How to Wind a Hose Onto a Hose Reel
Water hoses tend to become tangled when left laying around the yard or the shop. For small children and pets, there is a grim possibility that strangulation may occur if the hose isn't coiled up neatly in a designated location. Technology has brought forth a convenient method of stowing hoses so the task of picking them up and coiling by hand isn't nearly as much of a put-off, thus preventing neglect and safety risks.
Straighten the hose until the entire length is as straight as possible, untangling it as you continue along its length. Disconnect the end of the hose from lawn sprinklers or other yard or shop appliances.
A hose reel consists of a hand crank handle on the left side, if a left-handed model, or on the right side, if a right-handed model. Use your appropriate hand to operate the crank according to which of these two types you have on your property. Use the free hand to push the hose all the way over to either the left or the right side of the reel and then begin cranking.
Turn the reel one full turn, either clockwise or counterclockwise, and use the other hand to "guide" the hose so you create the first layer of hose onto the entire surface of the reel. If you started by pushing the hose all the way to the left, guide the hose toward the right while keeping the hose windings in contact with the previous winding. Your first layer of hose should appear as a horizontal coil going from one side to the other. This forms your first layer of hose.
Continue turning the reel crank once the hose has been coiled from one side of the reel to the other, but reverse the direction in which you are guiding the hose, making it coil in a second layer, moving toward the side from which you began. You will now have two layered coils of hose on the reel.
Continue guiding the hose onto the reel, guiding in a left-right, right-left alternating pattern until the entire length of the hose has been stowed onto the reel.
Tip
If you have an electrically operated hose reel, the job is much easier than stated in this article. Your only concern is to ensure the hose is straightened before flipping the reel switch to the "ON" position. Such a reel has an automated guide that winds the hose onto itself perfectly with no further worries.
Warning
Keep pets and children away from any hose that is being reeled in to prevent accidental strangulation.
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Writer Bio
Kurt Schanaman has had several editorials printed by the Star-Herald Newspaper publication in Western Nebraska. He attended Western Nebraska Community College.
