I think I like the 2nd option the best because I don't mind being stuck on a certain height. Replacing the cylinder is good but it will eventually start losing it's ability to hold the air again and will break.
I've just started noticing how my chair sinks..but I"m all for the easy fixes..and I don't see why the hose clamp/duct tape can't last a long time..I'll try that ..thanks, good stuff.
I just spend an hour going out and getting a hose clamp, coming back and "fixing this", sat in the chair and was excited it worked and then heard a pop and sank down. LOL Now I'm sad because the replacement cylinder is on backorder and won't arrive for about a month. So sad, but such a good idea!
@@JenWheelerFL sorry Jen . But I sort of had same problem.. I bought a second hose clamp and placed it under the first..I moved the first one up as far as possible and the second underneath it . Fixed.. Now at times if I sit too hard it'll sink down a bit; maybe a 1/16"of an inch.. But it's been fine since.. You have to place the clamps close enough so there's hardly any space for the seat to sink.. Try it, if it works you can cancel the new cylinder..
I found a better fix I was browsing a little and someone on reddit had the great idea to explain why that happens Apparently air leaks into the piston because it dries out over time, the grease and the lubricant dont offer a tight seal anymore... So to fix this you simply put !!A LITTLE TINY BIT!! of oil on the piston shaft (The metall rod that runs into your chair) and move your chair up and down a few times... You want to use a thin oil or simply vegetable oil which also works Simply apply a bit of oil to a paper towel, toilet paper or similar and rub it along the shaft (This sounds terrible out of context) Than move your chair up and down a few times and voila its fixed No need for any addons or anything, just maintenance for your chair You are welcome
Remove the metal clip on the bottom and take the cylinder out and spray the rod with WD40. You actually want to do this around every 6 months. Don't know why this works but it's been working on every chair I have fixed for this problem for 35 years. Was thinking about using synthetic lithium grease next time.
Your #2 PVC Pipe fix is the bomb! Thanks!!! I'd tried your #1 hose clamp before - that started slipping after a day. Your#3 confirmed my expectation that changing out a cylinder would be strenuous and require a lot of heavy hammer blows (but why bother going through all that effort to install a new cylinder that will also just likely fail within two years?) I'd studied other solutions like those clip-on plastic spacers available online, but just knew those couldn't hold, and a lot of commenters confirmed that. I imagined a solid PVC or other pipe would be the only way to reliably hold up the chair, but it didn't seem possible, so I was elated when you showed how easy it is to separate the wheel base by that little clip, then slide over a solid PVC pipe. So I measured carefully, and calculated the diameter using good old high school geometry, since I don't have one of those tools that would measure that. A 5 inch length of PVC pipe with a 1 1/2 inch interior diameter was a perfect fit. I wound black plastic electrical tape around the pipe and now it blends right in completely camouflaged. It was all so easy and quick! Sure, the chair is stuck at this height, but that's fine by me. It's my damn chair!
No hammer blows needed. Buy a wood clamp that also switches to a spreader. Two spreaders opposite each other and poof! It blows right off. Just a few slight squeezes of your hand. You could probably use the exercise.
Thanks for these fixes, the PVC one worked. Didn't have to measure it, it was already cut at the size my chair was, I got sick of buying new chairs I don't want to buy a whole new chair for $150 to $200. The chair I'm using sinks a fair bit, so I tried the PVC and testing it by lowering it, and it won't go down which is a good sign never thought a pipe would help and prevent chair sinks. All people said would work was Hose Clamp, but thanks for the help.
Most people throw away good but unneeded computer chairs so the cylinder can easily be replaced for free if you grab it before the trashman does! Tried and true and easiest/cheapest method, just not guaranteed you’ll find one EVERY trash night.
Great video. Even a non-handy senior like me was able to fix my chair using duct tape and hose clamp. I’ve ordered the kit for a more permanent solution- fingers crossed I can do it.
Thank you for sharing the video. Yesterday my wife advised her office chair was sinking. I googled up the problem and found your video that enabled me to do a quick fix using the PVC pipe method. The fix is entirely satisfactory. Thanks again. We live in Australia.
I can't believe how easy these steps are & to even show alternative is also a treat! Excellent work on creating this awesome guide, Kevin! Well done! 👌😁
This is a very neat and thorough guide! The temporary fixes can be helpful for some who are still looking/waiting for a compatible cylinder replacement for their chair. But overall, I’d love a permanent fix and your tutorial and tips in replacing the cylinder entirely makes me confident that I can do it with my chair if I have to. Excellent work!
