Mending an office chair

[Adrian Simpson]

My office chair is not happy. The height adjustment on it has stopped working and it is now set at the lowest level. If I try raising it (by pressing the lever) nothing happens, if I physically pull the seat up, it drops straight back down.

I've had a look at it, but there is nothing obvious (apart from a screw falling out, and I can't for the life of my work out where it came from). I'm not sure what the mechanism for controlling the height is, either a spring or gas strut I would think.

Any suggestions ?

Adrian

[Andy Dingley]

Probably your gas strut is now merely a strut, having lost its gas.

#1 New chair. These things aren't fixable, aren't intended to be fixable.

#2 New gas strut. Unless you're buying containerloads from China, new struts from strut shops cost more than a new chair from Viking.

#3 Another gas strut from another chair. Good fix in offices, as there's usually a gradual attrition of chairs for different reasons and you cna find spares.

#4 Convert it to a mechanically clamped chair, rather than a bouncy strut. If it's your chair, and your chair alone, this isn't a bad thing.

[Dave Osborne]

What Andy says, with the added proviso: *Do not* attempt to dismantle the gas strut (unless, of course, you have a death wish). ;-)

[Bob Eager]

Worth looking at these people - the only downside is that delivery is typically 5 days rather than next day (although there is a limited next day range).

[tony sayer]

And don't be tempted to weld anything near or back onto it either like someone I knew once did!..

With rather severe results;(..

[Adrian Simpson]

In article , Adrian Simpson writes

Thanks for the various replies (and the promptness), I think you've confirmed my diagnosis. The chair is one that I use at home, so cannibalising another one probably isn't an option. Looks like I'll have to have a rummage down the back of the settee to see what I can find in the way of loose change, and buy another :-(

Adrian

[Dave Osborne]

It's worth visiting your friendly local used office furniture warehouse and seeing if they have something second hand in good condition.

[Tabby]

If its lost its gas, presumably its ok to drill through the lot and put a bolt in, fixing it at one height.

NT

[Roger Mills]

The fourth option is the one I took with my chair. I found a bit of metal tube which fitted round the extending stem of the strut[1], thus stopping it from collapsing. The chair is now permanently at its max height - which is where I want it.

[1] ISTR that I had to remove and replace the end fixing of the strut in order to slide the tube over the stem. A bit fiddly, with some sort of spring clip - but do-able.

[Andy Dingley]

Yes and no. Assume that there is still _some_ gas pressure in there.

I wouldn't open one of these things myself, and I certainly wouldn't heat one. However I do quite happily get one of my machines to open it for me, either the pillar drill or the bandsaw. Either way though, watch out for high-pressure gas and flying swarf.

[Jerry]

NO!

Whilst the strut might have stopped working it doesn't mean that the strut has become depressurised, all that might have happened is that the valves within the strut have become faulty...