Unplugging Treadmill after every use

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FB01
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Unplugging Treadmill after every use

Post by FB01 »

Hi,

I have got Pro-Form Treadmill from Costco. In the manual, they have mentioned that after every use, I need to turn off the switch and unplug the wire. So before using every day, I will need to plug in the wire and turn on the switch and after I am done unplug and turn off the switch.

How does this help the treadmill or does is save electricity? I am not sure what is their intent by mentioning this in the manual but do anyone of you unplug the wire from the treadmill after every use - everyday?

Thanks,
Thanks, | FB
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dm200
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Re: Unplugging Treadmill after every use

Post by dm200 »

FB01 wrote:Hi,
I have got Pro-Form Treadmill from Costco. In the manual, they have mentioned that after every use, I need to turn off the switch and unplug the wire. So before using every day, I will need to plug in the wire and turn on the switch and after I am done unplug and turn off the switch.
How does this help the treadmill or does is save electricity? I am not sure what is their intent by mentioning this in the manual but do anyone of you unplug the wire from the treadmill after every use - everyday?
Thanks,
No knowledge or experience with this tradmill, but I use treadmills all the time at the gyms I frequent.

Just a guess that this is a "safety" and "risk" issue. At the gym, for example, I have seem children (they are not supposed to do this) get on the tradmills and start them up. If it is unplugged, children or others not aware of the dangers, will not be injured.

My other "hot button" about tradmills is related to risk of injury. Almost nobody (except my wife and I) use the clip that stops the treadmill. It is on every treadmill I have used. You clip it onto your belt or clothing and if you fall, the tradmill stops. If you fall with the tradmill running and your clothing and/or body part gets stuck in the moving parts, you could be severaly injured - or even death!

Treadmill injuries send thousands to the ER every year http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015 ... /26898487/
orca91
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Re: Unplugging Treadmill after every use

Post by orca91 »

Maybe they know most home treadmills turn into clothes hangers? :happy

I would imagine it's a safety/liability thing. Leaving it plugged in may draw a little electricity when not in use, but probably minimal.

If it's just you home or you and a spouse, leave it however you want it when not in use. If kids are around or others that may goof off on it, maybe follow the directions to turn off and unplug.
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dm200
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Re: Unplugging Treadmill after every use

Post by dm200 »

Maybe they know most home treadmills turn into clothes hangers? :happy
VERY TRUE!

For $90 a YEAR, my wife and I can use any of several county gyms where there is an indoor 1/8 mile track at one, wtights and weight equipment, treadmills, ellipticals (2 or 3 types), starionary bikes (2 types) arm/leg climber, rowing machines, and several types of stairmaster. Never have to worry about buying the machines, losing interest in one or another, or repair maintenance.
lightheir
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Re: Unplugging Treadmill after every use

Post by lightheir »

Nope. Never heard of such a thing. Treadmill cords in addition tend to be very thick, short, and heavy, so they're harder to tangle. My Sole F80 cord is pretty untangleable, so I can't imagine why anyone would need to unplug it.

Despite the reality that home equipment can often become clothes hangers, treadmills do have a better rate of continued use compared to most of the others, although I still def would only recommend buying one if you're already a regular runner that knows what they're doing, and NOT to buy one if you're just thinking of getting into running.

My home setup is a Sole F80 + sturdy metal TV stand + 32" Roku enabled TV _ bluetooth headphones = GREAT run training bar none. On my non-hammer run days, I watch pretty much all my TV on the treadmill while running at least an 8min/mile pace - it's amazing. Wife loves it too. An amazing tool for both racers like myself, as well as for my casual running wife who tends not to run outdoors in dark, high heat, or low colds.
Lindrobe
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Re: Unplugging Treadmill after every use

Post by Lindrobe »

I have a treadmill that I use all the time (it is definitely not a clothes hanger). Anyhow, I unplug it after each use in case my house is to get a power surge from an electrical storm. My mom had a whole house full of electronics that were all ruined when she got a power surge in a storm.
navyasw02
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Re: Unplugging Treadmill after every use

Post by navyasw02 »

