Everyone needs optimum satisfaction and comfort as they do their jobs and work. Therefore they go as far as carefully selecting the type of office equipment they own. They will spend any amount of money to enhance comfort at work, and one of the ways they do that is through the kind of office chair they purchase.
Sadly, an office chair could get damaged and begin to lean forward as you work. If it could swerve initially, it may either not do that again or become difficult to do, leading you to wonder how best to repair it.
However, you can repair your office chair and stop it from leaning forward if you dutifully follow the steps I will outline here. So, here are a few steps on how to fix office chair that leans forward:
- Fix the Loose Forward Knob
- Fix the Stuck Forward Tilt Knob
- Fix Any Defective or Damaged Forward Tilt Knob
- Fix the Entire Casters One After the Other
In this article, I will detail all the necessary steps you should take when repairing your office chair. These steps cover the root cause of the problem on your chair. Most times, the problem could be from the manufacturers.
However, more importantly, it covers the process of fixing your office chair and how practical these steps are.
Four Steps to Fixing an Office Chair that Leans Forward
As I mentioned earlier, the primary reason people who work in offices or own one go the extra mile to purchase a good work chair is to have the best experience as they go about their job. Nevertheless, ideally, all office chairs lean forward when you sit on them, which helps reduce both back and leg aches. However, the issue comes with the chair leaning too far forward.
Therefore, the chair is in good condition and highly needed. Imagine, if anyone had a bad office chair, would they not look for the best way to fix the chair as you are now? Of course, they will, primarily because the chair no longer serves its purpose of purchase. So, without further ado, delve into the steps involved in fixing your office chair that has gone bad.
1. Fix the Loose Tilt Knob
The first thing to consider when fixing an office chair is the tilt knob that has become loose. Most people assume that once their chair is leaning too forward, then it’s time to discard it. However, this may not always be the case because fixing a tilt knob is as easy as doing an involuntary action.
To fix the tilt knob, all that is required is for you to locate the loose knob on the chair. The tilt knob determines the chair’s forward and backward movement. When you have located the tilt knob, turn it around clockwise until you get your desired tightness.
However, before you start tightening the knob, ensure that you have determined the appropriate forward tilt before you begin the tightening process. For most office chairs, the forward tilt angle is between 0 to 4 degrees max.
Nevertheless, the angles may vary due to how long the manufacturers made the legs and torso. A loose fastener, pin, or knob is often the first thing you should look out for when your chair begins to swerve and lean forward excessively.
2. Fix the Stuck Forward Tilt Knob
The forward tilt knob could also become stuck, causing your chair to tilt forward extra. When this happens, the likely culprit is accumulated dirt or rust on the knob. To remove the dirt, clean out the dirt thoroughly, but first, you must disassemble the entire chair assembly.
You have to remove the seat first to access the chair assembly properly. However, some office chair brands have a covering for the base assembly. You may need a screwdriver to open the chair assembly for these brands. When the assembly becomes visible, you can then go ahead to use grease to clean out the dirt.
After that, locate the forward tilt and clean it thoroughly with grease, water, and a clean cloth. You can also use grease spray on it for faster results. Luckily, if the accumulated dirt or dust is off the tilt knob, you should be able to turn the knob effortlessly.
After this, you should reassemble the chair assembly, sit on it, and test it to see if it works properly. Before purchasing an office chair, ensure an adjustable height feature. A good office chair should allow your feet to touch the ground properly.
Another feature you should consider is that your chair should have lumbar support for your back, knees, hip, and legs. A chair with a back lumbar bend enables your back to fit into your back and waistline on the chair. Luckily, lumbar moves with elastic straps are sold in furniture stores and are affordable.
Your office chair should also have a proper back hold, reducing your tendency to develop poor posture or back pains as you work.
Lastly, ensure your office chairs have good arms rest before purchasing them. Sadly, most people do not see an armrest as an essential feature don their office chair. However, if properly utilized, armrests help hold your arms in a good position and also keep your arms from freely moving about as you work.
3. Fix Any Defective or Damaged Forward Tilt Knob
When your office chair leans forward continuously, the forward tilt knob could be damaged. You will only keep adjusting the tilt angle without having the issue resolved. If you are sure the forward tilt knob on your office chair is neither broken nor loose, then look out for any damage on the knob.
To do this, you may have to disassemble the chair housing. You should remove the seat first, then proceed to check the knob. If it is damaged, then replace it as soon as possible. However, if the knob is still repairable, push it in correctly and add glue to it, so it sticks permanently.
