Lubricating Squeaky Recliner

[dwainw]

What is the proper treatment for a squeaky recliner mechanism? I would think you want something that doesn't attract dust too much, and certainly something that doesn't drip out on you floor. Any ideas?

[jchrestman]

i'm sure duane will have a specific answer, but in the mean time checkout dry graphite spray lubricants. google it or use amazon to see various manufacturers and user reviews. just down and dirty stuff but it is a starting point until the master responds.
regards,
john

[drcollie]

That's unusual. Most mechanisms run on nylon bushings and are not prone to squeaking. Are you sure its not the leather chafing against itself (if so, use some baby or talc powder on the leather). Where is the squeak coming from? There are a couple of tension springs on the bottom of most recliners that can squeak - but rarely. You can see them if you flip the chair upsidedown. I generally just us a squirt of WD40 on them when they do.

[dwainw]

I agree that this is unusual. It's on the H&M Monterey that I got from you about six months ago. One side of the loveseat reclines nice and smooth but the other side squeaks as much or more than the cheap old Berkline it replaced. I had already looked underneath to see if there was something obviously amiss, but I found that there are several joints that are noisy, with two being quite bad. If you put your hand on the linkage underneath, you can feel it vibrate heavily when you recline the mechanism. None of the bushings seem to be broken or missing, just noisy. Is it possible that the mechanism was installed on a bind?

I didn't want to put any sort of lubricant on the joints until I knew that it was compatible with the bushings and wouldn't cause more problems down the road. We plan to keep this loveseat for a long time.

[drcollie]

I've got a call into H&M on this one....will get back to you shortly on it!

[dwainw]

The other thing that seems odd about the Monterey is that when you push the footrest down to latch it, your legs naturally push down on the front edge of the top cushion. It then usually gets caught in the footrest, preventing it from latching.



I've checked to make sure the top cushion is pushed as far back into the seat as possible, but the front edge of the cushion is unsupported underneath. I know that this piece is usually sold with a power mechanism that might avoid this, but I am surprised that a detail like this was overlooked. Can a power mechanism be added to an existing piece?

I've become accustomed to grabbing the front edge of the cushion between my legs and lifting it up on it as I latch the footrest down, but guests, and sometimes my wife, struggle with it.

[drcollie]

I have that happening on my Bradington-Young recliner sofa in my media room as well. I think the solution there will be to replace the interior core with one that is stiffer to prevent the 'rollover' effect causing the pinch. I'm checking with H&M and will see what they have to say on both issues.

[drcollie]

Dwain,

I spoke with H&M on your piece. They have an entire new mechanism to send out for the side that is binding/noisy, but I have not yet told them to ship it because I want to see if I should send it direct you, or have it come to my store and you can bring the furniture back to me for installation? Which do you prefer? Also see my note on cushions before you decide.

On your cushion pinching....

Pull the cushion out of the piece, flip up the back cushions as much as you can, and reset the seat cushion fitting it hard to the back, then lock it down to the velcro. See if that solves the issue and let me know? I can also order some firmer cushions for you at no charge as well if the edge is broke down on the front of the ones you now have. There is an outside chance that the cushions were made too long and if so we need to send the whole piece back to H&M for that and the mechanism replacement as well. When the piece was new I tried it out and it seemed to all be in order, so my suspicion is the seat cushions have shifted forward and need to be pulled out and reset.

Let me know!

[dwainw]

I appreciate your efforts, Duane. I've tried to move the seat cushions as far to the back as possible, but I'll take another look tonight. I'll let you know something tomorrow.

[drcollie]

OK! That's unacceptable for those cushions to get pinched in that mechanism like that. We need to get it fixed for you one way or another.