Office Chair Caster Wheel Replacement

An average worker spends not less than 2,200 hours a year in the office, and most of them live with the reality and threat of chronic pain, strain, anxiety and stress each hour. You need to stop forcing your body to adapt to unfavorable working conditions and put your health first before anything else which is why we will be talking about Office Chair Caster. Your posture has a lot to determine about you each day, you need to listen to your body and support your unique shape by choosing good office chair products.

A good office chair will increase productivity, reduce health risks, improve your posture and prevent backaches, it keeps you balanced enough to use the brain more. The most widely used type of chair you'll find in most offices is the office chair caster. The caster helps you to roll around on wheels in your office instead of being stuck at a particular spot, it has 3 basic components - the mount, stem and the wheels.

Sometimes, office chair casters are prone to certain damages like, caster wheel break, wear and tear, clogged hair fibers and dirt, causing damage to your office flooring, making squeaky noises, or no longer rolls smoothly. This doesn't necessarily mean you need to buy an entirely new office chair, it simply means your caster wheels need replacement.

Office chair casters come in sets of four, five or six, and having spare casters for the future, isn't a bad idea, or you can simply get new ones. Caster wheel replacement only takes a few minutes of your time, it's quite simple, easy and inexpensive.

Now, the question is, how can you go about caster wheel replacement, what are the steps involved, what should and shouldn't be looked out for, what factors should be considered. Now, here are the answers to your questions.

This is the first step in getting your caster wheels replaced, Office chair casters are very easy to remove. You'll need to turn over the office chair to the side, to have access to the caster wheels, then with the use of your hands, towel or gloves, grip firmly and pull out the caster from the base.

If the caster wheel is secured with a fastener, there will be a need for a screwdriver and a pry bar with a nail pulling slot, place the screwdriver in between the chair and the caster while you keep turning it, and pry at different stems around the wheel til the caster comes out. Use this method to remove all the caster wheels that need replacement. Some times you can uninstall by lubrication.

The main purpose of this is to help you take the exact measurement of the caster wheel, before heading to purchase new ones.

Before you start taking measurements, verify the stem type of the caster wheel. There are stems like - the grip ring, grip neck, threaded stem, and stemless or open socket caster. The grip ring stem is the most common. Now, you know the type of stem you have, measure the size of the stem, with calipers or measuring tape. The diameter usually measures 7/16 by 7/8 length, this is for a grip ring stem.

Measure the wheels from the front to the back, with a ruler. Most of the caster wheels are 2-2.5 in(5.1-6.4 cm).

This is another thing to put into consideration before purchasing a caster wheel replacement. Consider the weight of the furniture that will be mounted on the wheel. Will the caster wheel be firm enough to hold that weight, endeavor to check the ratings of the replacement caster wheel you're about to purchase to make sure it meets the weight requirements of the furniture it will be mounted.

The type of caster/surface.

Different types of caster wheels are designed to work on different types of surfaces, take note of this. Choose the type that will be a perfect match for the surface of your work area.

•  Carpet casters(soft surface) - If your office chair will be rolling on a carpet, it's best you get the carpet casters, made of plastic and a hood for hiding carpet threads, also for easy operation on your carpet.
• Hard floor casters (hard surface) - This is absolutely safe on hardwood, it is also recommended for carpet surface. They are constructed with materials that make it safe to roll across a hardwood surface without causing damage.
•  Top plate - heavy-duty casters are fixed with a top plate mount, a huge majority relies on this system rather than the stem system. The yoke and axel hold the wheel, while it's being screwed to the base of the chair, through the top plate. Best for a hard surface.
• Reverse locking - This caster has an additional safety when weight is applied it locks down and won't move around the office until the weight is removed. It's good for all surface types.

These are the different types of caster wheels and the surfaces it suits, be keen enough to know what type, your work surface area needs.

After much considerations, including the type of caster wheel size to purchase(twin wheel or single wheel), it's time to buy a new one. It could be bought from your local home or online store, it's all your choice. Endeavor to take these specifications with you, if you're purchasing in person and ask for help in comparison, to buy the exact type that will fit into your office chair and surface.

 This is actually the easiest part of the whole replacement process. For a threaded caster, fasten the threaded stem to the chair base and keep screwing till it stops turning. For a grip ring caster, push the stem into the chair till it gets firm. Then, for a swivel plate caster, use a screwdriver to fix. Yes, it's that simple!.

 Above all, proper maintenance of caster wheels should be put into consideration. Inspect the wheels more often, clean it if you notice any form of trapped dirt or particles, lubrication of the caster wheels is also very important.