Before putting the glue, ensure that the forward knob is adjusted correctly to the appropriate angle to avoid the likelihood of you losing it again in the future. It will also help if you contact the service of a professional who can help you repair your chair or purchase a new forward knob or pin.
Furthermore, you can always consult the manufacturer’s guide on how best to handle any of the issues on your chair that could result in it leaning forward excessively. To fix the lean issue on your office chair, it would help to maintain it to avoid a recurrence of the problem in the future.
Always ensure that your chair is proper;y cleaned and free from dust or debris. To go the extra mile, you can clean the knob area once every three weeks. Since they are different brands of office chairs, always check the product’s description to see if you should wash it in water, vacuum it or clean it.
Additionally, the product”s guide can give you a better step-by-step guide on how to fix the office chair leaning forward. Also, keep the base assembly and casters on your chair clean to ensure no issue with them. You can occasionally swerve it around to see if any additional friction between them could result in any leaning issues.
Eventually, ensure that you always tighten the screws on your chair because they are bound to slack since they get subjected to your body’s pressure for long periods during the day. Lastly, avoid food, water, or oil spillage on your chair. You can always use leather conditioners for all your leather-protected chairs, so they don’t crack or dry up.
4. Fix the Entire Casters One After the Other
Just below the office chair, you will find the casters, and they are responsible for the movement of your chair from side to side as you work. The casters’ primary work is maintaining balance on the office chair.
However, when they need to be correctly aligned, your chair could start leaning too forward in the most uncomfortable way. However, this issue is fixable with easy steps. The first thing you need to do to fix the issue is to locate the tilt knob, which helps adjust the inclination of your chair.
When you have located them, check to see if it is loose. If it is, then tighten it back correctly. After that, move to the seat plates. The seat plates serve as additional support. Check them to see if they are loose, which could be the culprit for your chair leaning forward.
Use a screwdriver to adjust the bolts and pins on the seat plates to your desired angle. However, if your seat plate gets broken, you should replace them immediately. Some tools you can use for this include an adjustable wrench, a screwdriver, and a flat-headed wrench.
It would also help if, after disassembling the seat plate, casters, and knob, always clean them thoroughly. As I mentioned, you can use a good grease spray to clean the dirt and dust. You can also use water to clean the dust.
However, your decision to use water to clean the dirt often depends on the amount of dirt accumulated on the knob. Sometimes, one of the reasons you have developed poor posture or back pain while you work is not necessarily due to a bad chair.
It could also be due to a poor sitting position which you may often blame on a defective forward lean mechanism on your chair. Adjusting your sitting position could also help you get the best out of your chair as you work.
When using an office chair, ensure that your feet get properly placed on the floor. Most times, when your feet are unable to reach the ground, you may begin to lean and stretch further to reach the table.
Sadly, when this happens, your office chair is bound to lean forward together with your body which could be why the bolts on your chair get broken or loose.
To correct this, always set your chair appropriately or consider purchasing a chair that suits your size perfectly. Good chair size allows you to lean comfortably on it, which is why an office chair’s correct sitting position is straight and upright.
Your shoulders, chest, waistline, and feet must always be straight as you sit on your office chair. You could develop another health problem besides poor body posture if they don’t. Always contact the manufacturers for assistance if any issue persists on your lean assembly, especially if you have done all you should to correct the issues.
Sometimes, the issue may be due to a defective part from the manufacturer’s end and have nothing to do with you. When this is the case, it is safe to say that the manufacturers would have to compensate you for any inconvenience.
Conclusively, replacing your office chair could be the best thing to do if your chair keeps running in and out of the issue with the lean forward knob.
Most times, an old office chair could be the reason your lean mechanism is broken loose or full of dirt and rust. However, they are primarily products of plastics bound to degrade over time, mainly because they get exposed to excessive stress, water, dust, and dirt.
Therefore, no matter how much they are fixed or repaired, they are bound to get damaged because they can no longer hold together all the parts of your chair.
Conclusion
Fixing the lean forward knob on your office chair comes easy with a few DIY steps that are not so difficult to learn. However, you should consult the product manual for any assistance, or you can contact the services of a professional to help you do that. On the other hand, doing it yourself brings a sense of satisfaction and also helps you better manage any further occurrences.
If the issue persists, it is best if you replace your office chair as soon as possible. I hope this article has covered in detail the problems associated with having a lean forward issue on your chair and the steps to correcting it.
