to replace treadmill parts and repair it

If you have e a problem on the treadmill, you want to know definitely the magnitude of the problem, if there is one or more damaged pieces, and know how to repair them.

The first thing you should consider is if the equipment is still under warranty. Sometimes treadmills are sold without warranty or the warranty does not cover certain types of faults, for example those caused by incorrect maintenance. Therefore, if your treadmill is not equipped, you will have to buy some replacement parts to fix your treadmill. The most effective way to find replacements is buying on the internet, through sites such as www.partsfortreadmill.com. Always contact a specialist in order to have quality parts. Component manufacturers often improve their parts (especially electronic) due to changes in technology and it is better to buy the latest versions which usually address various defects in earlier versions (p.es. reduce electricity consumption).

Running belt is one of the pieces that gets damaged more easily. It requires a little research before you buy it and replace it. Be careful because the part has to be compatible with your machine. Contact specialized companies and with a wide range of standard products. If you purchase a standard size belt it will be easier to replace it with another one in case you mistake size. Customized ones are almost impossible to replace in case of mistake. Also, the age of the running belt is very important. After a few years (regardless of usage) the belt loses some of its elasticity. Some dealers keeps the belt in stock for years. If the belt comes from old stock, you might buy a belt with a high friction factor and this can cause problems to your treadmill.

The best way to reduce need of repairs is to buy a quality treadmill, reliable and suitable for your needs. Many people and dealers still think that for rehabilitation and walking any treadmill could be fine. It’s the opposite! Treadmill undergoes heavy load, because it must "carry" the user and thus acts more like a conveyor belt than as a treadmill. For rehab and walking it’s much better to choose products with AC motor (the same technology used on commercial gym equipment). Unfortunately many people still don’t know this. Shops with experience in service will suggest you a good deal and guarantee that your investment will last over time. In addition, if you take care of your treadmill, you’ll reduce the risk of damages.