How to Fix an Office Chair that Keeps Sinking?

Don’t you hate it when your office chair keeps sinking?

You’re at the office, sitting on your comfy office chair, focused on doing your tasks… Suddenly, you feel a sinking motion.

No matter how many times you adjust it back, it will sink again. It’s a constant battle that’ll distract and annoy you.

This is a scenario that a lot of office chair users face.

If you’ve had enough of that, your first thought might be to replace it. But that’ll cost a decent amount of money.

So what should you do?

The good news is that you can fix this problem yourself. And, it won’t cost you much at all.

Here, we’ll give you step-by-step instructions on how to fix an office chair that keeps sinking.

Why do Office Chairs Sink?

If you want to fix the problem, you first need to know what the problem is. How come office chairs insist on sinking?

The thing that makes an office chair go up and down is a hydraulic or pneumatic metal shaft shaped like a cylinder.

Over time, the metal shaft wears out. This removes a lot of the liquid or gas pressure.

And since there’s now minimal pressure, the liquid or gas won’t be able to hold up the weight. You can still bring the height up, but it won’t last long before it sinks back down.

The metal shaft no longer does its job, keeping the office chair stuck down.

This is the reason why your office chair keeps sinking.

We marked out buying a new office chair. We’ll also mark out buying a new metal shaft. That’ll only give you more problems with how to install the new one.

So now, let’s get to the simplest ways to fix this kind of problem.

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How to Fix Your Office Chair Lift

There are 2 ways you can do this.

The first way is to keep your office chair fixed at a preferred height. The second way is to try to restore the metal shaft.

We’ll explain both ways in detail.

How to Give Your Office Chair a Fixed Height

The goal here is to stop the sinking by inserting some sort of barricade. This way, the metal shaft is supported and can no longer sink.

The most important thing that you’ll need for this is a poly insert coupling. Yes, the one that you use for irrigation or plumbing.

Keep in mind, though, that you can use anything as long as it’s a cylinder, has a hollow inside, and is sturdy. You can decide to use PVC tubings or even the pipe in a wet vacuum. Anything goes.

Step 1. Measure Size for the Poly Insert Coupling

To do this, put your office chair to the height you want. Since it’s going to be permanent, make sure it’s a height that’s the most comfortable for you while working at your desk.

Once you find the perfect height, you can start looking for the right poly insert coupling size.

The 2 things that you need to measure are its length and its diameter width.

The length of the coupling should reach the bottom of the seat to the top of the wheel base. The diameter should be the same thickness as the wheel base.

Step 2. Remove the End Clip

If you turn your office chair over, you’ll find an end clip that secures the wheel base.

Remove the end clip by slipping it out. You can do that by pushing it with your thumbs to one side. If that’s too hard, you can use a tool, like a screwdriver, to tap it off.

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Step 3. Remove the Wheel Base

Once you remove the end clip, the wheel base should come off easily.

You’ll find a washer under the end clip and another one after you remove the wheel base. If you can’t spot the 2nd washer, try looking for it inside the wheel base.

You need to set aside these 2 washers, along with the end clip. This is so you can reassemble your office chair when you’re finished.

Step 4. Remove the Plastic Sleeve

If your office chair has a plastic sleeve covering the metal shaft, you can throw that away. You won’t need it anymore because the poly insert coupling will take its place.

Don’t worry, the plastic sleeve is not important. Its only job is to improve the looks of your office chair.

Step 5. Insert the Coupling

To insert it, simply slip it over the metal shaft of your office chair.

Step 6. Reassemble

After that, place the wheel base back on. Make sure the washers are in place before securing it all together with the end clip.

To secure the end clip, push it on the opposite side you pushed it off. Again, it might go in with your thumbs or you might need to use a tool.

And there you have it. Your office chair won’t ever sink on you again.

It’s as simple as that.

How to Restore Your Metal Shaft

What if you still want to use the up and down lift of your office chair? Then try restoring the metal shaft.

You can do this in 3 simple steps.

First, remove the end clip and wheel base. Then, spray the metal shaft with WD-40 (below). After that, you can place back the wheel base and end clip.

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If you do that, you won’t experience sinking anymore and you’ll still be able to adjust the height. However, you have to repeat this process now and then if you want to keep the pressure. Say, about 3 to 6 months or sooner.

The amazing thing is that there’s no explanation of how it works. It just does.

If it doesn’t, it could be that the metal shaft of your office chair is beyond re-pressurizing. In this case, the best thing to do is to replace the hydraulic  or pneumatic  metal shaft.

Conclusion

If you’re getting annoyed and disturbed by your office chair sinking every few minutes, it’s time you take action.

But instead of spending so much on a new office chair or a new metal shaft, you can do your own DIY repair.

Follow any of the 2 DIY projects we gave here. And you’re well on your way to spending many hours of comfort on your office chair.

We hope that this has been a great help to you.

Last update on 2020-08-10 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API.