Installing a gas lift on the bed

A bed is not only a place to relax. The space between the mattress and the body can be used with benefit to fold, for example, bed linen. Convenient and quick access to additional storage space is provided by a gas elevator, which easily raises the entire structure. The device is a special spring for cushioning and lifting elements of various furniture - from the bed to the sash closets. The elastic function of an obsolete metal spiral in this device is performed by gas under high pressure, however, this option is not attached to every bed. In order not to waste the family budget, they install such a device on their own, in addition, all the necessary details can be bought at any furniture store. In this review, we will tell you how difficult it is to install a gas elevator on a bed.

to contents ↑

Benefits

Mankind has long known the enormous power of pneumatic mechanisms. Thanks to the work of Pascal, scientists praised the potential energy pressure. Now most of the devices and machines operate on hydraulics and pneumatics:

• the press;
• jacks;
• drives for small arms.

Furniture did not pass over progress.

Important! Such a mechanism was first developed by the German company Häfele in the 1970s. Since then, it has been used around the world and has long won the love of users, because its main feature is ease of use. No more effort is required to lift the frame up.

Installing a gas lift on a bed is not a complicated process. But it gives a lot of other advantages:

• Saving space in the bedroom is what captivates many consumers. You can get rid of extra cabinets and shelves in the lounge. All linen, blankets and even mattresses can be hidden without any problems.
• Gas lifts protect the bed frame from rapid destruction, all movements of the mechanism are smooth, without jerking, not causing any damage to the furniture frame. The design eliminates sudden tears, deformations and other types of breakdowns.
• They are a safe device, because all moving parts are hidden under the casing, the risk of injury is minimal.
• To activate the mechanism, you do not need any special skills or significant efforts, as is the case with conventional springs. Even a child can handle this.
• A mechanical lifting device is gradually stretched due to metal fatigue, but when installing a gas lift on a bed, you will not encounter such a drawback. Liquid nitrogen, which is used when installing a gas lift on a bed, does not lead to corrosion of metal parts and damage to rubber gaskets, and therefore is durable.

Important! The mechanism for raising the bed and gas springs of fittings is designed for about 20 thousand folding-unfolding beds, and this is several decades.

• Many people remember the unpleasant sounds made by steel when stretched. The air spring works silently and smoothly. The use of gas during the operation of the mechanism eliminates any noise or creak when raising, lowering.
• If earlier, for marketing purposes, installing a gas lift on a bed was possible only from a certain manufacturer, now all devices of this type are produced in an average standard.That is, they are universal and suitable for installation on any furniture.

It would be unfair to bypass the disadvantages of installing a gas lift on a bed. But there are not so many of them:

• Since the devices are visible at the head, in the general interior they do not look very aesthetically pleasing. But this problem can be circumvented by making an original bedside table.
• If you choose a low-quality mechanism, that is, the cheapest, it will quickly fail.

Important! A high price can be considered a conditional minus. Having invested in the purchase of a quality mechanism, you will not need to repair or replace the gas lift for a long time, the device will serve you faithfully for many years.

to contents ↑

A bit about manufacturers

Before installing a gas lift on a bed, experienced furniture makers recommend carefully studying the country of manufacture of the mechanism:

• First of all, look at products from Germany or joint Russian-German firms.
• In second place in terms of popularity are devices originally from Turkey and Taiwan.
• According to the good old tradition, China cannot boast the high quality of a complex mechanism. Therefore, it is better to refuse to install a gas lift on a bed from the Middle Kingdom.

to contents ↑

Types and arrangement of mechanisms

Before we understand the question of how to install a gas lift on a bed, let's find out what kind they are, what constitutes a mechanism. As a rule, a lift with gas shock absorbers consists of:

• stamped iron plates;
• metal axis;
• gas lift - shock absorber in the form of a cylinder filled with gas or air.

Plates made of iron are arranged around the metal axis of rotation and are attached to the bed. At the moment of raising or lowering the berth, the plates rotate along the axis, and gas lifts evenly distribute the load.

Important! Often the system for installing a gas elevator on a bed is equipped with locks to prevent arbitrary folding of furniture.

There are a lot of varieties of devices for installing a gas lift on a bed. Almost all those that use for a berth create an upward movement. And here we can distinguish 2 types:

• An automatic device requires minimal effort from a person. It is enough to slightly push the bed up, and the movement begins. A kind of oil pad gives it smoothness, it allows you to make a stroke at the end of the trajectory softer, stopping the process. The mechanism raises the upper part of the bed due to the expansion of gas, which presses on the piston.
• Friction gas lifts differ from their “counterparts” in the absence of a damper. The gas pressure in such a device is already less, and this makes it possible to stop the structure in any convenient position. This mechanism is used much less often when installing a gas elevator on a bed.

to contents ↑

Load calculation

Even before installing the gas lift on the bed, you need to calculate the load that it must withstand. To do this is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. To do this, you need to know the weight of the entire structure and take into account the following points:

• The density of the material the bed is made of is usually indicated by the manufacturer, as is the weight of the furniture.
• Exactly the same characteristics rely on the mattress.

