Dismantling a computer chair with your own hands, design features
Repairing office furniture in most cases requires special equipment. However, some breakdowns can be easily fixed at home. Therefore, each user must know how to disassemble a computer chair on their own, without the help of specialists. Owning this information will help to save on repair work and eliminate basic malfunctions.
Design features
All chairs designed to work at a computer have the same design, regardless of make and model. Some parts of the product can be removed and replaced with new ones to eliminate breakdowns. Experts recommend choosing furniture from domestic manufacturers so that there are no difficulties with the selection of spare parts. The structural elements of a computer chair are listed in the table.
Part Name | Function |
Seat | The main element of the chair. |
Back | Support for the spine. The angle of inclination can be adjusted. |
Armrests | Provides comfortable hand position during work. |
Cross with rollers | The supporting element on which the product frame is held. Rollers help silently and easily move furniture. |
Gas lift (pneumatic cartridge) | Shock absorber and height adjuster. |
Swing mechanism | Fixing the product in the optimal position for operation. |
To understand how to properly disassemble an office chair, you need to know which elements can be disconnected. The removable parts are the armrests (on some models), rollers on the crosspiece and gas lift. The seat and backrest can be changed upholstery and filler, but this type of repair requires special equipment and is difficult to do at home. The frame of the product may be monolithic or consisting of separate parts, fastened together by metal plates. In the second case, the constituent elements can be disconnected independently in the event of a malfunction.
Computer chairStructural elementsComputer Chair DesignNecessary tools
Before you start disassembling the product, you need to prepare all the necessary tools. They are available from any home master. To dismantle the parts of the chair you will need:
- screwdriver;
- hammer;
- chisel;
- pliers.
If you need to replace the gas lift, you can add technical grease and a bolt with a minimum diameter of 10 mm (or a little more) to this list. Instead of a screwdriver, it is more convenient to use a screwdriver. Having unfastened the fasteners, you must immediately put all the fasteners in a box or a tin can, since the loss of at least one bolt will deprive the repair of any meaning.
Statistics claim that the most common damage to office furniture is caused by the failure of a gas lift. This part wears out most often because it accounts for the main load.
Technical lubrication is needed so that the parts more easily move away from each other. If the chair has served for many years, and it has never been dismantled, the fasteners are gradually compacted, and then it is very difficult to separate them. At the end of the repair, remove greasy oil marks with a soft cloth (for example, a piece of flannel).
If the cross is made of plastic, in the event of a malfunction, it is recommended to replace it with a new one. The metal base is usually installed new rollers. Experts argue that the crosspieces made of high-strength aircraft aluminum are the least susceptible to wear. However, they are found only in expensive models.
InstrumentsAccessoriesBefore disassembling an old office chair, you need to purchase some details. Spare parts to be replaced are purchased in office furniture stores. A wide range of consumables is usually presented there.
Step-by-step disassembly instructions
Dismantling of furniture is a phased disconnection of the main components. After troubleshooting, the product is reassembled. Step-by-step disassembly of an office chair is a time-consuming process, especially for beginners. If necessary, the broken elements are replaced with new ones, and the loose mounts are sealed. To disassemble a chair at home independently, you must:
- Place the furniture with the cross up and unscrew the fasteners that connect the piastra to the seat. To do this, you will need a Phillips screwdriver. When the bolts are untwisted, the seat will be removed.
- Unscrew the armrests from the metal plate on which they are mounted.
- Tap the piastre with a hammer or mallet to disconnect it from the gas lift. If the product has never been disassembled, it will take considerable physical effort. The main thing is not to bend the part during dismantling.
- Remove the bolts connecting the permanent contact with the back and the piastra.
- Tap the cross with a mallet so that it moves away from the pneumatic cartridge.
- Using a slotted screwdriver, remove the rollers from the nests of the crosspiece.
To remove the gas lift at home, it is recommended to use a ring drift. The pneumatic cartridge has very fragile fasteners, which are easily damaged by rough physical impact. To prevent this from happening, during dismantling, the crosspiece must be fixed in a fixed position.
Unwind fastenersDisconnect the piastra with the seatDisconnect the armrestsWe remove the pneumatic cartridgeTurn off the boltsWe take out the rollers from the crossThe piastra is attached to the pneumatic cartridge by means of a conical connection. If in the room where the furniture is often there is often high humidity, two structural elements can tightly stick to each other. For successful dismantling, the entire space around the gas lift is carefully tapped with a hammer.
Possible difficulties
It happens that during the dismantling of office furniture it is inconvenient to unscrew the short rear fixing screw. In this case, it is recommended to replace the screwdriver with a screwdriver.
If the gas lift with great difficulty moves away from the piastra, the use of a bronze or wooden drift will help to solve the problem. It should be remembered that from a strong blow a plastic cross may burst.
It happens that when replacing or repairing the rollers, the metal rod gets stuck in the cross. This often happens if office furniture has never been dismantled, because over time, all fasteners are sealed. In this case, the use of technical grease will help to fix the problem.
Experts do not recommend repairing a worn pneumatic cartridge. This part is for replacement only. Inside the device contains compressed air pumped into the chamber under high pressure, its accidental exit can cause serious injury to a person.
The swing mechanism is also rarely repairable. Usually they immediately change it, but the main difficulty is that it is very difficult to find this spare part. In this case, the acquisition of a new office chair may be the best solution.
Before disassembling office chairs, experts immediately assess the state of the cross. Inexperienced users often change the shaky base. However, it can last a few more years. In order to fix the chair support in a stable position, it is necessary to insert a metal pin into its core and seal the joints.
You can also repair minor damage to the upholstery yourself. To do this, use a furniture stapler. Cleaning from contamination should be carried out before dismantling and repairing the product. Also, before disassembling computer chairs, they are usually vacuumed.
In order not to waste time on frequent repair of rollers, instead of them, you can install special plugs - gliders. However, it will be more difficult to move furniture along the floor with them than with wheels. The plugs are mounted in the nests on the same principle as the rollers. The use of gliders reduces the height of the chair.
In order to avoid frequent breakdowns, it is recommended to choose quality furniture from well-known manufacturers with a warranty period of at least one and a half years. If the malfunction is serious, it is better not to take the risk of disassembling the office chair at home, but to seek the help of a qualified professional.
Discomfort during disassemblyThe state of the crossOffice Chair Gliders