The ErgoDesk Lab

Quick Answer: Slide the lumbar until it clicks into a notch, or tighten its friction knob if it has one. A strap-on pillow needs its strap pulled snug around the backrest. Built-in lumbar that slides up and down the backrest: Use Fix A to lock it in place A separate lumbar pillow strapped to the chair: Use Fix B to secure the pillow It won't stay even in a notch, or you're not sure: Check in Step 1

Quick Answer: Grip the broken stub with pliers and move it the way the lever went, or press the cylinder's release pin directly. Then order a replacement lever or mechanism. A stub of the lever is still sticking out: Use Fix A to work the stub with pliers The height lever is gone completely: Use Fix B to press the release pin directly You want a permanent fix, or you're not sure which lever broke: Check in Step 1

Quick Answer: If your feet don't reach the floor at the lowest setting, add a footrest. To lower the seat itself, fit a shorter gas cylinder or choose a lower chair. You need a fix today, or your desk height suits you: Use Fix A to add a footrest You want the seat itself lower: Use Fix B to fit a shorter cylinder You're not sure how much lower you need: Measure in Step 1

Quick Answer: Spin each chair caster and free any wheel that drags, then clean the treads. Change casters only if clean, free wheels still leave black marks. Straight streaks, or a wheel won't spin: Free that wheel first. Use Fix A to free the dragging wheel All wheels spin, treads look dirty: Clean them and the floor. Use Fix B to clean the treads Clean, free wheels still leave fresh marks: The tread itself is marking. Use Fix C to switch casters or add a mat Marks won't wipe off, or the floor looks dull: Check what kind of damage it is. Run the Step 1 wipe test

Quick Answer: Rock the empty seat and find the play. If a cylinder joint shifts, clean and reseat it; if the cylinder wobbles inside its own body, replace it. The seat lifts or shifts where it sits on the cylinder, or the cylinder moves in the base: Use Fix A to clean and reseat the taper Both joints are tight, but the cylinder bends at its middle: Use Fix B to replace the worn cylinder You see a crack in the base hub or the seat mechanism: Check it in Step 1 before you sit

Quick Answer: Look under the seat for a mesh edge that has popped out of its groove and press it back in. If the mesh is stretched or torn, replace the seat mesh. One edge of the mesh frame has lifted out of its groove: Use Fix A to reseat the mesh carrier The mesh is seated all round but sags evenly: Use Fix B to support or replace stretched mesh You see a tear or fraying, or you're not sure: Check in Step 1

Quick Answer: Tighten the bolts holding the seat to its metal plate and replace any missing one. If they're tight, check for a broken caster, cracked base, or flat foam. The seat shifts on its plate or a bolt is loose or missing: Use Fix A to tighten the seat-plate bolts The whole chair tips because a caster or base leg is damaged: Use Fix B to replace the caster or base The frame is level but you sink lower on one side: Use Fix C to even out the seat cushion

Quick Answer: Tighten the bolts holding the seat to the mechanism first. If it only squeaks when you lean back, lubricate the tilt pivots, not the whole chair. It squeaks as you sit down or shift your weight: Use Fix A to tighten the seat and backrest bolts It squeaks only when you lean back or rock: Use Fix B to lubricate the tilt pivots It squeaks when the seat bounces up and down, or you're not sure: Isolate the noise in Step 1

Quick Answer: Pull the casters out of the base and cut away the hair wrapped around the axles. Most wheels that drag or skid are jammed by hair and grit, not worn out. Wheels feel stiff or you can see hair at the hub: Use Fix A to clear hair and grit from the axles Wheels spin but a caster won't turn to follow the chair: Use Fix B to free a stiff swivel Not sure, or a wheel looks cracked or flat: Spin and swivel each caster in Step 1

Quick Answer: Sit back with your full weight, then pull and hold the height lever. The seat only lowers under weight; if it won't, check the lever, then the cylinder. You pulled the lever while standing: sit first and repeat the test. Run the seated test in Step 1 Seated, the lever moves but nothing happens: the lever may be missing the pin. Use Fix A to make the lever press the release pin The pin goes down but the seat stays up: the valve may be sticking. Use Fix B to free a sticky release pin The seat won't rise, or it sinks on its own: that is a different fault. See Office Chair Won't Go Up but Goes Down Fine or Office Chair Slowly Sinking

Quick Answer: Stand up, take all your weight off the seat and armrests, and hold the lever up for a few seconds. The seat can only rise when nothing presses it down. You pull the lever while seated or leaning on the chair: Get fully off it first. Use Fix A to raise the seat with no weight on it It still won't rise with the seat empty: Find which part quit. Start with Step 1 to test the lever and cylinder It rises, then stops at the same height every time: It may already be at the top of its range. Go to Step 1 to check for the top stop

Quick Answer: Use soft-tread casters on hardwood and hard casters on carpet, and buy a set whose stem matches your chair's. Not sure what to buy: Check the surface and your chair's stem first. Start with Step 1 to check your floor and stem Chair rolls on bare hardwood: Fit soft-tread wheels. Use Fix A for hardwood Chair rolls on low or medium carpet: Fit hard wheels. Use Fix B for carpet Thick carpet, a chair mat, or mixed floors: Match the wheel to what it actually touches. Use Fix C for tricky floors

Quick Answer: Tape-mark the seat height, sit for 30 minutes, and compare. If it keeps sinking with the lever released, replace the gas cylinder. Not sure it really sinks: Mark the height and sit for half an hour. Run the tape test in Step 1 Lever stays partly up, or something rests on it: The valve is being held open. Use Fix A to free the lever Lever springs back but the seat still ends up lower: The cylinder is the likely cause. Confirm it in Step 1, then go to Fix B Seat won't go down at all: That is a different problem. See Office Chair Won't Go Down

Quick Answer: Start with the seat level, then try one notch of forward tilt and keep it only if you can type without sliding toward the front edge. Not sure what your seat is set to: Record the current setting first. Start with Step 1 to check the setting You perch on the front edge to type: A little forward tilt may help. Use Fix B to try one notch You keep sliding forward: The seat tilts too far. Use Fix C to reduce the tilt

Quick Answer: Lower the armrests below the desk's underside, or slide them back and in; don't drop the whole seat unless the desk is too high anyway. Not sure where they hit: Find the first point of contact. Start with Step 1 to measure the clearance The armrest tops hit the underside: They sit too high. Use Fix A to lower the armrests The armrest fronts hit the desk edge: They stick out too far. Use Fix B to move them back

Quick Answer: Sit fully back and slide the seat until its front edge clears the backs of your knees while still supporting most of your thighs. Not sure where it sits now: Check the gap with your fingers. Start with Step 1 to check the gap The seat edge presses behind your knees: The seat is too deep. Use Fix A to shorten it Your chair has no seat slider: Shorten the seat another way. Use Fix C for a fixed seat