How To Fix An Office Chair That Leans Forward And Back

When you have an extremely ergonomic office chair it helps to improve your work life as you can sit for long hours comfortably. It also ensures that your balance and posture are also maintained as the chair sits still in a stable position.

Knowing how to fix an office chair that leans forward and back is a skill that will save you a couple of twenty-dollar bills. All you need is a little bit of attention and some tools and your chair will be as good as new.

However, after a few months, some of the office chairs start to lean forward, sideways, or backward causing extreme discomfort. To get your chair fixed, you will have to check its different parts to find out what the crux of the matter is and fix it afterward.

There are ample reasons why an office chair leans in a certain way. Today we will be sharing with you some information that you can practically apply to your office chair and resolve this issue.

So, without any further wait let’s start discussing these working methods one by one!

How to Fix an Office Chair That Leans Forward and Back?

1. Replace And Install New Casters

One of the most common reasons why an office chair leans is issues with its casters. Casters are pillars on which your office chair balances itself. The casters which are substandard in quality give way for weight and imbalance your chair.

Now, one of the casters might require you to take a look at them. If one of the casters is simply out of position you can fix it with simple tools. On the contrary, if the caster is completely obsolete then you will have to follow the steps that I am pinning down below.

After following these steps your office chair will regain balance as the unevenness will be removed. So, without any wait let’s discuss these steps:

• First things first, with due care you will have to remove the broken caster from the chair. For this purpose, you will have to lift the chair upside down to get a better view of the caster. Afterward, you can grab a screwdriver that will help you to disassemble it.
• Now, before you go on replacing the caster it is recommended to take a look at the damaged caster. You can simply spray a DW-40 lubricant on the parts of the casters to cleanse it.
• Your damaged caster might only be jammed. In this scenario, it is better to simply remove the dirt and other mess from it. Once you have removed the dust and other debris from the caster. Reinstall it to see if it works.
• If your caster is still not working, you will need to install a new pair of casters which is a pretty simple process.
• Grab a rubber mallet and position the caster over its point of fitting. Give the mallet gentle taps and it will work its magic and fit the new caster in its place. Make sure that all the bolts are fastening completely to achieve proper tightness and stability.

Once you are done with the process of installing new casters on your office chair. You should be able to fix the leaning issue of your office chair. Do follow these steps and let us know if this hack works for you.

2. Fix The Tilt Tension On Your Office Chair

Tilt tension is one of the blessings in disguise. It is something that has revolutionized how we sit and how we work long hours. But, there are times when your tilt tension can become a pain in the gut.

The tilt tension makes your chair move forward and backward effortlessly. Many office chairs come with this feature and have an adjustment knob to make it work.

This adjustment knob can loosen up after some time due to constantly push and pull. It is one of the reasons why your chair might be leaning madly.

Tightening this knob is as easy as 1 2 3 and it will hopefully solve your chair’s balance issues, and help to fix seat angle ultimately.

Firstly, you need to rotate the knob counter-clockwise to tighten it in its place. The knob will be back to its normal position and you will feel a difference. Usually, the knob can get loose over time so be patient while tightening it as it can take some time.

Once the knob is tightened in the best case scenario you should be able to sit on the chair comfortably. The knob should fix the leaning issue of the chair.

However, if this fix doesn’t solve the problem. We recommend you try out the other hacks as the problem might be residing somewhere else. Do let us know if this fix works for you or not!

3. Inspect Your Office Chair Swivel Seat Plate Thoroughly

Even the most ergonomic office chairs can sometimes lean forward or backward awkwardly. The office chair is prone to some sort of wear and tear over time.

Timely inspection of your seat plate can minimize the imbalance and bring back the stability of your office chair.

To examine your chair’s seat plate for looseness you will have to follow the steps I have jotted down below.

• You might be thinking about where the seat plate is located exactly. Well, it is usually black and on the side of your office chair. Turn your chair over and lay it on one side. Examine if any loose screws might be making the mess.
• Next, you will have to fasten the loose screws and even add some screws where they are missing. Once you have gone through this your seat plate must be effectively tightened.

It is now time to test the balance of your chair. Take a seat on the chair and check if it is still leaning in any direction. If the issue persists you might need to replace the seat plate or even invest in a new chair.

Tips For Essential Maintenance Of Your Office Chair:

Timely maintenance of your office chair can not only save you some cash, but it can also increase the durability of your chair. There are some simple cleaning techniques that you can adopt in your free time to keep your chair in pristine condition.

Firstly, you will have to lubricate the mechanical parts of your office chair at least once a month. Lubrication of parts reduces the wear on these parts and increases longevity. So, make your that you have this tip pinned down in your journal or to-do list.

Secondly, one of the common reasons for an office chair leaning forward or backward is the dirt and other debris clogging up inside it. You must be aware that cleaning the parts makes a huge difference in its performance. So, make it your duty to keep the office chair squeaky clean

Last but not least, sometimes direct sunlight can also deteriorate the upholstery and threading materials on your office chair. Make sure that you read the manufacturer’s instruction manual that might include some emphasis on this subject.

Accepting The Fact That It Might Not Be Repairable

As sad as it sounds in some cases this is the only explanation for your office chair’s condition.

When the office chair is not looked at at the right time when it first starts to show instability and imbalance. It becomes difficult afterward to repair it even by experts.

The hacks that we have mentioned today do work in the majority of cases. However, sometimes the office chair has so much wear and tear that there is absolutely nothing one can do to repair it.

So, the lesson that we learn today is that it is important to maintain your office chair once you have invested in one. It is not a commodity that you want to reinvest in soon. So make sure that you have your hands dirty every month for maintaining the office chair.

In this way, your chair will be in pristine condition even after years of continuous use.

Final Verdict:

The wear and tear on your office chair over time can loosen up or damage some parts. It is essential to do a DYI breakdown of your chair before you hire a repairman.

It is because most of the time the fix is pretty simple as your chair might only need the casters to be replaced or the tilt tension to be adjusted.

So, therefore I have thoroughly explained all the possible reasons which might be disturbing your chair’s balance. Further, I have also pinned down some notable tips that you can apply on your office chair from time to time and maintain it properly.

Remember maintenance of your office chair is a must otherwise you might have to buy a new chair in the next summer.