What does the knob under my office chair do?

If you’re using an office chair for the first time, do you ever ponder, what does the knob under my office chair do? This article contains all the information you need to know about different types of knobs in your office chair.

The knob under your chair adjusts the tension of the chair spring automatically making the seat fit the height of your work desk rightly. Most chairs come with knobs that can be used to adjust their height concerning their office chair desk and other surfaces for increased comfort and safety.

Nevertheless, these knobs are oftentimes overlooked and their features are neglected. In this article, we will answer some of your most pressing questions and concerns surrounding this strange yet common feature in your office chair.

What does the knob under my office chair do?

The name given to the knob underneath your office chair is “Tilt Tension”. The chair tilt mechanism is simply a way to control how the chair springs are positioned. It allows the users to do plenty of chair adjustments that bring comfort to their day-to-day sitting experience. Th

For understanding the concept properly, let’s address both “tilt” and “tension” individually. Well, the “tilt” helps you recline on your office chair as well as adjust it in a forward or backward position to sit as per your requirements.

Whereas the “tension” feature is that knob that allows you to increase or decrease the force required to tilt your chair. All in all, “tilt tension” lets you adjust your chair’s reclining position and helps you decide the amount of force required for the purpose.

Why is the right adjustment of the knob important?

Generally, office chairs come with various adjustable features that fit people with different body types and varied chair height requirements. Therefore, the right adjustment of the tilt tension knob is highly important.

This is because a tighter tilt tension means your back will ache if you sit on your office chair for a long time as you can’t recline at all. And we know how important it is for office workers to benefit from the reclining feature of office chairs. On the flip side, a loose tilt tension means you don’t have enough support for rocking or easy body movement and you would always feel like you are tipping backward.

Additionally, the weight of the person sitting on the office chair seat is also a crucial factor. A lighter person should set the chair tilt tension at a loose angle while heavyweight people should tighten it to properly use the backrest.

How to Use an Office Chair Knob?

Using an office chair knob is so easy. Just find the knob, which is mostly in front of the chair stem or some cases under the side of the seat. For the first case, lean forward to approach the knob, and lean to the side of the chair for the second case.

Now, turn the knob clockwise to tighten it and counterclockwise to loosen it. This will allow you to adjust the chair’s height concerning your office floor and your work desk as well.

When adjusting, roll the knob towards you to release slack in the seat and it will adjust in that direction. If you roll it towards you with tension, then your back will feel more comfortable and supported while sitting down in the chair.

Different types of knobs and their uses

Because of the usefulness of a tilt tension knob, chair manufacturers have come up with different types of knobs for different office chairs.

Seat depth adjustment knobs

A lot of times, what you may be thinking of as a tilt tension knob underneath your office chair is a seat depth adjustment knob. You may not find it in every chair but it helps to maintain good posture and blood circulation.

You can adjust the depth of your chair simply means that you can move your inward or outward chair through this knob. This means that you can adjust how close or far away you want the backrest to be from your body and the seat will stay in place.

This is a tilted lever that allows you to move the chair up or down relative to the surface. These can be used for different purposes such as when using a computer, watching TV, or for general sitting purposes. This is to make sure that you feel comfortable and supported while sitting down.

Seat height adjustment knobs

A seat height adjustment knob allows you to increase or decrease the seat height of your office chair. This is usually called an incline position. To go down in the chair, you need to simply pull the height adjustment lever and adjust it to be at the right height.

This allows you to adjust your seat’s height relative to the floor. You can raise or lower your office chair if you want to change where your feet are positioned while sitting down for long hours.

Most office chairs have a built-in height adjustment knob, which is helpful for people who spend more time on a chair. They can adjust the knobs so that their feet remain elevated and they don’t experience any pain in their knees from using their chairs for long periods.

Seat angle adjustment knob

A seat angle adjustment knob can be important because it allows you to adjust the angle of the seat from its original position. You can either recline the seat back so that it feels more like a bed and less like you’re perched on a chair.

You may also want to raise or lower the angle for your feet to be more directly underneath you while sitting. The working of this knob is simple; if you want to lower your front chair, move it clockwise.

On the other hand, if you want to move your seat forward, you can turn it counterclockwise. Having the option of adjusting the angle of your office chair comes in handy when you want or need to change your posture or sit in a way that you benefit from the chair’s backrest.

Tilt Tension Adjustment knob

This is used to control the amount of tension in the spring of a chair. This can be used for both comfort and ergonomic purposes. If you are using a computer, then you may sit in your office chair for hours at a time.

If you are an office worker, then you probably spend half of your workday sitting down in your chair. This can lead to lower back pain or even chronic back pain over time if you don’t have good support while sitting down.

Choosing the right chair with the right tilt tension setting is very crucial. In addition to it, understanding what is tilt tension on a chair, and how it works is also important. Some chairs have the plus “+” or minus  “_” sign for setting the tension while others have a knob or levers to do this.

Back height adjustment knobs (Tilt Lock)

You can adjust the height of the headrest of your office chair by adjusting this knob. This is mostly used to keep the headrest close to your back while seated in the chair.

If you want higher or lower, then all you need to do is turn it until it reaches an appropriate level for your preferences. This is important if you want easy movement for your back and maintain your back height adjustment in a way that perfectly supports your weight.

In addition, you can choose an office chair tilt lock mechanism to lock it into place so that no matter what the lever does, the seat always remains in the place that you set it in.

What to do if the Tilt Tension Knob is Not Working?

There are several reasons why your chair tilt tension is not working. However, the most common reason is that your office chair has become old now and most of its adjustment features have stopped working. In that case, you need to replace your chair and get a new one.

If your office chair has not aged out and still its tension knob isn’t working, then you need to fix it. For this, you should clean and grease the knob.

The next thing you can do is to check the tension by adding weight to the chair and then turning it right until your office chair reclines. Once done, you can set it according to your comfortable position.

Bottom Line!

Lastly, the office chair knob is a highly important feature. As mentioned earlier, it helps you align your chair’s height to your work desk and supports your weight while you are in the rocking position.

Like other features of an ergonomic chair, the knob or the tilt tension feature is also very much relevant. An ergonomic chair comes with a backrest feature that offers lumbar support.

But to use the backrest in the right way, ergonomic experts have recommended using the office chair knob properly. With the right knob adjustment, you can enjoy a comfortable height for long hours of work.

Not only this, such knobs provide proper support for your body weight as well as your upper body. So, have you set your chair height and chair properly with the adjustment knob?