Great office seats arent modest, particularly when you ensure that they’re ergonomic and agreeable enough to keep going us for the long workdays we persevere. Indeed, even after all of that, it seems like it simply quits working after several years sitting in our seats.
While it may look new and fit as a fiddle, the seat won’t stay set up and sinks. Regardless of whether you’ve burned through $200 on an office seat or more, no one ought to need to endure a sinking office seat.
All in all, would it be a good idea for you to simply toss out your sinking office seat, or would it be advisable for you to figure out how to fix a sinking office seat? You’ll set aside a ton of cash by attempting to fix a sinking office seat.
Anatomy of an Office Chair
Before you begin fixing your sinking office chair, you need to know its anatomy. Don’t worry; we’re not going into technicalities here – we’ll keep it simple. Basically, there are two types of fluid technologies used by office chairs – pneumatic and hydraulic.
Hydraulic chairs use impressible liquid, while pneumatic chairs use compressible gases. Pneumatic systems are found mostly in computer chairs, but hydraulic generates more power, so it’s most commonly used in large pieces of machinery.
If your office chair keeps sinking, it’s probably using a pneumatic fluid technology. So, what components are used in these types of office chairs, and how does that relate to why I need to fix a sinking office chair over time?
Why Does My Office Chair Sink?
A sinking office chair doesn’t mean that the chair itself is bad. In fact, there’s a simple explanation as to why the office chair is sinking: the chair cylinder has lost its lift.
The chair cylinder is the part on the chair connecting the seat to the base, and it also makes it so we can adjust our office chair. The cylinder contains nitrogen gas, and when you raise and lower the chair, the gas switches chambers inside the chair cylinder. This allows the chair to raise and lower.
However, with excessive use over time, the seal on your chair’s cylinder can start to wear out and cause a leak. That’s what causes your office chair to sink. An uncomfortable office chair makes swiveling around the desk difficult and while an orbiting monitor stand boosts your efficiency from any angle, you will always eventually need to get the sinking chair out of the picture.
So, what can you do to fix a sinking office chair? We outline all the options to fix a sinking office chair below.
How to Fix a Sinking Office Chair
Option 1: Use Duct Tape and Hose Clamp
A common DIY hack or quick fix uses duct tape and a hose clamp. This option doesn’t actually completely fix a sinking office chair. Rather, this is a temporary fix. For this option to work, the hose clamp has to be 13/16”-1-3/4” diameter or a size 20.
You place a hose clamp around the cylinder piston at the desired chair height, and the clamp is a stop. The duct tape will then be wrapped around the clamp to prevent it from sliding.
You should know that this option will only work for a couple of days before the chair starts sinking again. Also, this isn’t very professional looking for your home or office.
Option 2: Use a PVC Pipe/Plastic Spacer
Another DIY hack uses a PVC pipe or a plastic spacer to prevent the office chair cylinder from sinking. If you cut the plastic spacer down the middle, you can wrap it around the cylinder piston. If you’re using PVC or an uncut spacer, there’s some extra work involved: you have to take apart the cylinder so you can slide the PVC or spacer onto the cylinder.
This option acts as a stop, as the clamp, and doesn’t allow for any height adjustments after it’s put on. A major downside to this method is that the plastic can break over time from the stress of you sitting in your chair. Again, this method isn’t very suitable for professional workspaces.