Have you been pondering lately, "Why does my desk chair keep sinking?" whenever you use it for sitting? What is going on with the chair, and why is it happening? It's not only you who is thinking about it. This can happen to your chair after a few years of regular use, like many others. The piston that lets air in and out controls the valve of your seat height level.
When your chair keeps sinking, this means that a pipe that is also called a chair cylinder is no longer working. In order to fix this problem, you will either have to change the piston or buy a new chair. Replacement of the piston of your office chair can be challenging as well as sometimes not possible too. The cylinder of the chair is not a very sensitive thing that stops working after a few years, but lack of proper maintenance and oiling issues cause cylinder leakage.
However, after the use of many years, the cylinder may become damaged. This period will depend on the class of the chair itself. Anyway, the point is that the cylinder will need repair at some point. Most desk-chair cylinders flop because of faulty seals. They become too defective to sustain the required pressure. As such, you need a way to repair their functionality.
Desk Chair sinking reasons:
If your desk chair keeps on sinking whenever you sit or get off the chair, it could happen due to many reasons. It would help if you found them so that you can know how to fix them. The common could be a loosely adjusted cylinder. For this, you need to change it to a suitable height. For this purpose, trace the lever under the chair. You can find it around the right front corner. Another issue of the sinking has to do with the adjusting valve. If it is fixed incorrectly, it fails to control airflow due to which air gets into the cylinder and makes the spring behave irregularly.
For a quick fix you can watch below videos to fix your sinking chair.
1. Use of the Oil - video
2. Jubilee Clip method - video
Use of PVC or Vacuum Extension Wand
Lift the seat yourself to the height you find most relaxed. This may be the fully extended position of the chair. Raise the chair and its seat post out from the bottom and its casters. Now, lay the chair flat on the floor of your workspace. Cut off with a tool any decorative collars around the seat post. Place the base back on the seat post momentarily, so it seats fully, and spot the top of the bottom on the seat post. Now cut to fit the length between your marks a piece of white PVC pipe, such as a new wet-dry vacuum extension wand, which has the benefit of being black and less visible. In the end, place the cylinder on the seat post and move the seat post back onto the base.
For step by step guide you can watch this video.
Use Shim kit
You can also buy ready-made kits to fix your office chair. Raise the chair to its maximum position and raise the cylinder skirt to attach the plastic, C-shaped spacers.
You can put one spacer at a time and press one by one the rod until the spacers grip the seat at your knee level when standing. Sit down on the seat to start the bond between the spacers.
Fix your Desk Chair using A Hose Clamp
In this method, you can start by removing its plastic skirt so that you can measure the cylinder. To do this, you can put the chair to lie on its back. If the plastic skirt is still in the way, you can remove it all. Put the chair on its back; remove the wheels, and then the skirt. This should give you more room to work in.
For a video guide on how to replace the cylinder of a chair you can click here.
Raise your chair according to your desired height. This method will give you fixed permanent results. As such, you won't be able to alter the height after repair. This means that you need to get this stage right. Ensure that the height you settle on is comfortable enough even when you'll be sitting for long periods. Loosen the hose clamp so that you can wrap it around the metal cylinder. Ensure that the clamp fits well before you tighten. Once you are sure about its position, tighten it as much as you can around the cylinder. Remember, the tighter it is, the better will be the result. Then, clean the cylinder of any dirt or oil, then wrap it with duct tape.
Drill screws for fixing
Set your chair to your preferred height. Flip it on its back, so the wheels are facing your feet. Remove any cover if the chair has. Once you've done this complete process, it will be hard to change the height in the future. Make sure that it is still the correct height for you before you continue, and you might want to put a mark in that spot with a marker to make it easier. Use a drill for making a hole in the middle of the shaft right where it meets the base of the chair, but don't forget to use a drill bit that is the exact size for the screw you will be using. Don't strip the screw if you plan to alter the height in the future. Now, insert the screw into the hole you just drilled out and tighten it as much as you can. If you do this correctly, the chair will no longer sink and can be used again as a new chair.
Conclusion
To get the most excellent results, stick to the instructions given above. In this way, you won't experience much trouble when you need to fix your sinking desk chair. This will help you preserve your environment. Also, it will enable you to continue using that office chair that you like so much. So say goodbye to that irritating chair that keeps sinking by following these methods. The tools used for fixing a sinking chair cost very low and are easy to find. So, whenever you are pondering why my desk chair keep sinks, you know correctly what to do.