Swivel chairs are super comfy and they really make your working hours more productive. But definitely not when they’re sinking or broken or have one or more screws dropped.
These chairs use a pneumatic cylinder for controlling the chair height with pressurized air. However, the cylinder system is prone to complications.
Luckily, there are some easy ways to locate the problem and fix them. So what you need is the right guide on how to fix a swivel chair on your own. At least, to avoid making a mess out of it!
In this article, we talk about these ways that can help effectively repair your swivel chair. Let’s take a look!
Table of Contents
Inspect and Diagnose the Possible Issues
If you see your swivel chair is causing troubles, you need to diagnose and evaluate the problem first before moving to troubleshoot.
The most common problems that happen in a swivel chair include damaged cylinder, turning or wobbling issues, or troubled base/casters.
Since there could be several reasons why your swivel chair may not be functioning, you need to pinpoint that particular reason.
Once you do that you’re good to check out the repairing guide for that specific problem.
Tools & Materials Required To Fix Swivel Chair
To fix your swivel chair you need to be equipped with a few tools and materials. But that’ll mostly depend on what malfunction your chair is experiencing.
Regardless of the issue, the tools that you’ll require are an adjustable pipe wrench and a rubber mallet.
However, the required materials and replacements vary accordingly. To replace the cylinder, you’ll require a new gas cylinder.
For replacing casters, you need to get a new set of casters.
And for stopping the turning problem, you’ll need a small rubber wedge.
How To Fix Swivel Chair?
You might be fixing different parts of your swivel chair. And to know how to fix each part, here we’ve got a step-by-step guide for each of the issues discussed above.
Follow the below steps to get your swivel chair fully functional again.
Replace the Gas Cylinder
Replacing the gas cylinder is the most common type of repair you’ll be doing with your office chair. So what does it take to replace the cylinder? Let’s find out!
Step 1: Position the Chair and Remove the Base
At first, you need to horizontally position your chair and level it on a flat surface. Then unfasten the clips located at the bottom of the seat. Now unscrew the nuts or bolts with an appropriate wrench to loosen and take off the base.
Step 2: Look for Other Damaged Parts
Since you’ve gone through this hardship of removing the base, you must look at the interior of the chair to find out if there are any more damaged or broken parts other than the gas cylinder.
If you find one that needs a replacement make sure to get the right piece for replacing the old one.
Step 3: Remove the Gas Cylinder
Now it’s time to use the pipe wrench. Place the wrench onto the cylinder and start turning it carefully. Continue turning until the cylinder completely comes off.
Don’t tug on it forcefully to avoid damaging other parts.
Step 4: Install the New One
We assume you’ve purchased a new home or office chair gas cylinder from a hardware or home improvement store. Now it’s time to install it in the chair.
While installing it, make sure to place its tapered end into the chair column. Once you place it properly, you’re set for reassembling.
Step 5: Re-Assemble the Whole Unit
After installing the new gas cylinder you can now put things back together. Use the wrench to reattach the base by tightening all the nuts and bolts that you removed.
Once you’ve reassembled the chair, time to look at if the gas cylinder and your entire swivel chair are working properly or not.
Adjust the height of the seat and if it works right, get back to work with a more comfy experience.
Replace Swivel Chair Base or Casters
Replacing the swivel casters is another common type of replacement you may go through. Follow the steps below to complete this replacement for fixing the base.
Step 1: Position the Chair and Drape a Cloth
Firstly you need to place your swivel chair on its side. For providing extra protection to its base, make sure to drape a cloth over it.
Step 2: Take off the Base
Now you can take off the base. Get the rubber mallet and start pounding on the base downward. Hit base away carefully from the chair’s seat.
Step 3: Remove the Casters
While fixing a swivel chair base, you need to replace its casters as well. If the wheels are threaded, use the adjustable wrench to unscrew them from the sockets.
In the case of the plugged-in, standard wheels all you need to do is pull out the old casters from the socket.
Step 4: Install the New Casters
Now you can install the new casters. For plugged-in-type wheels, you can simply push in the new set of casters. And for threaded wheels, you can screw the new ones with the wrench.
Step 5: Put Things Back Together
As you have replaced the swivel casters, it’s time to put the base back. Simply push in the base and screw in for the threaded types. Finally, test the chair if it moves and works fine.
Fix the Turning Issues
You don’t want your swivel chair to vibrate or cause trouble while turning as it can make your sitting experience pretty uncomfortable. So while learning about how to fix a swivel chair, you should know how to fix these issues.
Consider the following steps to solve the turning problems.
Step 1: Inspect and Tighten
The turning problem doesn’t normally require replacement. First, you need to inspect and find out if there’s any loose screw or a screw that has fallen off.
Take a close look at the screw and the brackets on the base as they help the chair to turn. You can simply tighten these screws and brackets or simply install a screw if there’s a missing one.
Step 2: Place a Wedge
The tightening mightn’t work in some cases. So you need to place a rubber wedge between the base and the swivel pole. You can do that by using a rubber mallet.
What you do is you actually use the wedge as a seal to limit the range of motion of the chair by causing more friction.
To ensure the wedge stays in place, you need to wrap the tape around the wedge and the pole. You can add one more wedge on the opposite side of the pole.
Do I Need A Professional To Fix The Swivel Chair?
If you’ve gone through this guide, you probably know it takes a minimum effort to fix the swivel chair.
So we’d say you don’t probably need a professional to fix your swivel chair.
Pro Tips To Fix Swivel Chair
It’s not the end. We have some master tips that you can follow while fixing your swivel chair. If you can follow these, you can expect your chair to stay in good condition for quite some years. Broke your office swivel chair accidentally! Following these tips answer how not to do it again:
- Lubricate or grease up the foot pedals
- Screw the feet of the chair and remove the pedals to stop it from moving
- Use lubricant on the joints to reduce the squeaks
- Tighten all the screws and bolts of the joints
- Replace worn-out bearings
Conclusion
We believe the article so far should’ve boosted your confidence further.
So you actually save on the replacement cost of an entire chair if you know these little tips and tricks.
In this guide, we cover how to fix the gas cylinder, chair base, and other related issues like limiting its range of motion. All in all, if you are asking how to fix swivel chair, this guide is your answer.
We hope you’ve found the article helpful to fix your swivel chair. So sit back on it again with the same enthusiasm!
