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How to Remove Office Chair Cylinder? | Why Does My Office Chair Sink? [Latest 2023 Updated]

Computer chairs are no longer exclusively office furniture. The multi-functionality, ergonomics, and durability of these products make them increasingly popular in apartments and houses as well.

Although these products are reliable, they can malfunction, with gas springs being the most common example. The type and extent of wear on this part will depend on the degree of damage it has suffered. You will need to identify the condition of this part by removing the cylinder from your chair.

The job can be completed by yourself without the need for professional assistance. What’s important is to understand how this mechanism works and its characteristics. You can replace your chair cylinder easily if you just simply follow the instructions presented in the article, how to remove office chair cylinder.

Tools You Need for Replacing Your Chair Cylinder

You can find the needed tools in your office or house’s toolboxes. The following are required:

  • Hand protection gloves made from rubber
  • The work area should be protected from grease stains and other damage with newspaper or rag cloth
  • Screwdriver or a large wrench for loosening and tightening screws
  • An impact-safe rubber mallet to help fix the cylinder

How To Remove Office Chair Cylinder? [Follow These Steps]

Replacing a chair’s cylinder is not a tough job and can be done easily by a newbie as well. But first, a thorough test should always be conducted before replacing your gas cylinder. In order to avoid throwing away good gas cylinders, this step is vital.

1. Check your Cylinder

When you sit, the cylinder will sink all the way to the bottom if you haven’t adjusted the lever. Occasionally, a lever can be too tight to the point that it presses down on the lock even if no finger is placed on it.

The screws on your gas cylinder may need to be tightened if it’s not the case. In a cylinder with loose screws, the pressure will not be able to last long.

It is likely that the lever is not working properly if the cylinder is not sinking down when you press the lever. Additionally, you should check that your cylinder head’s lock is functioning.

You can proceed to remove and replace office chair gas cylinder if it still causes you problems after testing it.

2. Removing Your Cylinder

In just a few minutes, you can remove cylinder from office chair.

To get started, remove the casters, or wheels, from your chair’s base. This is achieved by pulling each one out individually. Tap gently on the bottom of the bottles until they come off with the rubber mallet if they are stuck.

Gas cylinders do not have to be removed by removing the casters, however, it is safer to do so.

After this, you must unscrew the four bolts which you will find at the top that is attached to the mechanism below.

For a better angle with your wrench, you can flip the chair upside down. This should be done on a smooth surface to ensure you won’t scratch the cushions of the chair.

As soon as you have removed all four bolts, remove the chair’s top portion.

We will now eject the chair from the cylinder by removing its base.

Hold the cylinder upright using one of the hands. Gently tap the rubber mallet against the base with your other hand. Tap as close as you can to the cylinder around the entire base.

This way the base will come out and now you can remove the mechanism from the cylinder.

As with removing the base, the procedure of removing the mechanism from the cylinder is similar.

Turn the cylinder upside down this time, and hold it with one hand. To release the mechanism, tap your rubber mallet on it using your free hand. Make sure that you tap it very gently.

Mechanisms are generally more difficult to remove from cylinders than their bases. Applying a little heat before tapping with a rubber mallet may help loosen a mechanism if it gets stuck.

If the mechanism still won’t come out then you may take help from a special removal tool. These tools generally come with your replacement cylinder.

3. Replace Your Chair Cylinder

The last part of this task is the most difficult, which is inserting the new cylinder into the base of the chair. A cylinder that is well matched to your office chair piston should be purchased for this step.

The base must be set upright on the floor prior to assembly. Install the new cylinder in the base. Align the seat’s hole in the mechanism and then attach it to the base.

Let the mechanism fasten up by sitting in your hair. This will take some time to work properly. The chair will be now in working order. It is now your choice as to how you want to adjust the seat.

What Is The Work Mechanism Of Gas Cylinders?

The work mechanism of gas cylinder is to use pressure power which will help to move a piston which is placed at a certain location. It uses a compressed diversion of the gas which is now forced into a chamber. This will allow the seat to be adjusted.

When you press on the lever of the chair, it works in a simple and effective mechanism. This pressure forces the gas to be pushed in and out of the chamber. This will lead to the seat’s adjustment.

If you find that the gas cylinder is not working anymore, it is because of the wear and tear and the daily usage of the cylinder. You can either change the gas or lift the mechanism of the chair.

Can you choose the right office chair gas cylinder?

If you take a detailed look into office chairs, then you will find that an office chair comes with two different parts of usage. The top part of this gas chair is also known as the spring which can hold the pressurized part of the gas which is available for lubrication. The gas spring’s top-end part has multiple buttons which will allow you to get the right pressing.

However, if you wish to know about which cylinder you need to choose, you will have to measure the stroke first. This can be done by travel of your chair gauging from the lowest to the highest setting. For this, you can follow the steps below.

  1. Start by moving your chair to the wall and then you can lay it all the way down.
  2. You can now follow it up with using as a template the top of the backrest. Mark the lowest setting of this chair.
  3. Now simply try to raise the height of the chair a bit up.
  4. The one thing that you need to do is to mark the highest setting which will provide the right values of measurements.

Are office chairs cylinders all same?

There is no such rule of thumb that office chair cylinders need to be different. However, the only difference that you can get is with the height.

It is thus important to opt for a cylinder that has a height according to the desk that you work on.

Buying Criteria To Look At Before Office Chair Cylinder Replacement

By following our guide you will be easily able to replace chair cylinder for your office chair. However, you might still not get the desired performance as there are other aspects to consider as well.

Before buying a replacement cylinder, you must figure out the size which will be suitable for your chair. You have to measure both the width and the height properly. Remember to remove piston from office chair when measuring the cylinder.

Make sure to buy a cylinder that is durable and will give you support for a longer time. Of course, you will have to spend more on it but this will reduce the hassle of replacing your cylinder frequently.

You will find a replacement cylinder in any shop which has replacement parts for the chair. You can even purchase it online but always keep the quality your first priority and the measurement should be considered.

How do you get a stuck cylinder out of a chair?

Things required:

  1. Channel locks pliers
  2. A rubber mallet
  3. Some oil or lubricant

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Procedure:

The first thing that you need to do is to lubricate the upper surface of the cylinder. You can use some oil for this.

The next step is to take the channel locks pliers. You can twist the cylinder and it loses from the mechanism.

Once you are done with this, you can tap on the cylinder with the help of a rubber mallet.

Now you will have to use some arm strength to pull it out from the chair. This will help you to get the best results.

How do you take apart an office chair?

  1. The first thing that you need to do is to place the chair on a stable surface. You can turn it upside down and take all the required tools closer to you. Simply follow the next steps.
  2. The next thing that you need to do is to look for the wheels. It should be the easiest and the first thing that you need to take out.
  3. Now you can focus on the hydraulic stand of the chair. This has a cylindrical shape and you can unscrew this from the underside of the seating pad and then take out the cylinder.
  4. Once you are done with this, you will have to remove the arms. Look for the screw areas with stoppers. You need to unscrew them and get it out.
  5. The next step is to remove the Headrest. Usually, it gets locked with the pin just at the rear end of the chair. Carefully pull out the pin and then you can remove the headrest.
  6. The next thing that you need to do is to separate the Backrest. You can do this according to the mechanism of the chair. In some of the chairs, it might come as a single unit.

Conclusion

This guide on how to remove office chair cylinder is more than enough for anyone who is looking for the best way of replacing chair cylinders. Doing these kinds of stuff by ourselves gives us a lot of self-motivation and makes us self-reliant. We longer remain at the mercy of any professional. It also saves us money and time which are some of the most valuable assets in the world.

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