Maintaining your fitness equipment is not difficult and does not take a lot of time. But, it is imperative to ensuring the longevity of your equipment. These days more & more people are choosing to set up exercise areas in their homes rather than joining health clubs.

Having equipment in your home can be economical and very convenient. However, whether you spent £500 or £5,000 on a piece of equipment it still needs to be properly maintained to ensure years of trouble free use.

Listed below are some basic maintenance tips you can use to help keep your equipment operating trouble free.

Treadmills

Once per week use a damp cloth to clean the side rails and any part of the walking surface or deck that is visible. Dirt and dust are the enemies of your treadmills deck and walking belt.

Once per month run the treadmill without anyone on it. Check to make sure the treadbelt is centered. If the belt is not centered, it should be adjusted. (Refer to your owners manual for belt alignment / adjustment instructions)

Once per month run the treadmill to full speed for a few minutes to clean out any dirt or debris that has accumulated. Once per month check under the walking belt and on the tread board (deck) to ensure that an adequate amount of lubrication is present.

Dry Decks are a very common problem which could lead to damage to your Motor and/or Control board, we reccomend decklube which is available from Decklube.co.uk (Refer to your owners manual if you are not sure what type of lubricant your treadmill uses)

Every 6 months remove the motor hood and vacuum the motor area. Dirt and dust can settle on the motor's and electronic components and cause a short.

Elliptical

Once per week use a damp cloth to wipe down the ramps. Carefully check the wheels to make sure no foreign objects have become imbedded in them.

Gyms

Check all pulleys to make sure the cables are seated properly on them.

Check all cables to make sure the coating is in good shape and that none of the cables are frayed. If you find a frayed cable it should be replaced immediately. Lubricate the cables and pulleys with silicone.