10 Common Gas Struts Issues: Easy Solutions

Gas struts can greatly enhance our convenience, but issues may arise from incorrect size selection or improper mounting. Don’t worry, this guide will solve your issue. We’ve listed the 10 common problems you might encounter during purchasing, installation, and replacement. Read on to find easy solutions in this guide.

1. Doubt About Purchasing

Before purchasing, you should know these for a better gas spring selection.

1.1 What Are Struts Used For? 

Gas struts control the movement of various project doors, such as car hoods, storage beds, toy boxes, and trap doors. They are especially helpful when you need both hands free while accessing items in a storage box, as they hold the door open until you manually close it, saving you time and effort.

1.2 How Do I Select The Right Gas Struts?

To find the matched gas struts, we need first to measure the height and weight of your project door. Then, use our free and easy gas struts calculator by inputting the data, the program will handle the calculations and immediately recommend the product size you need. It’s really simple!

1.21 How to Weigh Your Lid?

The most accurate method is to remove the lid from the project and weigh it on a scale. However, this may be troublesome. So, we have an alternative method. You can place a stick or pipe vertically to support the door on the scale. This will give you a quick estimate of the door’s weight. ( Tips: Don’t worry about precision, 100% accuracy isn’t necessary. Meanwhile, you can adjust the mounting points during installation to achieve the best performance. )

1.22 Free Gas Struts Calculator

1.3 How To Purchase Ideal Size Gas Struts?

If you are looking for fixed force gas struts like 10” 100N-250N, or 15” 100-300N, you can directly purchase them from our webshop since they are in stock now. If you need some special size, you can use our custom gas springs service or purchase the fixed compression gas struts if they are in stock.

1.4 How to Calculate the Kg Needed In a Gas Strut?

Calculation may be troublesome to many of us. However, it is not easy for us to purchase the right size lift struts without calculation, for example, you may have found that a single 80N gas strut can not even lift a lid with 80N. So a calculation is vital for figuring out the correct size of gas struts. We share how to calculate the gas force we need before, you can directly read the post. If you want it to be easier, just use the above simple calculator.

2. Installation Issues

2.1 How to Install A Gas Strut?

Once you have the correct size gas struts, you can begin the installation. Whether you’re a first-time user or have experience in installing gas springs, our easy mounting guide and tips will help you complete the installation in less than 20 minutes.

Step 1: Placing Mounting Points

Figuring out where to screw the mounting points is the key to successful installation. In most cases, the ideal screw point is to place the upper mounting point on the 1/3 height door from the piano hinges. Then extend the gas struts to the largest, you can find the lower mounting points.

Step 2: Connecting Brackets And Gas Struts

We provide two brackets and five screws for each strut. Use the screws to secure the round brackets to the lower mounting points and the rectangular brackets to the upper mounting points. Next, snap the piston head into the bracket. Be sure to position the gas struts with the rod facing downward for optimal damping performance when closing.

Step 3: Testing

At this point, 90% of the installation is complete. The last step is to test the lifting and closing performance. If the process is smooth, you’ve succeeded. If not, you may doubt these two situations:

(1) I have let too much gas out of my struts, what should I do?

If the gas struts aren’t strong enough to lift your lid, try installing them vertically. If they still can’t hold the door up, you may need to replace them with stronger ones. We recommend using standard gas struts instead of adjustable ones, as adjustable struts can be difficult to manage unless you’re a professional technician.

(2) Gas Struts won’t close, what should I do?

Gas struts don’t last forever; their lifespan typically ranges from 1 to 3 years, depending on how and where they are used. Over time, they may begin to weaken and eventually lose all pressure. You may encounter some issues as they start to fail.

3. Questions About Replacing

3.1 How To Remove Gas Struts?

To remove gas struts, you’ll need to separate the piston head from the bracket. First, slip a small flat-head screwdriver under the retaining clip. Pull back to loosen it, and then you’ll find it easy to remove the head. For your convenience, we have created a video of the process that may be easier to follow.

3.2 How To Find The Perfect Gas Strut Replacement?

A perfect gas strut replacement doesn’t mean the same size but must offer the same performance. If you have the part number, it will be easier to find a matching one. However, if you’ve lost the part number, don’t worry. Simply measure the old strut and weigh the lid, and we can help you find a similar size that provides excellent lifting and damping performance for your project.

3.3 How to Measure Gas Strut Length?

Measuring gas strut length is relatively easy, including measuring stroke and extended length. Just follow the diagram with the mark as below, and you can easily get the two data.

3.4 Where To Buy Gas Struts Replacement?

Apexstone has been providing gas struts for over a decade, we have our factory, which means that we can produce any size you want at an affordable price. If you need gas struts replacement, just tell us the detail size you will need. Have no idea about the lift struts’ size? This free gas strut calculator is worth trying. Email us your ideal gas strut specification today, we are here to assist you with the customization.