How To Assemble A Garden Hose Reel The Smart Way

A garden hose reel is a handy tool for storing your hose. It works like a corral or sorting machine that keeps the entire garden hose neatly stored, away from dirt and debris. Many hose reels use a manual crank, while others use an automated retraction/pulley mechanism that allows the hose to be rewound in after use.

Though it may be helpful, if you’ve ever tried to put away a garden hose by hand, you know how difficult it can be. The longer the hose, the more difficult it will be to coil up. A practical solution is using a reel—keeping your garden water supply organized and tangle-free!

Some hose reels come unassembled and must be put together before use. This can be a tricky process, and the instructions included with your garden hose reel should help you to get it up and running in no time. Working with a hose reel may be intimidating at first, but in this guide, we will walk you through all of the ‘why,’ ‘what’ and ‘how,’ so that by the time you finish reading it, working with a hose reel will seem like second nature.

What Types Of Garden Hose Reels Are Available?

Both freestanding and wall-mounted hose reels are standard, but they serve different purposes. It’s important to consider how and where you’ll be using your hose reel before settling on a particular model. A standalone model is an innovative solution if you require the flexibility to move your garden hose reel around. This will make it simple to take the hose reel to the driveway to wash cars or the yard to water plants. A wall-mounted hose reel can be the ideal foundation for a retractable hose, allowing for its effortless storage when not in use.

Why Do You Need A Hose Reel?

Hose reels make it simple to navigate your yard and transfer your hose without causing undue wear, strain, damage, twists, or kinks. It is an excellent investment with numerous advantages. Before you learn how to set it up, you should know all its benefits.

Keeps Your Garden Hose Clean And Tidy

Because you have a permanent location for your hose, you will likely coil it up after each use. A garden hose left in a heap on the grass is not only unsightly, but it can also be a tripping hazard and cause damage to the hose over time.

Prevents Kinks And Bends In The Hose

Coiling up your hose neatly after each use allows you to remove any kinks. If possible, avoid kinks in your hose, as kinks and bends in the tubing can damage the lining and cause cracks, permanently damaging the hose.

Benefits Those With Limited Mobility

If you enjoy gardening but don’t want to stoop down to collect and untangle your hose, a hose reel is an excellent solution that keeps it tidy and organized without causing you pain or discomfort. Automatic hose reels or manual hand cracks can keep things simple.

Easily Attached To An External Wall

Wall-mounted hose reels also come with a bracket, allowing you to easily attach the hose reel to an external wall in your home. This can keep your hose reel safely tucked away, away from inclement weather and direct sunlight, which can damage the hosepipe over time.

How To Set Up A Hose Reel

Are you ready to start using your hose reel? Here’s how:

Step 1: Prepare The Garden Hose Reel

Extend the new hose till the hose connector fits within the drum in the center of the hose pipe reel. Turn the hose counterclockwise by hand, or use pliers, if necessary, to remove it. Take out the worn-out hose. When you buy a new hose reel, set it up according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Step 2: Get the New Hose Ready

Get the new hose ready. Orient the hose so that the female thread is nearest the reel. Extending the hose’s length away from the reel will allow it to relax and the twists to be worked out. When the hose is extended, it is much easier to wind it correctly onto the reel.

Step 3: Feed And Connect The Hose

Insert the new hose’s female thread end connector into the reel’s guiding aperture and screw it onto the drum’s water coupling connection. Use pliers to ensure a leak-free connection, but don’t overtighten, or you risk damaging the threads or breaking any plastic parts.

Step 4: Cover the Hose

Start winding the hose around the drum of the reel. Be patient while you wrap the hose around the drum, and ensure you coil it correctly. Hold the hose tightly while it spins to prevent it from catching or taking up too much room on the drum.

Make sure the hose is gently held as it approaches the guide. As the hose winds up, you can watch it from this vantage point, ensuring it remains snug on the drum. Put in a motorized hose reel with a button or lever to retract the hose by rotating the drum. Watch the hose as it winds around the drum; otherwise, give the machine a break.

Your hose reel is nearly ready for use, but you still need to be careful with its upkeep and storage if you want it to be worthwhile.

Storage Instructions For Your Hose Reel

Drain the water from the reel to stop bacteria from growing inside the hose’s inner tube. The water in the hose can crack if it freezes and expands, or it can melt and cause leaks if it becomes too hot. Freestanding hose reels become cumbersome when water is left in the hosepipe.

Spin the hose reel counterclockwise to expel water, or lay the hose downhill to drain it. Rewind the line using the hand crank, removing any kinks or bends in the hose.

Wrap Up

A good hose reel will help you organize and store your garden hose for easy access when you need to use it. You can also use this tool to keep the garden hose from getting tangled up in knots or crushed underfoot when not in use.

Many gardening issues can be traced back to improper use of the garden hose and reel; always take care of this issue immediately. To achieve this, it is necessary to use proper installation procedures and invest in high-quality products produced from long-lasting materials.

Photo by Delia Giandeini on Unsplash