If you maintain your garden by using hedge trimmers and you use electric lawn mowers to beautify your lawn, you should also think about watering your plants regularly. This last task is quite tiring to do with regard to the inconveniences encountered with the hose during watering or even after use.
You most certainly know how tedious garden hose storage can be, right? This not only takes a lot of time but also a lot of energy. And if it was time to opt for a reel? For those who do not know, it is an equipment intended to wind any pipe more easily but above all more quickly . Curious to know more? Well, to know everything about the reel, we invite you to continue reading.
What is a reel? What’s the point ?
The reel is a mechanism designed to wind a cable or hose more easily . It is mainly used in the field of housing and gardening . Here, the pipes wind around a reel, which itself rotates around an axis. Using a hose reel will prevent you from leaving your garden hoses lying around in the garden. From now on, you will only use the length of pipe necessary for your work.
What’s more, the hose reel is a very practical storage accessory that reduces clutter in your closet or garage. We don’t talk about it often enough but it also protects your pipes. Since they are stored neatly, they are no longer at all likely to break or crack as easily as before.
The different types of hose reels
There are 3 main types of reel on the market . There are wall-mounted hose reels, portable hose reels and wheeled hose reels. You will see in this section that these 3 types of winders have their own characteristics although their operating principle is exactly the same.
Wall-mounted reel
The wall-mounted reel is undoubtedly the model of hose reel par excellence ! As its name suggests, this accessory can be hung on a wall or on any vertical support. This type of hose reel can take up to 35 m of hose. Wall-mounted reels usually come with small built-in storage compartments. You can store all kinds of accessories such as tips or removable valves for example. But the real particularity of the wall-mounted hose reel is above all based on the fact that it can be used both indoors and outdoors.
Hose reel on wheel
The wheeled hose reel model is often considered the most basic yet practical type of hose reel of all. If the other types of reel can operate automatically, this one is essentially manual. It has an integrated handle that makes it easy to transport and move. The reel models for individuals are generally equipped with 2 wheels. But there are also 4-wheel reels that adapt more easily to the needs of professionals.
Portable reel
The portable reel is the cheapest type of reel on the market . As you can imagine, this hose reel does not have built-in wheels. However, you have an ergonomic handle to carry your accessory and move it from one place to another. You will surely have understood that this type of reel is not designed to wind long pipes of several tens of meters. This would simply risk weighing it down even more and making it difficult to transport. The portable hose reel is rather recommended for medium-sized gardens that do not necessarily require long hoses.
Manual or automatic hose reel?
At the time of purchase, you may have to choose between a manual and automatic dispenser . Know already that the winding principle of these two types of reel is exactly the same. It is especially at the level of the mode of operation that the difference is really noted. With a manual hose reel, you will need to wind the hoses manually using a hand crank. The automatic reel uses a motorized winding system. Depending on the models, this motor can be electric or hydraulic.
Top 5 benefits of a hose reel
And yes, the reel is not just a simple hose storage accessory. It has many more advantages than you might think. In this section, we are going to come back to the main qualities of the hose reel.
1 – Smarter storage solution
By using a reel you will no longer have to scatter your hoses in the garage or in the closet. You can therefore free up space and at the same time take care of the aesthetic aspect of your storage room. For those who don’t have a garage or closet, there are also wall-mounted reels. The advantage with these types of reels is that they can be hung almost anywhere. What’s more, they create absolutely no clutter.
2 – Protect your pipes and avoid damage
If you are used to using garden hoses in your garden, you will surely know that this type of equipment is very easily damaged. Indeed, all it takes is a simple winding defect to crack a pipe and create a leak. In this context, the reel allows you to better store your hoses and thus preserve their efficiency and durability.
3 – Save time in storage
In all honesty, no one said that it was impossible to properly wind a hose without a hose reel. The real concern is that it just takes way too long. That’s why most people neglect the task and decide to roll up their pipes a bit haphazardly. Well, know that by using a reel, winding a hose will not seem as tedious as before. You can manually wind several tens of meters of pipes in record time and without providing a lot of effort.
4 – Free up space in your garden
Without a reel, your garden hoses could be left lying all over the garden. Knots may even form without you realizing it. But the main disadvantage of these pipes scattered around the garden is that they are even more difficult to pick up afterwards. To avoid going all around the garden , the best solution would simply be to opt for a hose reel. This accessory makes it easier for you to recover the hoses that are lying around while avoiding the formation of knots.
