If your beloved office chair doesn’t seem to be working quite right lately, your gas cylinder may be to blame. Every adjustable office chair has some sort of gas lift that makes it go up and down. This is often the best part of an office chair, but if it stops working, the chair becomes a huge hassle, so we’ll guide you through how to replace office chair cylinder.
If your chair is always sinking or won’t lower when you push the lever, you probably have a defective or worn-out gas cylinder. But you don’t need to replace the whole chair. You can replace the gas cylinder fairly simply and save yourself a chunk of money.
This guide will help you identify a defective gas cylinder, teach you how to remove it, and walk you through how to replace it with a new one. So check out these simple steps to fix your office chair cylinder.
What is the Gas Cylinder?
A gas cylinder on an office chair is a sort of metal chamber filled with either imperceptible liquid and gas, or just a mixture of gasses that allow for pressure so you can raise and lower the chair as you desire.
The gas cylinder usually holds pressurized nitrogen gas and oil to lubricate the moving parts. This allows the chair to go up and down, which is an essential part of the chair.
How Do I Choose the Right Replacement?
The best way to find the right replacement is to look in your chair user manual or look up what gas cylinder your model chair uses.
You can’t get any old cylinder because chairs differ in their weight capacity and mechanics, so installing the wrong cylinder could break your chair permanently.
Tools You Will Need
- Gloves for protection
- Cloth or newspaper to protect the work area
- A pipe wrench or screwdriver
- Wood or rubber mallet
- Oil or WD-40 (optional)
How to Remove the Old Cylinder
- Prepare your workspace. Flip your office chair upside down so the wheels are in the air.
- Using the rubber mallet, gently tap the starbase away from the bottom of the chair seat. Now, you should be able to pull the base off the seat with ease.
- Remove the cylinder from the chair mechanism by gently tapping it out of its socket. This is where the pipe wrench comes in handy to clamp on firmly to the gas lift so you can twist and pull out the cylinder. This requires some force but not too much, and if it isn’t coming loose lubricate it with oil or WD-40 to make it easier to slip out. And voila! You removed the broken gas cylinder.
How to Insert New Cylinder
- Now to insert the new gas cylinder. This is much easier than removing the cylinder. You just need to pop it into the place where you took out the old cylinder. Put the cylinder, bottom first, into the chair’s mechanism and it should snap into place.
- Make sure the cylinder is secure and give the chair a test run to see if it works. And that’s it!
Bottom Line
Gas cylinders are not nearly as complicated as they may seem. Replacing one can be done quickly without any helps if your chair is in good shape. Remember to practice care when handling the chambers because they are full of compressed gas which can be dangerous.
But with this guide, you should be able to change your gas lift with no issues and be adjusting your chair’s height in no time.
FAQs
How Do I Know the Cylinder is the Problem?
A broken or defective gas cylinder usually manifests as a chair that continuously sinks or won’t lower even with the use of the lever.
Are Gas Cylinders Expensive?
They can be over $100 depending on the brand and weight capacity. But you can also find some for under $100, but it may not last as long as the more expensive options.
Sometimes buying straight from the manufacturer can be more expensive. For more affordable options, consider eBay or Amazon when looking for a replacement.
