How to clean treadmill deck?

chrisjs

I just had to replace the walking belt on my 2014 Sole F63 treadmill. When I took the old belt off, I saw that the deck was pretty dirty with lint, dust and old lube. How should I go about cleaning it before I put the new belt on? Should I just wipe it down with a rag? Use water, soap or some kind of cleaning spray?

KevinC

just wipe it down with a rag and then relubricate.

chrisjs

Thanks. Also, the description of the new belt says its pre-lubricated, although I dont really feel any lubricant on it. Does this mean I should NOT lube the deck before we start using the new belt?

KevinC

you should. we send a tube of lube along with the belts and it should be used right away

chrisjs

Ok. Guess it wouldnt hurt, right?
it says:

All treadmill walking belts are shipped pre-lubricated unless requested
otherwise. Any additional lubricant purchased or shipped is for use on
any future lubricant application needed.

KevinC

I would lube it just to be sure it has adequate lubrication

chrisjs

Just one more question if you dont mind. How tight should the walking belt be? Should the belt be touching the deck when no one is standing on it or should it be raised slightly above it? If so, how far above? I marked where the rear roller should be but I think I possibly made the belt a bit too tight. How can you tell if its too tight?

KevinC

just tighten it enough so that it doesn't slip. Generally, you want to be able to lift the edge of the belt about 2-3 inches half way between the front and rear rollers

chrisjs

OK, I can barely lift it up 2 inches so I should probably loosen it some. The belt also seems to be scraping the motor cover which means its probably too elevated from tension.