Before installing a gas lift on the bed, pay special attention to the labeling of the devices. She goes to Newtons:

• About 10 N can withstand about 1 kilogram of weight.
• All mechanisms are marked in increments of 200 units, that is, 600N, 800N, 1000N, 1200N and so on.
• The load should be distributed evenly, so it is worth installing 2 mechanisms, one on each side.

Take for example furniture that, together with a mattress, weighs 80 kg. So - you need to install a gas lift on the bed with a marking of at least 800N in the amount of two pieces:

• In theory, they can lift a weight of 160 kg, but in reality this will not happen, since the forces are distributed at an angle.
• It should also be noted that over time, the devices weaken a little, so it is permissible to choose them with a small margin.

Important! Installing a very powerful gas lift on the bed is not recommended, since in this case it will be very difficult to lower or raise the frame.

to contents ↑

Installation of gas lift on the bed

If you decide not to resort to the help of specialists, in addition, not everyone takes on such work as installing a gas lift on a bed, then you should prepare the following tools:

• a simple pencil;
• roulette wheel;
• screwdriver or screwdriver;
• screws that usually come with the device.

Important! A couple more nuances that need to be considered before starting work:

• Please note that some gas lifts are one-sided. Therefore, it is important not to confuse them in places.
• In some cases, the cylinder side also plays an important role. This characteristic should be clarified with the seller.

Installation during bed assembly

If you are installing a gas elevator on a bed made by yourself, the sequence of actions is as follows:

• In the box of the future berth with a pencil, outline 3 places where you will install the fasteners. It is better to take as a basis the height of the bed legs and 14-15 cm from the edge.
• Then use the tool to drill 3 holes.
• When installing the gas lift on the bed, fix the lower part of the mechanism with bolts.
• Using the same tools, attach the corner of the device to the frame of the structure.
• Lower the mechanism base into the bed frame and mark 4 holes on each side. This should be done in such a way that future attachment points correspond to the bottom bracket of the device.
• Then open the frame and drill holes.
• Now, to install the gas elevator on the bed, fix the upper bar so that there is sufficient clearance between the frame and the duct for the normal functioning of the mechanism.

After the installation of the gas lift on the bed is completed, it is necessary to check whether the device works well enough, if necessary, to correct its functions.

Installation on finished furniture

If the furniture is new, then it has special seating for installing a gas lift on the bed. Here are some tips to follow:

• To mount the device, it is enough to unscrew the existing nuts and put the gas shock absorbers with the cylinder up.
• The whole procedure is carried out in the open position of the frame, and first the part that will be installed on the case is fixed, and then the part that is attached to the raised surface.
• During installation, it is important to note that the fastening points of the gas lift must be firmly held by the eye with a bolt.
• Installation of a gas lift on the bed should be carried out in such a way that the fittings are freely operated, and the movement to raise and lower is performed without difficulty.

to contents ↑

Possible problems

Installing a gas lift on the bed has long won a leading position among other lifting mechanisms designed for furniture. Mounting them is quite easy, using it is even easier. High-quality devices are very durable, reliable, while very unpretentious. However, some furniture makers treat such devices with distrust:

• The main reason, according to representatives of bona fide suppliers, is that the market is awash with low-grade Chinese no name crafts.
• Those who are looking for the cheapest options have already burned themselves on a low-grade product, and now they are transferring negative experience to the entire product class.
• The cheap Chinese mechanisms really do not withstand either criticism or more or less serious loads. They still lift light constructions, but they cannot cope with more solid ones.

Therefore, as we have already said in this article, to install a gas lift on a bed, choose only high-quality fittings from trusted manufacturers. Savings will lead not only to problems, but also to even greater expenses for the elimination of these problems.

Another difficulty that users often encounter is that the bed lifting mechanism does not fall, what should I do? The answers here are pretty simple too:

• Before installing the gas lift on the bed, calculate the weight of the future design. If the attached load is small for the device, then the mechanism simply will not work. And this is the most common problem. Often, many people think that the higher the mark on the gas lift, the better. This is not the case.
• In the process of installing a gas lift on the bed, it is quite possible that the parts of the device are incorrectly matched to each other. If they do not match, then the bed will be difficult to recline.
• You will encounter the same problem with damage to the body if you have not left sufficient clearance between the frame and the bed box.
• Before installing the gas elevator on the bed, make sure that all the parts are in the kit and that there are no defective parts. For example, even a small crack in the knuckle of fixing the bed to the bracket can lead to poor functioning, and then breakdown of this part.
• Also, the problem may be in adjusting the gas supply. If the bed drops slowly and not to the end, then the pressure in the piston is excessive or insufficient. This question is best entrusted to specialists. Self repair can lead to failure of the gas lift.

to contents ↑

Stock footage

As you can see, it would seem that such a simple device, but requires so much attention. Installation of gas lift on the bed - the process is not so much difficult as responsible and assuming utmost accuracy and attention. If you take into account all the nuances that we have listed above, then such an assistant, like a gas lift, will last you a long time.