Hose Reels and Organising a Garage

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Hose Reels and Organising a Garage

Retractable reels, mounting, water pressure and using the space properly

A hose lying coiled on a garage floor is the most reliably irritating item in a household, and the fix is a small one. The mounting matters more than the reel.

Retractable reels

A wall-mounted retractable reel pulls the hose back under spring or motor tension and holds it inside a housing. The practical benefit is that the hose is put away in seconds rather than coiled badly and left.

Check the stated hose length against the distance to the furthest point you water, and note that the reel needs to sit somewhere the hose can reach in every direction.

Mount it properly

A full reel is heavy and the force of retraction adds to that. Fix into masonry or into a structural timber, using fixings suited to the wall material, rather than into cladding or a thin panel.

Mount at a height where the hose does not drag on the ground, and where the swivel lets it pivot to both sides.

Water pressure and fittings

Check the reel's rated pressure against your supply, and use good quick-release fittings, since leaks at connectors are the most common complaint.

Drain and disconnect before frost, since water left in a reel freezes and splits the hose and the fittings.

Organising the rest of the space

Get things off the floor. Wall tracks, hooks and shelving turn a garage from storage into a usable room, and vertical space is almost always underused.

Store anything heavy low and anything used often at waist height.

Watering sensibly

A thorough soak less often drives roots downwards and produces plants that cope far better with dry spells than frequent light watering does.

Water early morning at the soil rather than over the leaves, which reduces both evaporation and fungal disease. Check local restrictions, since hosepipe bans apply seasonally in many areas and carry fines.

Pressure washers

Keep the nozzle moving at all times and never point one at a person, an animal or any electrical fitting. High-pressure water strips render, mortar and the surface off decking if the lance is held too close.

Winterising

Drain the hose and the reel, disconnect from the tap and shut off any outside supply before the first frost. Water left in a fitting expands as it freezes and splits the housing, which is not repairable.

Safety

Keep fuel, chemicals and garden products locked and away from children, never store gas cylinders indoors, and keep an unobstructed route to the door.

Check any powered reel is on a protected outdoor-rated circuit installed by a qualified electrician.

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