Did the spacer by cutting a piece of pipe to 5". took, in total, around a half hour for a permeant fix. thanks. The spacer has reduced the smoothness of swivel a bit, since you are riding on the collar. .
The PVC seemed like an easy fix. you could always prime and paint the PVC with a flat black spray enamel before installing it. Give it a day to dry first. It would be less uglified. just a thought. Great video. Thanks
Legend! I was lucky enough to one piece of random PVC pipe in my garage the exact length of the distance of the space that was sinking. Almost like it was destined for the chair. Works brilliantly. Many Thanks from the UK
I know this has been up for a minute but for method 2 I found a way to use a crap ton of papers instead of PVC. I just measured what i needed, cut that length and rolled them all up into a cylinder, taped them with duct-tape, and slid it right in and BAM. The only thing I have ever used Algebra 4 for a real world scenario.
Thank you, this was very helpful! I tried the second method using a bit of very dense half inch thick cardboard tube I had on hand, and it worked great! Finally my elbows are at the same height as my work table.
Thanks, I cut down on old paint roller as my pvc tube and cut it down to size using a bread knife. Works like a charm!. I really need to build up my tools ;)
No more sinking in my chair every time I sit down, all thanks to this video and a 6 inch piece of PVC tubing left over from fixing the sink. Thank you!!!
Hello to all my sinking brothers and sisters around the globe and thanks to @theofficeoasis! I needed a quick fix to my sinking chair for few online calls and I had to avoid the awkward sinking on camera asap - the first solution worked perfectly. I didn't have the metal hose clamp - so I used the plastic "cable ties" - i used 5 on the whole width of the duct tape. Works like a charm. No longer sinking, I can keep sailing on my old chair. Happily postponing my new chair purchase to next month(s) :)
At 4:08, instead of slipping a piece of large diameter plastic pipe over outer column, place a small diameter piece of pipe over the small piston rod of the lift cylinder after removing the washer and bearing. The piece of pipe will go inside of the base and prevent the chair from sinking however the height of the chair will now be fixed in place.
No no no no no. How did this get recommended? On pistons there is a piston ring. These can dry out and they slowly leak air. Almost always to fix this add a couple drips of oil. Move the chair up and down, turn it side to side. It might ACTUALLY be broken but it's probably fine after a little maintenance! Ya welcome
Dude. Love the channel. This really helped me save probably about $200 or more on a new chair. Not to mention I found this channel because I just bought two of your large monitor stands (1 brown, 1 black) from Amazon and opted for your brand because of the good reviews and quality of materials. I found a great channel to subscribe to in the process and get to support an American company. I hope you do more DIY videos in the future and perhaps show off your products you make in the future and maybe even give a glimpse into your manufacturing process.
Thanks for the kind words Brian! Glad the video was able to help you save some money! We definitely hope to create more videos and even show behind the scenes stuff.
Orrr if you are a lazy fat ass like me just get a quick fix and get yourself a Office Chair Hero, no tools needed. You are welcome, I will probably come back to this video if that doesn't work lmfao.
Apart from all these working solutions...There is an additional solution too... get it welded by a welder charging maximum 100 Rs....or 1-2$ accordingly... 😆
This is really annoying, but I guess it will not bother me no more now, and thanks to you, Man. Also I like your office set up, I think I will use it as an inspo to set up my work desk😅.
Hey TOO! Great video! I like the step-by-step breakdown for each possible solution. I prefer the PVC pipe, as the duct tape and hose clamp might eventually slip and I've had NEW chairs do this and replacing the cylinder may not actually resolve the problem. Thanks for the video!
tried the PVC Pipe, works well so far! although hard to do with normal knives... highly recommend some kind of saw, even cheap ones. im still baffled that my "premium" dxracer formula had the sinking happen RIGHT AFTER a month of warrenty, it's crazy.
Hi Kevin, Good afternoon, I just came back from my Home Depot down here in Bogota/Colombia, where I got 1 16-36 mm hose clamp copper color and a white PVC pipe 1m long by 2 inch Ø. I asked the seller to cut a piece 12 cm long. Following your great and easy to follow instructions, and as I am myself quite stubborn, I decided to go on the PVC (the hose clamp seemed too easy.☺☺) I disassembled the base placed the 12 cm and every part in place and…… obviously I messed up with the 12 cm and had to redo every step (measure twice and cut once!!) therefore I cut another piece, this time 12.5 cm et voilà job done!!! I total I spent +/- US$ 4 (clamp 1 - 1m PVC 3). Tomorrow, I will paint it black, it will look as original hahaha ☺☺. Again 1000000000 thanks.
