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Removing the gas lift on an office chair

Demontage der Gasdruckfeder beim Bürostuhl - buerostuhl24

Laura Hofstetter |

If pulling the lever under the seat of the office chair suddenly has no effect, the gas lift that adjusts the height and cushions the seat is very likely defective. Two types of failure are possible: either fine dust particles have combined with lubricant to form a sticky mass and clog the valve, causing the pneumatic spring to seize up. The other possibility is that the valve no longer closes. As a result, the chair keeps sinking back to its lowest position and is no longer cushioned either.

With a bit of luck and some DIY skill, the gas lift can be repaired – quite simply with a universal spray or cleaner containing lubricating and care substances. While repeatedly spraying the ball valve, keep operating the lever so that the sprayed liquid can reach the ball closure of the valve as thoroughly as possible. It is quite possible that after this simple repair, which is easy to carry out even for office chair owners without much DIY experience, the chair will work again. If this still does not help even after repeated applications with short exposure times, the gas lift must be replaced. With high-quality office chairs this is no problem at all.

In our video, we show how to easily remove the gas lift from a high-quality office chair. Below you will find a more detailed description of the video.

REMOVING THE GAS LIFT: OPTION 1

You will need:
...a rubber mallet and about one minute of time.

How to replace the gas lift:

  • Place the chair face down on the floor. This makes it easy to keep all rotating parts in place.
  • The office chair is now “lying on its stomach” with its star base pointing upwards.
  • Check whether the star base is screwed to the gas lift, which may be the case in rare instances. In our example, the office chair is assembled by simply fitting the parts together, which means that the tapered lift cylinder is inserted into the star base and secured in this way.
  • Use the rubber mallet to gently tap the lower end of the lift cylinder, which is usually made of hard plastic or metal. With your free hand, shake one of the legs of the star base as far out as possible to get the maximum leverage.
  • The star base will loosen and can then be removed easily after a few taps.
  • Hold the gas lift firmly with one hand and use the rubber mallet to tap gently but steadily on the underside of the seat of your office chair, always near the inserted lift column.
  • The gas lift will come loose and can now be pulled off.
  • Your chair is now in front of you, disassembled into its three components: the usually five- or six-spoke star base, the gas lift and the upper part of the office chair, which in turn consists of the seat, backrest and possibly armrests.

REMOVING THE GAS LIFT: OPTION 2

You will need:
...a little more strength than in the first example – and a rubber mallet.

Procedure:

  • Turn the seat of your office chair so that the backrest is facing away from you.
  • Grip the chair on the left and right side of the seat and lift it straight up by about ten to fifteen centimetres. The aim is to shake out the star base together with the lift. Please make sure it can fall straight down to avoid damage to the castors.
  • Shake the chair vigorously. Since the weight of the star base is hanging from the gas lift, the base and the pneumatic lift will fall out and land on the floor in front of your feet. So take particular care with your feet!
  • Pick up the star base with one hand, lift it slightly to the side and use the rubber mallet you have ready to knock out the gas lift.
  • Your chair is now disassembled into its three components: the star base, the gas lift and the upper part of the office chair, consisting of the seat, backrest and possibly armrests.
  • Never use brute force during removal and do not attempt to open the gas lift. This component is under immense pressure and the piston in particular can cause serious injury if the cylinder is opened.

If in doubt, please contact the manufacturer of your office chair.

INSTALLING A NEW GAS LIFT

 

Before replacing the faulty component with a new one, take the opportunity to give your office chair a thorough clean. You’re unlikely to get such easy access to the individual parts of your office furniture again any time soon. In particular, you can treat the hard plastic parts with the same spray you previously used in an attempt to get the old gas lift working smoothly again. First clean the individual parts with kitchen roll and glass cleaner, or with a soft cloth and a mild multi-purpose cleaner. Let the parts dry thoroughly, then take a spray oil and a soft cloth and carefully rub down all hard plastic parts.

The oil not only protects the surface, but also restores its shine. For chrome parts, you can either use a chrome cleaner from the DIY store – or rely on an old household remedy: citric acid. Cut a lemon in half and carefully rub any oxidised or tarnished chrome components. Alternatively, you can mix a paste from a handful of cold ash and a splash of water in a rinsed-out yoghurt pot. Carefully rub the affected parts, rinse with plenty of water and allow the cleaned chrome part to dry thoroughly. Afterwards, to prevent further corrosion, you can rub everything with a thin layer of petroleum jelly.

Now take the new gas lift and carefully insert it – if necessary, according to the manufacturer’s instructions supplied – into the opening in the base. There is no need to hit the cylinder with a hammer – especially as this could damage the new valve. Simply press it firmly into the opening, place the seat on top and sit on the chair. Make sure that the lever used to operate the gas lift valve can move freely.