Hose Reels – Winter Gardening Ideas

Are you an avid gardener stuck in the middle of a cold and snowy winter? Looking out the window at your beautiful garden covered in snow can be very depressing. Take a break from cold and go do something positive for your garden. Options are limited for winter gardening but there is one thing that can be done year round and that is shopping. Hose reels are the latest innovation for the home garden.

Hose Reels - What are they?

Hose Reels are a cylindrical device around which many types of hoses can be manually or mechanically wound. Most hose reels feature a side-mounted handle for manual winding and unwinding. Some utilize electric, spring or air (pneumatic) power to unwind and wind the hosing with minimum effort. The purpose of hose reels is to keep hoses neat when not in use and kink free when being used. Hoses lying out are a tripping hazard to employees and customers. Hose Reels prevent this danger and also prolong the life of the hose.

Hose Reels - Winding and Unwinding

Hose reels have different winding options. A manual hose reel has no automatic retraction mechanism but is equipped with a hand-turned crank. A motor powers the retraction mechanism in electric, hydraulic and pneumatic hose reels. In a spring reel, an internal spring is used to retract the hose. In some spring hose reels, the spring motor is hermetically sealed to completely isolate it from dirt and moisture. Many Hose Reels come with a latching mechanism that assures positive extension stop and easy retraction at any length. It should be noted that we do not recommend these types of hose reels for home use as they can be dangerous when mixing electricity with water. There are also automatic hose reels which use the power of the water flowing through the hose to self wind. These hose reels do not require any electricity and are the best way to automatically wind up a hose.

Hose reels are manufactured to meet requirements for a variety of applications. Smaller versions are able to house smaller diameter and lighter hosing such as garden hoses. Hose reels used for fire department and construction hoses are built to be larger and more rigid to support the extra length and load. There are certain reels that are utilized solely for transportation and others that are used for transportation and storage. Some hose reels allow the use of the hose while it is still wound up. These hose reels provide easy access and storing efficiency, which is what draws consumers towards them.

For more ideas and gardening information you can visit the gardening blog at hose-reels.blogspot or check out the whole line of cool hose reels at hydro-industries