Why is My Office Chair Leaking Oil? 4 Common Causes and Solutions

Office chairs are designed to have a lot of comfort, stability, and suspension. Many modern office chairs use hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders that compress and expand when you sit on them. The cylinder provides balance and support without making it feel stiff or uncomfortable like a traditional chair.

Your office chair is leaking oil because the hydraulic cylinder is damaged, the wheels are too lubricated, or the cylinder is coated with too much oil. Wipe the oil away with a microfiber cloth, then sit in the chair and see if it continues to leak. You can replace the cylinder with ease.

This post will also cover four common reasons an office chair leaks oil, how to fix each problem, and why oil on an office chair isn’t always a bad thing. We’ll also cover tips to replace your office chair’s cylinder if it’s damaged beyond repair.

Quick Tip: If your office chair keeps leaking oil, it can get messy and ruin the floors, other furniture, and the chair’s fabric. I recommend reviewing Amazon’s hydraulic cylinder replacements to fix the problem before it gets worse. We’ll cover more suggestions below.

Reasons an Office Chair Leaks Oil

Leaky office chairs can be frustrating and messy. If oil gets all over the place, it’s difficult to clean out of carpets, til grout, wood, and so on. However, there’s not always a problem when the chair has oil, especially if it’s on the cylinder. Contrary to popular belief, the vast majority of office chairs are designed to have oil on them.

Here’s a list of four reasons an office chair leaks oil:

1. Hydraulic office chairs compress fluid that can leak if something’s damaged or broken. According to Nex Flow, hydraulic systems work by compressing fluids. There are several fluids used in various hydraulic office chairs, but a leaky could cause them to drip out. This usually happens from poor shipping and handling or tipping the chair too often.
2. Pneumatic and hydraulic chairs often come lubricated with oil, which could spill or leak. Lubrication prevents the cylinder from scraping and rusting, so it’s actually quite beneficial. However, if there’s too much oil or the company accidentally didn’t seal the cylinder, it’ll spill all over the place. This problem happens with some floor fans, too.
3. Office chair cylinders have oil, but this is a normal occurrence, so it’s nothing to worry about. As mentioned above, a little bit of oil is necessary to keep your office chair functioning properly. If you notice oil on the cylinder and nowhere else, this isn’t an issue to worry about.
4. Some wheels are oil to keep them moving smoothly. If you roll around in your office chair and you’re using high-end wheels, they’re likely oiled or lubricated with a similar substance. Much like the previous example, this is nothing to be concerned about. However, it shouldn’t leave tracks on the carpet or drip on the floor.

Many office chairs have oil on the cylinders or inside, but they shouldn’t leak around your home or work space. It might seem silly that a chair needs to be lubricated, especially if you don’t move around too often. If you want to learn the most common reasons office chairs have oil, read on.

Why Do Some Chairs Have Lubricant?

Whether you have an old office chair you’ve owned for several years or a brand-new one out of the box, it’s not uncommon to find water, oil, and other fluids on your office chair. They’re often more than necessary for all sorts of reasons. Before you start removing all of the lubricant from the chair, check out some of the explanations below.

Hydraulic Chairs Need Fluid

Hydraulic systems often work with liquid to add suspension for office chairs and other seating arrangements. As the cylinder drops, it pushes down on the liquid. This system allows you to adjust the height and sit comfortably without feeling like you’re resting on hardened metal or plastic.

Some Office Chair Wheels Are Lubricated

If your chair has metal wheels or bearings, there’s a high chance they’ll be lubricated when they arrive. Some people prefer upgrading their office chair’s wheels to provide optimal mobility, balance, and to toss the junky plastic wheels that come stock with most store-bought chairs. The oil sometimes falls off on the ground below, causing stains.

Office Chair Cylinders Are Oiled

The cylinder sits between the seat and wheels. It supports to chair, preventing it from rusting, dragging, or corroding. If you noticed oil on the cylinder, it’s completely normal and to be expected. As long as it’s not dripping off of the cylinder, you should be good to go. On the contrary, if there’s no oil, your chair might have a few problems down the road.

If your office chair is leaking oil or any other fluid, something has to be done. Waiting too long will cause a mess or ruin the chair by removing the hydraulic fluid and causing stains. In the next section, we’ll describe five must-know fixes for your leaky office chair cylinder.

How to Make an Office Chair Stop Leaking Oil

Are you tired of cleaning up after your leaky office chair? There are quite a few fixes since most of the causes are relatively low maintenance. It’s important to repair or replace specific parts before they get worse. Waiting too long will risk losing your chair’s hydraulic or pneumatic system, along with other parts.

• Replace the cylinder with a new one. Biz Fluent suggests replacing the cylinder if it’s leaking too much liquid. A cracked or otherwise damaged cylinder will spill oil. There’s no way to repair it without spilling more oil or making it look like a tacky repair job, so it’d be best to get a replacement cylinder (as mentioned at the top of the post).
• Clean the cylinder right when you remove it from the packaging. Some cylinders come with too much oil, in which case you could use a paper towel to remove excess amounts without making a mess. Also, wear gloves when putting an office chair together.
• Contact the manufacturer to ask about warranties. If the cylinder (or any other parts) arrives damaged or leaky on your office chair, talk to the company to inquire about a refund or replacement parts. Amazon often covers these issues, but it’s worth looking into before getting a new chair online or in a store.
• Place a mat under the chair if the wheels are oiled. You can use an office chair mat to keep your carpets, rugs, wood, tile, and other flooring safe from oil spills and stains. While a little bit of oil is expected, it shouldn’t be ruining your floors. Wipe the wheels with microfiber towels, find the leak, or get new wheels.
• Switch to a traditional chair without a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder. If you’re tired of dealing with oil on your chairs, the only real solution is to get a stationary chair without the previously mentioned options. Hydraulic and pneumatic chairs offer unparalleled comfort, and there’s virtually no messiness if you know how to take care of them. However, you can’t avoid oil with them.

In Conclusion

Now that you know why your office chair is leaking oil, you can take the aforementioned steps to find a solution. Oil is necessary to keep your office chair working as it should, especially if it’s a brand-new model. Your chair is always moving up and down with its suspension system, so heat would build up and ruin the hydraulics if it wasn’t lubricated.

Replacing the cylinder often a quick repair that takes less than a minute. It’s more than worth it if you want to keep your office chair feeling comfortable for many years to come.