Thanks for that, My chair was like this when I purchased it, I was really annoyed and wasnt able to use it till I saw your guide. The clip method works perfectly. I purchased the right chair for my height/size, but I just couldnt send it back. I had to return my bike as they sent the wrong wheels too, so it was just a bad day all round. I dont know how long the clip will last, but Its a huge difference. Thanks.
Hi, well my chain was sinking every time I leaned back, and it got really, really aggravating. Like I was fooling with the thing all day, because you are always leaning back, for one reason or another. So I replaced the piston, which solved the problem of a spongy sit, but it still sank upon leaning back. So, one day I seriously studied the problem, and after observing another similar chair, discovered a tab was pressing on an apparently white nylon button, releasing the piston to sink. So, what I did was disassemble the original chair to access the same white nylon button, and using I think, my Dremal with a cut-off wheel, removed like1/16th-1/8th of the top of it, and it seems to have worked. It has been several weeks now, and I was real hesitant to really push back and still am, but a few times I did, and still no sinking. Yet, I still retained the ability to adjust the height of the chair. So try, at your own risk, but this was driving me nuts.
Thank you for the tips. I did method two with the pipe except ... turning the chair upside down, I realized that it was suddenly working again. All I did was turn the chair around, removing the base and then ...I could not compress the cylinder. I sat on the chair to use my weight but it was stuck. So for now, my chair is fixed, simply by turning it around. This might not last long, of course, and if that is the case then I WILL revert to the pipe (which I have now already cut). By the way, speaking of pipe, I had both 32mm and 50mm (inside diameter) pipe. I decided to use the 50mm which fits exactly over the base (2 inch ID will probably also do). my pipe is then almost 220mm long (8 inches or so), as it covers the entire length, including the part sticking up from the wheel base.
Thanks for the big help! What I did was.. split the pipe in 2 (cause theres no pvc pipe that fits the chair rod) then use the pipe clamp to tie it back together
Thank you! I needed a longer allen wrench than the one that came with the kit I bought. I had to have my husband help a bit but your instructions were spot on and my chair is better than when it was given to me by the person that probably knew the shaft was not in perfect working order.
Just an addition "tip". If when pressing the handle the chair doesn't lift up, try laying the chair flat on the floor and pull the handle - the chair base should extend even with a faulty / less-than-good hydraulic cylinder. There's no need to put your foot on the base and pull, as long as you're okay with extending it all the way up.
what i did was this. removed the masking tape and screwed on 11 hose clamps in total stacked one on top of another. its been 3 weeks and so far, fingers (and toes) crossed, not sinking anymore. still thankful for this vid, else i would hv trashed this chair and forked out a hundred bucks to get another. im overweight too and those 11 hose clamps are strong enough to support my weight
Hi. Can you help me please. My chair not sinking. It’s rising. And I have no idea what to do. Or if you know who can fix in Miami Florida even better. Thank you
My chair has been annoyingly sinking and I was looking for an easy fix method. So glad I stumbled on this video. I will definitely try out the easy fixes. Thanks for this video.
You can fix the problem without doing any of the three methods described in the video. Simply remove the clip in the bottom of the chair and remove the base. Then spray the smaller portion of the cylinder with WD-40AND replace the base on the chair. There is a couple of spacers and washers that you must pay attention to where they were as you remove the base as to ensure that you reinstall them correctly. There are videos on RU-vid that give more detail to what I have just described. I did the WD-40 method myself, and it works fine.
If you have no tools and nearly zero energy: Move the chair to the height you want - mine is all the way up - then wrap any kind of tape on the shaft so that the seat cannot move down. Wind it thick. I used old masking tape, then blue painters tape, then a couple layers of duct tape, making it thick so the seat cannot move down. The tape hardly shows at all, and it took me about 5 minutes.
PVC Method worked like a charm. I had a lot of trouble removing the clip on the bottom of the cylinder so could you explain how to do that without breaking it (like I did)?
@ericsperling9724 glad the PVC method worked for you! That retainer clip can be frustrating to remove sometimes. If the chair is really old the clip might be brittle and break/snap when trying to slide it off. You just have to take that part slow and be very careful not to bend the clip too much. The chair should still work fine without that clip. But if you really wanted to, you could purchase a new chair cylinder. Hope that helps!
I think the hose clamp method looks fine especially if you cut the duck tape so it only covers the area where the hose clamp fits on the rod. This is the cheapest and easiest method too by far.
Did no.1 didn't know claps are so hard at the start. I fight with it ~ but the tape ended up stucking and setting the height not the clampa 😂😅😅😅 and now I'm heigher than supposed
