Before I purchased the treadmill for my treadmill desk, I thought my criteria would yield good results.  For the most part, this is true; I’ve been using my treadmill desk for well over a year without issue.

Recently, my treadmilldesk’s treadmill started making some grinding noises that corresponded to the belt speed.  Technology never heals itself, so I opened up the workings to take a look.  After the usual dust cleaning, I isolated the source of the noise.  An important piece of plastic had warped from heat.

The speed sensor consists of a tiny piece of circuitry that counts how often some teeth pass through it.  The teeth are on a wheel attached to the main treadmill motor.  The sensor is on a plastic housing that sits directly on the metal motor.  Guess what happens as the motor heats up?  Yes, the sensor housing softens and sags, leading to a condition where the teeth rub against the housing as they move.

Under the “normal” usage scenario, which consists of someone buying the treadmill, using it for a week, then putting plants on it until they sell it used, this piece of plastic would never distort.  However, if you actually intend to use your treadmill as a treadmilldesk, as I do, walking at 2.5MPH for 3-8 hours a day, you might want to consider getting a higher-end model that will last.

I will fix the sensor mount problem somehow, but when this treadmill finally does fail, the next one I get will be designed for long-term use.