One of the biggest trials and tribulations of investing in a recliner is adjusting it to the right spot so you can achieve maximum comfort experience.
Regardless of how expensive or how many features it boasts, if it’s not adjusted right, sitting on it doesn’t feel right.
Keeping that in mind if you are planning on buying a chesterfield or have already purchased one but haven’t figured out How To Adjust A Recliner or position its various parts properly, here is a brief guide that will assist you.
Typically, a recliner comes in two types and if you aren’t familiar with the variant of a recliner you own, I will be shedding some light on it but if you feel like you already know the ins and outs of it, feel free to skip past this section.
Types Of Recliners
As mentioned above, a typical recliner is manufactured in two different variations such as,
1. Manual Recliner
As the name suggests, these require physical labor applied by hand and are operated through small levers or gears placed conveniently within arm’s length reach. These are subdivided into 3 different variants.
- Dual Positioning Recliners
- Wall Huggers
- Push Back Recliners
2. Power Or Electric Recliner
These are quite advanced forms of recliners and tend to provide considerably better convenience and comfort level because they are integrated with complex and perplexing mechanisms which are controlled by a single or dual motor system.
This elaborate yet organized system distributed all over the recliner is powered by electricity and is usually operated either through buttons placed on its armrest or through remote control which lets it swivel, glide, and rock with the push of a button.
Just like manual recliners, power recliners are also subdivided into 3 types.
- Power Lifting Recliner
- Massaging Recliners
- Swiveling Recliners
Steps On How To Adjust A Recliner ( Manual)
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to adjust the subcategories of the manual recliners.
1. Adjusting Dual Position Recliner
This one is quite simple and doesn’t require much effort, all you have to do is locate the lever placed at the side of the armrest and apply force until the backrest is adjusted to your desired liking.
In dual Position recliners, the backrest can be reclined all the way through or simply held upright by moving the lever in respective directions.
2. Adjusting Wall Huggers
As the name suggests, the wall hugger variant is designed to be placed close to walls or simply in a tight compartment. Due to the nature of the use case, adjusting their parts can get quite tricky, here is how to do it.
Unlike dual-position recliners, the lever is usually located inside the armrest, and rather than reclining traditionally backward, both the seat and the backrest slides right out.
Wall huggers also tend to have an additional lever that is integrated right across the foot region and applying torque onto it in a clockwise motion will raise the footrest accordingly.
3. Adjusting Push-Back Recliners
These are the sort of recliners that follow the old-school methodologies of using pure body torque in order to be adjusted to your desired needs.
All you have to do is simply push back on the backrest or move forward on the seat for it to provide proper lumbar support.
Keep in mind that while these variants tend to lack independent levers, they are reliant on spring tension functionality which defines how much force you need to push onto the backrest.
Adjusting The Spring Tension Of The Push Back Recliner
In order to adjust its spring tension, flip the recliner and find the screws that will be controlling its tilting tension, make sure you use a Philip screwdriver and rotate it counterclockwise to loosen it or clockwise to tighten it for appropriate tension strength.
Steps On How To Adjust A Recliner (Electric)
Unlike manual recliners, these sorts of recliners tend to be reliant on buttons or control panels assigned to them rather than using physical labor or strength as it is oriented towards comfort for ailing and senior citizens.
Henceforth, regardless of the subcategory of the power recliner you own such as powerlifting, massaging, or 360 swiveling recliners, they all operate in a similar fashion, here are the steps.
- First, make sure you find the control panel or the remote control of your power recliner
- Most power recliners, remotes, and control panels are designed to be straightforward and tend to have only 3-4 buttons.
- Keep in mind some flagship-grade recliners also let you change their headrest position as well as their footrest angle.
- Furthermore, you can also adjust the height of the seat and even tweak its tilting angle, which is suitable for your needs.
- If none of these options work, resort to toggling the manual override lever of your power recliner, which will let you adjust its backrest, seat position, and footrest manually.
Note: Manual Overriding may void your warranty, make sure you have read the instruction manual before proceeding.
Bottom Line
It is highly crucial that you determine the type of recliner you own because otherwise, you might break or cause irreversible damage to its mechanism.
By following the steps mentioned above on How To Adjust A Recliner, I am certain that you are now confident in your abilities to do it yourself.
Nevertheless, feel free to comment below if you still have any queries left in your mind, I would be happy to help you out.
I am a furniture expert with a passion for recliners. With years of experience in the industry, I offer invaluable insights and creative ideas for selecting the perfect recliner to suit any space and your needs.