5 – Save energy
As we have just mentioned, storing garden hoses is a task that requires a lot of effort. Not only do you have to go around the garden completely. But you also need to put a lot of energy into your arms to wrap your pipes properly. Eventually, you may even have to bend over regularly. The use of a suitable reel makes it possible to remedy this. No matter the length of the pipes used , the winding will require absolutely no consequent expenditure of energy.
Disadvantages of the hose reel
Despite all its practicality, it must still be recognized that the manual reel will require a minimum of effort. And yes, the hardest part will be to operate the crank to roll up the pipes. Anyway, this process will always be much less tiring compared to going all over the garden to collect the pipes. If you really want to wind your hoses without providing the slightest effort, you will have to opt for an automatic hose reel. But in this specific case, you will therefore have to plan for a slightly larger budget. And yes, as you can imagine, the automatic model costs a little more compared to the manual model.
How to choose the best hose reel?
Before choosing a reel, you must first ask yourself the right questions. Do you need a manual model or an automatic model? Do you plan to roll up a few meters of pipe only or several tens of meters? Will a portable hose reel be enough for you or do you need a wheeled hose reel instead? Well, here are just a few important criteria to take into account so as not to make a mistake in your choice.
The length of the hose to be wound
In general, the length of the hoses to be used depends mainly on the surface to be watered. Before buying a hose reel, therefore, consider checking whether the length of the supported hoses is suitable for the surface of your garden. On average, it is estimated that a 15 m hose is capable of watering an area of more than 350 m². If your hose is less than 10m, you may not need to opt for a hose reel . And yes, a simple hose holder will do just fine. For a hose of more than 20 m, it is better to opt for the practicality of a portable hose reel. And if your hose is longer than 30 m, you can opt for either a wall-mounted hose reel or a wheeled hose reel.
The quality of the materials
If you plan to reel several tens of meters of hoses, it is better to opt for a quality reel. It would be a shame to see your winder break after just a few uses, wouldn’t it? Well know that the best reels offered on the market are made either of high quality plastic or metal. In general, metal hose reels are considered the strongest models. However, you will need to maintain your reel on a regular basis if you do not want it to rust over time.
The type of media
And yes, before choosing your reel you will have to think about its location. Here, we are mainly referring to the wall-mounted reel which requires a specific method of fixing. Portable and wheeled hose reels simply fit in a closet or garage. When you go to hang your wall-mounted reel, consider placing it in a strategic location near the garden to be watered. Otherwise, you risk straining far more pipes than necessary. If you have opted for an electric model, you will also have to take into account the length of the power cable of the reel. And this is obviously valid for portable or wheeled reel models.
The accessories offered
For those who do not know, the hose reel can sometimes be delivered with various practical accessories. Some hose reels are even offered as a real complete watering kit . Among the most requested accessories, we will particularly note the presence of the various fittings and tips offered. These nozzles allow concretely to adapt the flow and the power of irrigation according to the needs of the users. On some models, it can also be delivered with adaptors, derivations or tap connectors. In rare cases, you can even benefit from straight, angled or T-junctions.
How to wind a hose correctly on a hose reel?
The principle of winding a hose on a reel is relatively simple. What must be avoided at all costs is winding the hose too quickly and risking blocking it inside the reel. To begin, you will need to completely unroll the pipe on the ground. You will then need to connect the end of the hose to the tap. It is after that you can start to wind your hose gradually on the reel, from layer to layer. Winding is generally done from right to left. Remember to fill all the empty space of the coil before winding a second layer. The goal is to have a good structure and to avoid possible disparities. Otherwise, you can also choose to wind your hose automatically. Most automatic hose reels come with built-in hoses. You will no longer have to worry about mismatches since all the empty spaces have been filled in beforehand.
How to properly maintain a hose reel?
The great thing about the hose reel is that it requires no special maintenance. All you have to do is to follow the manufacturers’ recommendations and follow the instructions for winding the pipes. In particular, this will prevent you from wearing out or even damaging your pipes too quickly as you use them. There are also some handy tips that can help you ensure the longevity of your hoses and maintain their efficiency.. For example, you can start by cleaning your pipes after each use. For this, you can use any cleaning material. However, avoid materials that are too abrasive, which may crack the pipes. You can also use anti-limescale solutions to prevent the accumulation of residue inside the pipes.
When you are no longer using your hoses and reel, remember to store them out of direct sunlight. As we all know, strong exposure to the sun’s rays can deteriorate certain equipment in the long term. But it is also valid for sudden temperature variations. In the winter season, you will therefore have to store your hose reel properly after each use .
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