Back Of Recliner Won’t Stay Up! (Fixed)

When a recliner is set up, it’s supposed to have a smooth reclining mechanism.

This is what you are going to want to use it for.

Sometimes, the recliner can start malfunctioning and this creates an unpleasant seating experience no one wants to deal with. As a result, you will wonder why the back of the recliner won’t stay up.

If the back of a recliner won’t stay up, the reclining tension has to be fine-tuned. To do this, flip the recliner upside-down, locate the wingnuts, tighten them, and then adjust the recliner again. It should now settle into the position you want it to.

In some cases, there will be thumb wheels for this type of adjustment. If that is the case, you will want to tighten them.

This is a simple fix that should take no more than a few minutes to complete once you find the parts needed to tighten the recliner.

Here is a deeper look at what you have to do if the back of a recliner won’t stay up.

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Steps If Back Of Recliner Won’t Stay Up

1. Flip Upside-Down

If the back of a recliner leans too far back, you will need to adjust the recliner’s tension.

There are specific parts (i.e. wingnuts) that are responsible for this mechanism. You will have to adjust them to make sure the tension is spot-on.

It’s common for these to loosen with extensive use or when the recliner is moved from point A to point B.

With this in mind, the only way to fix this solution is to flip the recliner upside-down to access the wingnuts or thumb wheels.

You will want to make sure you have access to these components and that it is possible to increase the tension by tightening them.

back of recliner won't stay up

2. Identify Wingnuts Or Thumb Wheels

Once you have found the wingnuts that you are looking for, it’s time to begin tightening them.

You don’t have to tighten them aggressively.

A few twists of the wingnuts will be enough to increase the recliner’s tension. This will adjust the mechanism that causes the back of a recliner to fall. If you want it to remain in position, you will have to tighten it as soon as you can.

This will take a few minutes but the tension will be noticeable right away.

This is when the back of the recliner will stay in the position you want it to.

3. Tighten Each One To Increase Tension

When you are working on the wingnuts, you will want to make sure all of them are tightened at the same time.

You don’t want one to be loose and the other to be tight. This can create an imbalance that might cause the reclining mechanism to break down on you.

It is important to tighten each wingnut and ensure the recliner is going to work the way you want it to.

This is going to take a bit of work and that’s okay.

Continue to put in the time to make sure you are progressing towards a solution that will work. If you are patient, you will see exceptional results.

back of recliner won't stay up

4. Adjust The Recline

You have to adjust the recliner.

This is important when it comes to getting the type of results that will work over the long haul.

If you are not careful, you might end up in a situation where the recliner becomes rigid. This is when you will have to loosen the wingnuts.

To the surprise of many people, it is possible for this to happen and it creates unwanted results.

Be thorough but also take the time to test how much tension you are adding to the recliner.

Final Thoughts

These are the main tips to consider if the back of a recliner won’t stay up.

If the back of a recliner won’t stay up, this means the reclining tension has to be increased. To do this, you will want to flip the recliner upside-down, identify the wingnuts, tighten them one by one, and then re-test the reclining feature. If done right, the back of the recliner will remain in the right position.

It takes a bit of work to do this but once you find where the wingnuts are, the rest should take a few minutes.

Always make sure you are tightening each component equally. You don’t want to increase the tension to the point it does not budge.

This might create a situation where there is a bit of trial and error on your part. Continue to go through the steps and you will eventually get the results that you are hoping for.

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