A Garden hose reel is a wheel usually made of metallic or plastic materials. Its main function is to roll up the garden hose and keep them safe when they are not in use.
A Garden hose reel can either be portable or stable. Stable ones are permanently attached to the side of a building or house while portable ones usually come with an aluminum frame.
Affordable portable reels designed for a typical home are made of plastic. To ensure durability, these plastics are usually heavy-duty and steel resistant. They are either operated manually or automated.
The manual ones consist of a crank used for retracting the hose back to the reel when you are done watering. For the automated ones, a tension is created to automatically roll in the hose.
The weight of a Garden hose reel properly installed with water inside is roughly 23 kilograms (50 pounds). It could be more in some cases.
Types of Garden Hose Reel
There are a wide variety of hose reels from different manufacturers available in the market. Whichever one you decide to settle for will depend greatly on the purpose and how well it would serve you.
Below are the two general types of hose reel
1. Stationary Hose Reel
These types of hose reels are fixed and cannot be moved around from place to place. It is most suitable for a flexible garden without an angled area.
Most of the stationary hose reels available in the market come with a winding support system. This makes it possible for you to wind up the water hose easily. Because this type of reel is easy to operate, it can serve as a healthy pastime for an elderly person.
Advantages of Stationary Hose Reel
- It is easy to store and Maintain.
- It is easy to maneuver.
- Preparation time takes only a short while.
Disadvantages of Stationary Hose Reel
- It is not mobile and they may not be able to access every corner of the garden easily.
- Assembling demands a lot of hard work and a level of expertise.
2. Mobile Hose Reel
The basic difference between this hose reel and the one described above is mobility. If your garden is very large, this type of reel is considered most suitable especially for your front garden.
A mobile hose reel is designed in such a way that it can either be rolled or lifted from one point to another. The hose of such reels is usually about 10m to 60m in height. Prices also differ depending on the manufacturer or model.
Most homeowners these days prefer to go with this type of hose reel because it is portable and the insertion area is quite flexible.
Advantages of Mobile Hose Reel
- It is flexible and therefore can be easily moved from place to place
- It is affordable
Disadvantages of Mobile Hose Reel
- It has no winding support
- Assembling and disassembling is time-consuming
Conclusion
Having discussed the two main types of Hose reel, we have seen that they both have their advantages and limitations. What this means is that while a particular hose reel might be suitable for one occasion, it might not be suitable for another.
