How to Replace Office Chair Cylinder the Easy Way

 

If your beloved office chair doesn't seem to be working properly lately, your gas cylinder may be the culprit. Every adjustable office chair has some sort of gas spring that moves up and down. This is often the best part of an office chair, but when it stops working, the chair can become a big problem, so we'll walk you through replacing your office chair cylinder.

If the chair keeps going down or doesn't go down when the lever is pressed, the gas cylinder may be defective or worn. But you don't have to replace the entire chair. You can easily replace gas cylinders and save money.

This guide will help you identify a faulty gas cylinder, show you how to remove it and guide you to replace it with a new one. So check out these easy steps to fix your office chair cylinder.

What is a gas cylinder

A gas cylinder on an office chair is a metal chamber filled with imperceptible liquid and gas, or just a pressure-allowing gas mixture, allowing you to raise and lower the chair at will.

Gas cylinders usually contain pressurized nitrogen gas and oil to lubricate moving parts. This allows the chair to move up and down, which is an integral part of the chair.

How to choose the right substitute?

The best way to find the right replacement is to consult your chair's instruction manual or look at the gas cylinder your chair model uses.

Because chairs vary in weight capacity and mechanics, you can't get an old cylinder, so installing the wrong cylinder can permanently damage your chair.

tools needed

• protective gloves

• Cloth or newspaper to protect work area

• Pipe wrench or screwdriver

• Wooden or rubber mallet

• Oil or WD-40 (optional)

How to remove an old cylinder

1. Prepare your workspace. Turn your office chair upside down and keep the wheels in the air.

2. Gently tap the star base away from the underside of the seat with a rubber mallet. You should now be able to easily pull the base off the seat.

3. Gently tap the cylinder to remove the cylinder from the chair mechanism. This is where a pipe wrench comes in handy to clamp it securely to the gas strut so you can spin and pull the bottle out. This takes some force, but not too much, and if it doesn't come off, lubricate it with oil or WD-40 to make it easier to slip out. Voila! They took out the broken gas cylinder.

How to put in a new cylinder

1. Now insert a new gas cylinder. This is much easier than removing the cylinder. You just have to put it where you took out the old cylinder. Insert the cylinder, bottom first into the chair's mechanism and it should snap into place.

2. Make sure the gas cylinder is secure and test the chair for proper operation. That's it!

bottom line

Cylinders are not as complicated as they seem. If your chair is in good condition, it can be quickly replaced without tools. Remember to be careful when handling the chambers as they are filled with compressed gas that can be dangerous.

But with this guide, you should be able to easily replace the gas lift and adjust the height of the chair in no time.