Automatic Garden Hose Reel

Good bye, tangled hoses.  Are you tired of your hose getting kinked and tangled every time you use it?  In the last few years, the garden hose is not just a simple hose anymore.  There are many types of garden hose reels now available.  Finally a way to keep a hose from being tangled!  Some are water powered and some are battery powered.  They can recharge in just 12 hours. 

When a hose is retractable, the hose is kept straight while it waters a bed of roses or pots of impatiens.  Automatic garden hose reels are truly the lazy guy’s way to wind up a garden hose!  You need that after a hard day at work.  Automatic garden hose reels keep your yard or garden looking neater and protects your hose.  You’ll have no more muddy hands, sore shoulders from winding, or sore back from bending over and dragging a hose.  They are great for seniors or people with disabilities. 

With these automatic garden hose reel, you step on a lever and the hose reels in automatically in about 30 seconds (for a 100 ft. hose).  Let the hose do the work for you! 

3 main factors to consider when choosing an automatic garden hose reel:

• Size
• Shape
• Type of hose

Automatic garden hose reels are designed in a wide variety of styles and applications. They are made with plastic, cast aluminum, cast iron, or steel.  There are even specialty hose reels made from old whiskey barrels.  Plastic reels are usually the least expensive, but plastic makes them less sturdy.   If your budget can only afford plastic, choose the resin plastic, because it is the sturdiest.   

The outside of the automatic garden hose reel may be attractive, but you want the mechanism inside to work the way you want it to.  Does the rewind function work well if the hose is being wound over pebbles or rocks?  Do you have to lay the hose in a straight line to reel it in?  It’s best to remove the water from the hose first for easier wind up. 

The automatic garden hose reel are best for hoses over 100 ft.  A hand crank reel is usually fine for a 25 or 50 feet hose.  Some automatic garden hose reels are rated for longer hoses, so make sure the one you are purchasing will fit the amount of hose you want to use.  If you put a hose that is longer than the recommended length, you risk damage to the hose.  If you are going to mount the hose reel on the wall, you’ll want to consider how much the hose reel will weigh, especially when water is in the hose.  Will the wall be able to handle the weight?  If you mount your hose reel on the wall, will it be easy to remove in the winter months?  Keeping your reel and hose out of the winter weather will increase the life of both.  Some reels are can be mounted on the floor. 

Make sure the automatic garden hose reel is rated to handle the size of hose you are going to hook up to it.  Typical hoses are 3/8 in and ½ in.  Although unusual, there are larger hoses available but they would definitely be too large for a standard size hose reel.  They usually don’t fit a standard water faucet without an adaptor.  Low quality hoses are still likely to be squeezed or kinked when being reeled in, so a better quality hose is best. 

The best hose reels are made with heavy materials that won’t crack or bend under the weight of the hoses. The best type of hose is a vinyl hose, because a rubber hose is typically larger than a vinyl hose.  If you do have a rubber hose, you can still use it, and after a few times of reeling in and out, it will fit and operate better when it is reeled in.  Automatic reels have auto sort guides to make sure the hose winds evenly.

If you can’t find the unit you want in a local store, but want to know how it works, check online for reviews and recommendations. There are so many varieties that whatever your needs are, you will be able to find what you want from your automatic garden hose reel. 

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