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Safety First:
A guide to proper maintenance
and safe use of your Pilates equipment.
For over 35 years, Balanced Body has been introducing
safety-related innovations to Pilates equipment. Many of our
improvements are now industry standards, resulting in Pilates
equipment that’s safer today than ever before.
Safety depends on proper maintenance and safe use, in addition
to the quality of the equipment. This guide was created to help
you use and maintain your equipment for optimum safety. Please
read it through carefully and keep for future reference. If you have
any questions, give us a call.
Failure to follow these instructions
may result in serious injury.
Springs
Spring inspections are critical to maintain your equipment in
safe operating condition. All Balanced Body springs should be
replaced at least every two years. Certain environments and
usages can shorten the expected life of the springs and you may
need to replace the springs more frequently. Therefore, it is very
important to inspect springs on a regular basis since worn or
old springs lose resilience and may break during use. Injury may
result if a spring breaks during use.
During use, do not allow springs to recoil in an uncontrolled
manner. This will damage the spring and shorten its expected life.
Inspect springs for gaps and kinks (weekly or monthly,
depending on frequency of use).
Look for gaps and kinks
between the coils when the spring is at rest. It is not unusual
for the spring to have a very small gap on the tapered end (a
gap is sometimes created during the manufacturing process).
However, there should be no gaps in the body of the spring. If you
see any gaps or kinks in the body of the spring, discontinue use
and replace the springs immediately. See Figure 1. Additionally,
corrosion anywhere on the coils will shorten the life of the spring.
Discontinue using the spring immediately if you see any rust or
oxidation during inspection.
Kink
Figure 1
Rope and strap wear (quarterly).
Ropes should be replaced if you
can see the core of the rope through the outer lining, or if the
ropes are flattened. Straps should be replaced as soon as any
fraying is noticed. Be sure to check the sections of rope or straps
that attach to the clips and run through the pulleys.
Secure the carriage.
When your Reformer is not in use, be sure
that at least two springs secure the carriage to the springbar.
Footstrap under tension in box work.
When using the box and
footstrap, be sure the footstrap is under tension (with snaps
pulling from the top of the eyebolt) before beginning the
exercise.
REFORMER WHEEL AND TRACK MAINTENANCE
Clean the tracks and wheels (weekly).
For smooth carriage travel
and to maintain the longevity of the wheels, we recommend that
you wipe down the tracks once a week.
Disconnect the springs and clean the entire length of the tracks
with a soft cloth and a mild commercial cleaner such as Simple
Green®, Fantastik® or 409®. Do not use abrasive cleansers or
pads, as they can damage the anodizing on the rails. To clean
the wheels, hold the cloth against the wheels while you move the
carriage. If you feel a bump in the ride, dirt has adhered to the
surface of the rails or wheels. Clean hair and debris out of the
rails. Hair can wrap around the wheel axles and eventually build
up and cause wheel failure. Use tweezers to remove hair from
the wheels.