They're either saying that to reduce the likelihood of a cord trip hazard or because people probably dont plug it into a surge protector.
cpw84
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Re: Unplugging Treadmill after every use

Post by cpw84 »

I agree with the power surge and safety of leaving it on in case there are children who try to play with it. A surge protector that you switch off when not in use solves both problems and it probably more convenient than plugging and unplugging.
soboggled
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Re: Unplugging Treadmill after every use

Post by soboggled »

Safety issue. Damn things are treacherous, I'd rather take a nice walk or run anyway.
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Re: Unplugging Treadmill after every use

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

They never completely turn off. Like your cable box or cell phone charger or printer or tv or laptop charger.....when the off button is hit, it can still draw noticeable current. One of my coworkers recently went around with a kill-o-watt meter to see what kind of power various devices in his house drew when shut off. I don't remember him talking about a treadmill, but he did do his cable box. When on and fully running.....43 Watts. When shut off completely (still plugged in, obviously)....43 Watts.

I unplug my treadmill when it's not in use. Although I have access to some very nice, beautiful walking track, plus trails along a lake across the street from my house and live on a road designated as a scenic way, we get rain. I used my basement treadmill this past weekend and am quite happy that I only had to walk downstairs rather than drive the 25 minutes to the local YMCA and pay the $15 guest fee.
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soboggled
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Re: Unplugging Treadmill after every use

Post by soboggled »

OK, but exercise in the rain keeps you cool, it's only water. On a treadmill you can watch TV but I prefer the outdoor scenery. No electricity, no driving, no extra space needed.
Last edited by soboggled on Mon Oct 10, 2016 12:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Unplugging Treadmill after every use

Post by nisiprius »

As with other appliances, I think the big issue is the danger of starting it accidentally. The switch, wherever it is, probably doesn't take much force to turn it on, and a treadmill, turned on by accident, could be pretty hazardous. What could turn it on accidentally? Pets, small children, I guess. Unplugging it is more secure. (And... it might make it harder for anybody to sue them for product liability). In a sense a treadmill is more hazardous than a lot of other things, because it has a very big, exposed moving part that's driven by a powerful motor.

How important is it? Dunno. In our life, we've had two toaster fires, and we've seen someone else have one... very dramatic, once a piece of toast starts burning it isn't very long before the internal plastic parts start to catch on fire, too, and you have actual flame and a lot of smoke. My wife insists that we actually unplug our toaster between uses, and I don't argue.
Last edited by nisiprius on Mon Oct 10, 2016 12:34 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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stoptothink
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Re: Unplugging Treadmill after every use

Post by stoptothink »

Jack FFR1846 wrote:They never completely turn off. Like your cable box or cell phone charger or printer or tv or laptop charger.....when the off button is hit, it can still draw noticeable current. One of my coworkers recently went around with a kill-o-watt meter to see what kind of power various devices in his house drew when shut off. I don't remember him talking about a treadmill, but he did do his cable box. When on and fully running.....43 Watts. When shut off completely (still plugged in, obviously)....43 Watts.

I unplug my treadmill when it's not in use. Although I have access to some very nice, beautiful walking track, plus trails along a lake across the street from my house and live on a road designated as a scenic way, we get rain. I used my basement treadmill this past weekend and am quite happy that I only had to walk downstairs rather than drive the 25 minutes to the local YMCA and pay the $15 guest fee.
I would assume this is at least part of the reason. "Vampire" current draw is definitely a thing. When I started making a concerted effort to either hook up all electronics to a surge protector or simply unplug them when not in use, our electricity bill went down nearly 1/3 without changing anything else. Along with the safety reasons, it is worth the 2sec to unplug it after use for financial reasons as well.
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Re: Unplugging Treadmill after every use

Post by soboggled »

nisiprius wrote:As with other appliances, I think the big issue is the danger of starting it accidentally. The switch, wherever it is, probably doesn't take much force to turn it on, and a treadmill, turned on by accident, could be pretty hazardous. What could turn it on accidentally? Pets, small children, I guess. Unplugging it is more secure. (And... it might make it harder for anybody to sue them for product liability). In a sense a treadmill is more hazardous than a lot of other things, because it has a very big, exposed moving part that's driven by a powerful motor.

