RAISE OFFICE CHAIR WITHOUT LEVER
Some might have this question "why is it necessary to raise/adjust the height of the office chair?" Let me answer it.
On average, a normal working person sits for at least 12 hours a day. If your office chair is too low and if you are sitting on the same short, heightened chair, it can cause back pain and create spine issues. So it is better to adjust the chair than to have a bad posture throughout the day. Also, having a cozy and comfortable chair is crucial to increase productivity and workflow.
In that case, your chair must be flexible enough to adjust according to your height. Older chair models do not have a lever, and it requires manual adjustment. So if you are having an old chair model and looking for a quick guide on how to raise or lower it without a lever, then this article is for you.
How T0 Raise Office Chair Without Lever
Most of the chairs used in offices have pneumatic lifts and levers that are very helpful in height adjustment. However, old office chairs do not have such pneumatic lifts. These types of chairs do not have height adjustment levers either. So the height for these kinds of chairs has to be manually adjusted. If you are someone who work long hours on old model chairs, and looking to upgrade your chair, you can check out our recommended chairs for developers.
Below we have given different methods by which you can raise chair height without a lever. But before trying out these methods, you must choose the correct height of the chair that would be comfortable for you.
Measure the height of the chair
The first step is to measure the height of your office chair from the ground. To do this, choose an appropriate height that allows your feet to be comfortable while seated. So the height of the chair should be the distance between the floor and your knee joint. Also, your legs should form a 90-degree angle so that you don't suffer any cramps/leg pain.
Once you determine the height, use a marker to mark it on the chair or note the distance. Also, it is crucial to ensure that your body posture is not compromised while determining the height.
Once you have measured the height of the chair. Follow any of the given methods to adjust the height of the chair without any lever.
METHOD 1: Clockwise and anticlockwise movement/adjustment
This is one of the most simplest methods in adjusting your old model office chairs without a level. You can adjust the height by rotating it clockwise and anti-clockwise.
To raise the height, you must rotate the chair in a clockwise direction and to lower the seat height you must rotate it in the anticlockwise direction. So in this step, turn the chair in a clockwise direction until you get the height that you needed. Once the chair is adjusted, sit on it to check the height and if it is comfortable. After testing, if you find the adjustment comfortable - brilliant! You have adjusted your office chair without the help of a lever.
NOTE: Since you are working in an older model chair, you should stand up from your chair while adjusting the height. As older models do not have a pneumatic lever, and they cannot be adjusted while you sit on them.
Method 2: Under the chair bolt adjustment
If the above method on making the office chair higher doesn't apply to your chair, then you might have a chair with an under the bolt mechanism. These type of chairs can be modified only by rotating a large bolt that is present at the bottom of the chair. Turning the bolt in both directions will either lower or raise the height.
1. To adjust the height, first stand up from the chair because, as already mentioned, older chairs cannot be measured while being seated, so while adjusting the chair, stand up from it.
2.Now rotate the bolt under the seat using your bare hands and notice the chair going higher and lower. Rotate the chair in the direction that increases the height and stop as soon as you reach the perfect position. If the bolt isn't smooth to rotate, you can apply oil or a lubricant to make it greasy. If needed, use a screwdriver/wrench.
3.Once the height is raised or lowered as per your preference, sit on the chair and figure out if the height is comfortable.
If the seating position is comfortable, then congrats on finding the best measurement.
Method 3: Unlock the chair lock
Many of the non pneumatic office chairs have a lock that prevents the chair from height adjustment. So to fix this issue and make office chair higher, follow these steps,
1. Flip the chair and look for the lock. Once you locate it, the next step is to loosen the lock using a wrench or screwdriver. You may also have to use lubricating oil in case the lock is rusty.
2. After loosening the lock, use the same pattern of rotation(clockwise and anticlockwise) as used earlier. Adjust the chair to the height of your choice.
Once the height adjustment is done, sit on the chair and ensure your posture is perfect while sitting.
Method 4: Detach the seat and place wooden pieces under the seat
This method will take more energy and effort compared to the previous ones. First, you need to detach the seat from the chair.
1.To detach the seat, first flip the chair to its side and unscrew the screws present in the seat bottom with the help of a screwdriver or wrench.
2.Now that the seat is detached, you can use wooden pieces to increase the height by a few inches. So place the wooden pieces between the seat and the lower part of the chair.
4. Then use a drill to make a hole in the wooden piece. Further, pass long nuts and screws into the holes to attach it to the seat. Now reattach the seat. This entire process will raise the height of the chair by a few inches.
HOW TO RAISE A NON-ADJUSTABLE OFFICE CHAIR
If in case you are using a non adjustable office chair or height adjustable chair without wheels and you want to raise or lower its height, then you can try out the below given hacks to raise the height.
1) Seat cushions
One of the creative ways to raise the height of the non-adjustable chairs is by using seat cushions. You can add more than one cushion on your seat if the table is too high. Using seat cushions will make the chair soft and comfortable to sit on. You can also use fancy foam cushions as per your liking.
2) Desk elevation blocks
If your office chair is taller for the table and lacks adjustable height features, then you have no other go. It would help if you elevated your desk to match the chair height. So if this is the case, I recommend you buy the desk elevation blocks. These blocks will increase the height of the desk to match the height of your office chair.
Conclusion
Before I say goodbye, I want to remind you of this. Having a comfortable office chair is essential not just to increase productivity but also to your health. If you have been struggling with an old office chair in terms of adjusting its height, I hope this article was of some help.
So if your chair is too low for the desk, then adjust office chair height by trying out these methods and comment on which method worked out for you. Thanks for reading through!
