There are two schools of thought, one which favors the use of lifting belts arguing they protect lumbar spine from injuries and the other which counters it by saying that belts provide only a false sense of security.
To start with, having a good technique for performing lifts is a must. If the technique is not proper and you are transferring the load from the muscle intended to somewhere else, you might get injured anyway. The belt is only a support system which is intended to share certain amount of load when going for huge poundages of weight. Having a belt for low or medium weight sets is totally uncalled for.
Using belts creates a false sense of security in the mind, and people often start cheating on their sets being assured that counter affects of any wrong movements will be taken care of by the lifting belt. This not only spoils your technique for ever, but also does not allow lower back muscles to develop to share some load when subjected to.
Also, there is a misconception i found among many of my fellow gymers that wearing the belt all the time helps in getting a flat abdominal section. This is absolutely incorrect. Infact wearing the belt all the time, may actually weaken the abdominal muscles in the long run.
Having said all that, I use the belt myself while working out. However i use it only when i am going for heavy poundages for exercises such as squats, dead lifts, and overhead presses. Warming up the body with light and medium weight before moving onto heavy weights is a must even if u plan to use a belt. Don't jump onto heavy weights directly, believe me you can get the same results or even better ones if you go easy on weights but with the correct technique.
Still, if you have to use lifting belts, crank it tight enough to feel it pressed against your lumbar section while you bend backwards.
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