How important is it? Dunno. In our life, we've had two toaster fires, and we've seen someone else have one... very dramatic, once a piece of toast starts burning it isn't very long before the internal plastic parts start to catch on fire, too, and you have actual flame and a lot of smoke. My wife insists that we actually unplug our toaster between uses, and I don't argue.
Unplugging toaster is always a very good idea. The problem with most of the other stuff is it is so time consuming to unplug/plug/reset. Your estimate of savings on phantom energy is more than the Dept of Energy estimates for a typical family $100 or 5%-10%. Probably the worst is the refrigerator, which you can't tun off.
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Re: Unplugging Treadmill after every use

Post by stoptothink »

soboggled wrote:The problem with most of the other stuff is it is so time consuming to unplug/plug/reset. Your estimate of savings on phantom energy is more than the Dept of Energy estimates for a typical family $100 or 5%-10%. Probably the worst is the refrigerator, which you can't tun off.
Really dependent on your own usage. We use very little electricity as it is. Our AC is on a few times a year, we watch almost no TV, and make other concerted efforts to limit electricity use. When we hooked up everything to surge protectors or simply began unplugging them after use, our electricity bill went down nearly 1/3.
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dm200
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Re: Unplugging Treadmill after every use

Post by dm200 »

My initial reaction to using a treadmill (they have become very popular) was that I could get just as much benefit walking or jogging on a track (or path). I pretty much stopped jogging after having some back pain, so it was walking on the track. Then, after thinking about it, I began to use the treadmill in my exercise rotation because with a treadmill you can (and I do) go UP hill 100% of the time, and that is impossible to do on a track or path. By increasing the incline, you can also increase your "intensity" of walking into the "intensity" of jogging/running. Just walking on the track cannot reach the level of "huffing and puffing and sweating" that I want to reach some of the time. I would need to jog/run on the track to reach that.
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zaboomafoozarg
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Re: Unplugging Treadmill after every use

Post by zaboomafoozarg »

It is probably because some treadmills do not often handle power surges well.

My last treadmill was fried by a power outage that didn't damage anything else in the house. And of course the treadmill warranty had just expired, and they wanted about 75% of the cost of the treadmill to fix it.

So I just scrapped it and bought a cheap treadmill from a garage sale. But I unplug this one now when I'm done using it.
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dratkinson
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Re: Unplugging Treadmill after every use

Post by dratkinson »

If it must be shut off after use, would it be simpler to use:
--Switched outlet?
--Outlet on timer?
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Re: Unplugging Treadmill after every use

Post by randomguy »

dm200 wrote:
Maybe they know most home treadmills turn into clothes hangers? :happy
VERY TRUE!

For $90 a YEAR, my wife and I can use any of several county gyms where there is an indoor 1/8 mile track at one, wtights and weight equipment, treadmills, ellipticals (2 or 3 types), starionary bikes (2 types) arm/leg climber, rowing machines, and several types of stairmaster. Never have to worry about buying the machines, losing interest in one or another, or repair maintenance.
And you have to add a x min drive both ways to use it versus a 2 min walk to the treadmill. It is all about the value of your time and if having to spend it going somewhere to exercise prevents you from doing it.
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Toons
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Re: Unplugging Treadmill after every use

Post by Toons »

Nordic Track here for years.
Never unplugged.
:D
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Re: Unplugging Treadmill after every use

Post by Mudpuppy »

I have a very acrobatic cat that has managed to turn on my exercise bike multiple times by leaping on the console from the floor. This cat thinks the treadmill is a perfect cat bed. So I see that as a recipe for disaster and always unplug the treadmill after use. Takes no more than an extra 30 seconds.

And I also always use the safety shutoff clip, both at home and when I'm traveling and using hotel gyms. And the curious cat gets banished from the room while the equipment is in use.
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Re: Unplugging Treadmill after every use

Post by daveydoo »

Just put it on a power strip -- and preferably one tied to a wall switch. Ours is a club-level model and the cooling fan for the motor will run continuously as long as it's plugged in.
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