Using an office chair that won’t stay up can be frustrating and can potentially hinder productivity in the workplace. Such chairs might stay up when not in use but sinks once you sit on them for work. In most cases, people think of acquiring replacements when they experience this issue with their office chairs.

 However, it is good to mention that you can actually try one or two ways to ensure that you chair stays up. Here we look at the best techniques on how to fix an office chair that won’t stay up, but before that, you need to understand how an office chair works.

 

Understanding the mechanism of an office chair

Office chairs make use of a pneumatic gas lift cylinder, which controls their height through pressurized air. In other words, they come with a pneumatic support system which functions as a suspension and enables adjustable height. An internal control valve is activated when you operate the height control, causing the chair to sink or rise to support your body weight.

 However, the cylinder on many chairs fails with time as a result of damaged seal that is unable to retain pressure. The best solution would be to replace the pneumatic cylinder when this happens, but the cost of replacing one might make buying a new chair a better option. Let’s show you couple of methods that you could attempt to deal with an office chair that won’t stay up.

 

Using a Hose Clamp or a Jubilee Clip

This method involves the use of a hose clamp or a jubilee clip, which is a device that is mainly used for retaining hosepipes on taps. The hose clamp is readily available in most hardware stores.

 In this case, you need a hose clamp with around 2 cm (three-quarters of an inch) length or one that is long enough to wrap around the cylinder. You also need a screwdriver and a duct tape. Here is how you use this technique to handle the issue with your sinking chair:

1. Slide the plastic skirt that encases the cylinder up or down. Then adjust the chair to your preferred height. Usually, the best position to set your chair is where the seat is level with your knees when standing. Setting the chair to your preferred height is done first since you will not be able to set the height of the chair once the whole process is complete unless you undo what you will have done.

2. Next, loosen the screw to undo the hose clamp or jubilee clip. In this case, you need to turn the screw anticlockwise and then pull the belt out of the clip.

3. Wrap duct tape around the topmost visible part of the metal cylinder before you fit the clamp into place to ensure that it has a great surface to grip onto firmly.

4. Next, wrap the hose clamp or jubilee to the top of the cylinder, but first, ensure that the chair is at the right height. After double-checking to ensure that the chair is at your preferred height, tighten the hose clamp by fastening the rotating screw.  

5. Finally, test whether the chair has stopped sinking by sitting on it. If you realize that the height is not satisfactory, you should undo the fastening of the screw and readjust the hose clamp or jubilee clip. Besides, if the clamp or clip slides off, you can fasten it over a piece or strip of rubber to enhance the grip or consider trying the next technique, which is known as the PVC pipe method.

 

PVC pipe method

You will need a tape measure, PVC pipe (of similar size as your chair’s cylinder, vice, and saw or PVC-cutting tool for this method. Follow these steps:

1. Pull down your chair’s plastic cover and use a tape measure to get the diameter of the extendable metal cylinder on your chair. Measure the length of the cylinder at an ideal height as well.

2. Get a PVC pipe that is big enough to fit over the cylinder – it should be slightly bigger than the latter. This should be long enough to extend from seat level to your chair’s wheel base at the preferred height.

3. Hold the PVC pipe with a vice and use a saw or cutting tool to cut it lengthwise on one side only. Then pull the plastic skirt on your chair down or up to reveal the cylinder and push the slit side of the pipe around it to snap on. This should prevent your chair from sinking.

4. You can snap on more pieces of PVC pipe if desired height hasn’t been attained. Working with smaller pieces may be easier. If you lack a vice or a saw, you can remove the wheels of your office chair and slide the PVC pipe on.