"BCDrums" wrote in message
. ..
Toller wrote:


Well... unless you had a very long circuit it would not matter. And, as
someone said, it would affect the TV more; assuming you had both on at
the same time. If you don't have the TV on, it is a dedicated circuit.

It's about a 35' run from the panel to the treadmill. And I ALWAYS have
the TV and stereo on when I'm using the treadmill- it is a tedious way to
exercise!


If you had a very long circuit (opposite corner of the house from the
panel, 3 stories apart...) you could have had excessive voltage drop, and
that might have caused the motor to fail. It is most unlikely, but if
you want to test it, turn the treadmill on while watching the voltage
with a volt meter. If it dips significantly, you might need a heavier
cable.
I put the probes of a multimeter into the outlet into which the treadmill
is plugged, which is downstream of the TV/Stereo. The meter didn't move
when the TV and stereo powered up. Then I turned on the treadmill and took
it up to our usual speed. Again, the meter did not move. Is this a valid
test for voltage drop?

If it showed 120v and didn't drop when you turned the machine on, you are in
good shape.
35' is certainly too short a distance to have substantial voltage drop
anyhow.

Many treadmills have DC motors and don't have starting spikes. Your test
suggests you have one like that.
Like someone else said, the tech was crazy.