How to fix your office chair for $5 when the cylinder begins to slip

In mid 2019, I purchased a nice drafting style office chair for my adjustable standing desk. For the past ~1.5 years it’s held up very well, except a few weeks ago the cylinder began to fail.

As I sat on the chair, it would slowly begin to slip from its set height. Within 10 minutes it dropped about 8 inches from the height I set—which was far too low for comfort with my desk height.

Note: This quick fix prevents your cylinder from slipping, but in doing so, you’ll remove your ability to adjust it.

All you need is some decent tape (like Duct or Gorilla) and a cheap hose clamp (under $5).

Buy a hose clamp that can fit around the cylinder of your office chair

Step 1: Clean the cylinder thoroughly by making sure any grease and grime is wiped off

Step 2: Set your chair to your desired height

Step 3: Apply Duct or Gorilla Tape around the base of the cylinder where it meets the chair base component

Step 4: Place + tighten the hose clamp on top of the tape, as close to the base of the cylinder as possible

Be sure to tighten the clamp as much as you can!

That’s it!

The tape may bulge a little bit, but the hose clamp and tape work in conjunction to keep the slipping cylinder in check. I’m 235 pounds, sit at my chair 4—8 hours a day, and it’s held up for a couple of weeks just fine.

Good luck out there.

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