How to Fix an Office Chair that Won’t Stay Up

It is a common problem that most cheap chairs become useless soon because of low-quality material and your all investment becomes smashed because of the chair’s hydraulic system failure. It feels so much worse when you have a heavyweight and sit on the chair, and its hydraulic system becomes off track.

In this situation, if the manufacturer does not offer a warranty, all your money is lost. But don’t worry, this guide will help you how to fix an office chair that won’t stay up.

The nitrogen gas inside the cylinder is responsible for chair lifting and seat height. When this gas leaks due to the weak seal of the cylinder, your chair becomes sunken, and you can not sit properly due to low altitude.

You are fully aware of how to fix an office chair that won’t stay up, and it is not a great deal as adjusting the chair’s pneumatic cylinder is quite an easy task. There are some common tricks to fix an office chair. But, before changing the chair, you need to analyze the typical mistakes causing the sinking of your chair. In our guide, you will learn in detail how to diagnose and fix the faults in your office chair.

Analyze the inner workings of the Pneumatic Cylinder of the office chair

If you do not fix your office chair, it will cause further investment. But, if you want to save your money, you need to identify the workings of a pneumatic cylinder. The working of the cylinder and height adjustments depend upon extreme air pressure. When you elevate and lower the height of your chair, air pressure will control the height adjustments by controlling the valve.

When air pressure remains constant in the cylinder of the chair, you can easily adjust the height of the chair. A seal of the cylinder keeps airtight. But when air pressure starts leaking, chair sinking occurs. All in all, faulty sealing is the primary source of air pressure.

Many gas lift cylinders are present in the market according to build quality and sealing. Still, the perfect office chair is a class 4 gas cylinder that provides excellent air pressure, but sometimes, it also causes air leakage.

But, unfortunately, changing the air sealing is not easy as it can cause an explosion of air pressure. But, if you want to solve the chair sinking problems, there are the following easy hacks to fix the issue of the pneumatic cylinder.

What is a Pneumatic Cylinder?

A pneumatic cylinder in an office chair is a type of gas spring that uses compressed air to adjust the height of the seat. It is a key component of most modern office chairs, as it allows users to easily adjust the height of their seat to their liking.

The cylinder consists of a hollow tube with a piston inside. When compressed air is pumped into the tube, it pushes the piston upwards, which raises the seat. The amount of pressure in the cylinder can be adjusted to allow for greater or lesser force required to raise or lower the seat.

The pneumatic cylinder is a simple and efficient mechanism that allows for easy adjustability and customization of office chairs, making them more comfortable and ergonomic for users of different sizes and preferences.

Use PVC Pipe Method

A PVC pipe or a plastic spacer is a perfect but temporary solution to solve the sinking chair issue. This piece of PVC pipe adjusts around the piston of the cylinder. When you change the seat height, this pipe will support the cylinder. At the start, analyze the already present seat height that needs to be fixed and then cut the pipe accordingly. You also need to cut the pipe in a larger width than the cylinder. Within no time, this method will solve the chair sinking issue. There are the following steps to use the PVC pipe method.

  • In the first step, measure the height of the chair and the cylinder’s diameter. In this way, you can find a good size PVC pipe.
  • Now, lift the plastic skirt and mark it on the cylinder.
  • Now, mark a rather large PVC pipe then the cylinder size,, and cut it with an electric cutter or a saw.
  • We suggest cutting the PVC pipe in two or three steps as one single line causes more trouble.
  • In the last, Snap the PVC pipe or two pieces of pipe into the cylinder of the chair. Cover the cylinder with duct tape to enhance the pipe grip.

Check out the YouTube Video Below.

Hose Clamp Method

In the PVC pipe method, you need various tools for cutting the pipe and extra force. That’s why many users want something easy for fixing office chair cylinders. One of its best methods is the Hose Clamp Method.

  • In the first step, pick the cylinder plastic skirt, measure the height of the chair that you want, and mark it.
  • Wrap a duct around the cylinder if you want a good grip on the hose clamp.
  • Most cylinder comes with 2-4 inches of diameter, so you can buy a jubilee clip to wrap it around the cylinder.
  • Then, screw the jubilee clip tightly around the cylinder to help the chair avoid sinking. You can change the hose clip’s height manually to adjust the size.

Chair Saver Kit

The Chair Saver Kit is the best budget-friendly option to tighten the gas cylinder within no time. A chair Saver Kit is a series of rings that holds the piston and lifts the gas cylinder. The calls keep the piston tight. That’s why you can lift the seat in minutes.

Chair Saver Kit is very safe and available with five years of warranty at meager prices. These rings are a universal fit, and you can buy them in large amounts once and then use for many times. When one call is broken, you can add a new one anytime.

Chair Riser

A chair riser is an excellent option if you want more methods and know-how to fix an office chair that won’t stay up. A Chair Riser is a bundle of buttons that are very helpful to raise the height of a chair. You need to add this set of controls to the chair’s legs. Chair Riser buttons come in different shapes, such as circular and triangles, and you can buy them according to the formation of office chair legs. Some chair risers can be fixed with the screw method, and some can be placed inside the grooves of the chair’s legs.

A chair’s wrong height affects the office work and can decrease your productivity, and you should deal with it as soon as possible. Buying a new chair can affect your budget, so adopt these methods and know precisely: how to fix a chair that won’t stay up.

Buy a new Gas Cylinder.

Though these everyday hacks are pretty straightforward and low costs, they may need to be done after a different interval of days. In this situation, our suggestion will be to replace of gas cylinder and buy a new one. If you buy a new cylinder and adjust it correctly according to the chair, it will increase the chair’s life to six years or more.

Though you can buy a quality cylinder, the brand-made cylinder will adjust perfectly to your office chair. However, getting a quality standard fit is not a wrong choice if it comes with a decent warranty. The process of replacing and fixing the sinking chair is quite simple and can be done in minutes.

Also Check This Guide: How to remove the chair cylinder

Wrapping Up

We are assured that you are fully aware of practical methods about; how to fix a chair that won’t stay up. A pneumatic cylinder replacement will cost more, but these standard life methods will adjust your chair’s height and perfect it at a meager cost. If you learn these methods, it will provide you with great help while doing this task without an expert.

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