I had a service call last week on what the customer referred to as a 40-year-old ProForm treadmill. The stated issue was that the treadmill would pop the onboard circuit breaker each time after a few minutes of use.
I use to see these older ProForm treadmills all the time a few years ago, but this was the first one in a year or two. They have a very distintive sound when running. So much so that I could tell your that it was a old ProForm just hearing it run, without seeing it.
I beleve that it was popping the circuit breaker because of the high dc amp draw being required by the drive motor to move the user due to the friction between the worn out treadbelt and the worn out deck underneath.
The more friction between these two surfaces the hard the motor has to work to move the user. This require more dc amps to be drawn through the motor controller (also referred to as a lower board). This was the most likely cause for the onboard circuit breaker to pop and cause the treadmill to shut down.
The logical fix was to replace the treabelt and the deck. This is where the issue of being too old to repair comes in. Both the treadbelt and the deck were obsolete.
Even if we were able to locate and purchase these items, many of the other parts were also obsolete like tle motor controller and the drive motor as well. It does not make a lot of sense to spend in the area of $500 for parts and installation of these parts in a 40-year old treadmill that would not be able to be repaired if another critical part were to fail. It would be better to invest those funds in a new treadmill.
The lifespan of a well used residential quality treadmill is about 15 years. Longer if the treadmill is well maintained and/or lightly or rarely used. After about that length of time replacement parts begin to become obsolete.
If however, your older treadmill is in good working order, then I recommend that your keep it well maintained and serviced, replacing the belt and deck as needed as long as they are still available.
Typically a walking belt on a well used treadmill needs to be replaced every three to five years. This can prevent higher repair costs with damage to the motor controller due to high amp draw caused by excessive friction.
Maine Treadmill Repair
