*grump*

[ksmith]

I was jogging on the treadmill, getting ready to kick up the speed, when the lights and TV went off and the treadmill stopped dead. My first thought was that the power had gone out, but before I had the chance to swear loud and long, I saw that the floor fan in the kitchen was still running.



So, something threw the regional breaker. I grabbed a flashlight and trudged downstairs, reset the sucker, then came back up, got back on the treadmill, turned it on, chose the program, and...nothing. The console came on, but the belt didn't budge.

I called the company. The likely verdict? A motor board, which would cost $175 + $10 s/h to replace. The belt itself could be going as well. A replacement costs $73.32, and ups the s/h to $35.

It's probably my fault that the thing went. I bought the treadmill as a rebuilt on eBay in late 2004, and I haven't performed any of the preventive maintenance, including lubricating the belt. My bad. I'm usually really good about PM, but not this time.

I confess that I don't know what to do. I would have to install the board and belt myself, and while the odds are decent that they're the problem, there's no guarantee that I would install them properly and a small chance that they're not the issue. Toss in a few hundred bucks more, and I could get a new outlet or rebuilt treadmill. The drawback is that the folding models weigh three hundred pounds, so I would have to ask someone to help me assemble it.

Yes, I hate asking for help. Why do you ask?

For what I would spend for the parts, I could buy a 6-month membership at the gym that's two minutes from my house, and use top of the line equipment that someone else has to worry about maintaining. But I like working out at home. I don't have to think about what I'm wearing or what I look like, and after I'm done, the shower is 10 steps away. Yes, my house is that small, and I am that antisocial.

Boy, do I sound like a grump or what?

Anyway. Thinking. Hope I don't burn out a board.

Comments

[thebluerose.livejournal.com]

Do you need a folding one?

If it was me in your circumstances, if you consistently used the one at home, get another one. Seems to suit your requirements.

And if the broken one has already blown some bits, there are likely to be other bits ready to go next - like motors and such.

Dont repair the one you have, get another new/refurb/ebay one and invest your money there :)

And yeah, if you need help to set it up, then bribe them with cooking, always well received :)

[auriaephiala.livejournal.com]

This.

My experience is that if I have to get out to do something, it's not going to get done nearly as often. Particularly in the winter.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

I fear that as well.

A co-worker gave me a tip on good deals on treadmills at a local big box. I may need to hold off a couple of months to save up the cash, though, so I may join some local gym for a while at least. By the time the snows start, I should have a new treadmill.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Well, when I go to the gym, I never worry about what I look like, though I'll admit that I come back home to shower. That said, it sounds like working out at home fits your routine, so I'd agree that getting a replacement treadmill is likely your best choice.

[difrancis.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on the at home and shower. Not only that, but when you get motivated, you don't have to go anywhere but onto the machine so that you cant talk yourself out of it.

I hope you can fix it. I got an elliptical a couple of years back and the electrical parts are the readouts, but I can use the machine without electricity. Never thought of how good a thing that might be, but now . . .

I guess there's walking outside. But then again, once winter hits, that options isn't so great.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

And on days like today, where the humidity equals the temp, and the temp is in the 80s, I am drenched by the time I walk to the garage. Running in this would be about as pleasant as a root canal.

[difrancis.livejournal.com]

yuck on humidity. I think root canal might be more pleasant.

[silvergryphyn.livejournal.com]

It's probably worth checking on Craigslist to see what's out there. You might find someone else's "clothing rack" for a good price. It's also a possible to way to dispose of the current one, as in free for parts sort of thing.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Yanno, I never think of Craigslist.

My concern would be transport and set-up. Unless it was an unbelievable deal....

[silvergryphyn.livejournal.com]

So true on the transport front. It is how I got rid of an old treadmill. Free, but you've got to move it. That might be worth it, in the other direction if you have a friend with a truck or motorcycle trailer.