Spirit treadmill startup sequence, is this the right order?

[Thomas Martinez]

Saw a quick reference out there on how to power Spirit treadmills on and off, so figured I'd check with some folks who owns the treadmills.
To power on: flip on an wall outlet, hit the main switch located on the bottom front of the exercise deck, insert the safety key into the deck, and press the Start button. To turn the treadmill off: simply pull the safety key from the treadmill and turn the power at the wall outlet.
It seems straightforward but I'm just curious as to how most people operate the treadmills. I'd imagine that most people leave the main switch on at all times and only use the safety key and Start button to turn the treadmill on and off. I'd think that flipping the main switch off at the wall outlet every time someone exits the treadmill could be overkill though; maybe if kids plays on the treadmill it would be a necessity to limit there ability to use it without supervision or to limit the standby draw of the treadmill. But I'd imagine that leaving the treadmill on all the time with the main switch probably do contribute to wear and tear on the console and display.
It seems that the treadmill manual doesnt mention anything about lubrication or adjusting the belt to the center position prior to stepping on the treadmill. Maybe its a separate topic altogether though. So, does anyone happen to own a Spirit treadmill and know for sure which switches must be used to start the treadmill?

 

[Amused Albatross]

For about 6 years I've had an XT485. The steps is all good but I leave the main switch on 24/7 and only use the wall outlet switch when I'm going away for more than a week. The console has held up well.

 

[Inquisitive Iguana]

why would flipping the wall outlet every single time matter? is the standby draw on these actually significant or is that just paranoia

 

[Tense Tuatara]

manual says what it says for a reason. Follow it.

 

[Funny Fowl]

lol nobody actualy walks over and flips the wall switch every day. That's a CYA line in the manual

 

[Inquisitive Iguana]

why would flipping the wall outlet every single time matter? is the standby draw on these actually significant or is that just paranoia

has anyone actualy measured the standby watts on a Spirit? Like is it 1w or 15w because that changes the math a lot

 

[Quaint Quail]

You're missing the real reason for the wall switch step. It's for surge protection. The Spirit exercise boards (as others have said) fail from voltage spikes that occur during storms. It's the electrolytic caps on the rectifier side that fail, they're weak point on the exercise boards. If you leave the treadmill on 24/7 in an area with iffy power, you WILL have to eventually replace that exercise board. Out of three that I've replaced in the last two years, two were for customers who owned treadmills without the ability to turn off the power at the wall outlet. A decent surge strip will protect the board and the treadmill will last longer.

 

[Unbeli]

Belt centering before starting the press is not something we usually have to do each day, unless it’s once a month or whenever the press feels off. However, we do lube the press every 3 months or as noted by the hour counter if the model has one.

 

[Funny Fowl]

You're missing the real reason for the wall switch step. It's for surge protection. The Spirit exercise boards (as others have said) fail from voltage spikes that occur during storms. It's the electrolytic caps on the rectifier side that fail, they're weak point on the exercise b…

Three boards in two years is not exactly a statistically significant sample dude

 

[Quaint Quail]

Three boards in two years is not exactly a statistically significant sample dude

It’s not a study, it’s field experience. Do what works for you and replace the board when it pops.

 

[Mysteri]

Mine is an XT285 so the main switch on the press is difficult to reach so I just leave it on. Key in, press start, done. Shutdown is just pulling the key and walking away. Nothing but a few start up noises since I bought it 4 years ago.

 

[Inquisitive Iguana]

Wait does the safety key alone power the console or just start the circuit? I feel like those are two different things.

 

[Amused Albatross]

Wait does the safety key alone power the console or just start the circuit? I feel like those are two different things.

Safety key doesn’t do anything besides allow the motor controller to accept a start command. The console will wake up when you turn the main switch on.

 

[Scottish Bible Basketb]

Honestly the manuals for these things can vary from year to year. For older spirits models the main switch was the only switch. For newer models there is a soft on console that stay on standby so the main switch can be left off. So both responses are technically true depending on the year the spirit model was manufactured.

 

[Stormy Stag]

sole f80 gang checking in, wrong thread sorry

 

[Inquisitive Iguana]

Honestly the manuals for these things can vary from year to year. For older spirits models the main switch was the only switch. For newer models there is a soft on console that stay on standby so the main switch can be left off. So both responses are technically true depending on…

Ok so if the console is soft on then basically leaving it plugged in every day will reset the console every time right? Seems like it would be worse for the caps.

 

[Quaint Quail]

Ok so if the console is soft on then basically leaving it plugged in every day will reset the console every time right? Seems like it would be worse for the caps.

The inrush current when the console starts up is harder on the relay and bridge rectifier than leaving it on standby. However the spike when there is no protection is worse than a thousand power cycles. Pick your poison.

 

[Tense Tuatara]

Surge strip + leave main switch on + pull key when done. That’s the move.