A garden hose reel is a worthwhile investment for keeping your hoses neatly kept, safely secured, and easily usable with each gardening session. Because it can be exposed to harsh environments and may get knocked around in use, it can eventually experience wear and tear, or other types of damages.
Because garden hose reels do not necessarily come cheap, it would be for good measure to try and repair any signs of damage first before considering a replacement. Fortunately enough, most of the common issues that occur with garden hose reels are easily fixable.
Below, we guide you on how to fix your garden hose reel from the comfort of your home!
What Accessories Do You Need?
To efficiently check for signs of wear and tear, you will need a few basic accessories with you. These are just the initial set, and depending on what kind of issue you are dealing with regarding your hose reel, you may need to acquire more types of tools.
For the initial diagnosis, get these ready:
- Safety Glasses
- Utility Knife
- Screwdriver
- Wrenches
- Tape
Step-by-Step Guideline on Repairing a Garden Hose Reel
Most of the issues you could experience with a hose reel only require a few minor tweaks to get it working as good as new again. In order to figure out the source of the issue and efficiently solve it, follow these steps below:
Step 1: Get your hose reel ready for checkup
The first thing you want to do is to fully extend the hose out and make sure it is not winding around the drum of the reel. This will make it much easier to gain access to all the nooks and crannies, including the inner parts.
Step 2: Prioritize the rubber gaskets
All of the connections within and outside your hose reel are usually made with a rubber gasket ring. This is in place to lessen the chances of leaking, though it is perfectly normal to have these wear out over time. Dust and other particles can also sometimes dry it up, which prevents it from working properly.
The solution to this is to clean out all the rubber gaskets within your hose reel and add silicone grease before putting it back. However, if you find that some of the rubber gaskets have been severely cracked or dried out, it is best to replace these with brand-new ones.
Step 3: Tighten up all of the connections
Once your gaskets are in good condition, ensure that all of the connections are efficiently tightened. Go through each of the metal-to-metal connections and use a wrench to set them in place. However, when you find a metal-to-plastic connection, make sure to secure it gently and not over-tighten as the plastic may break.
Step 4: Check the cross threading of the plastic water systems
Some hose reels come with a plastic water system, and its cross threading could possibly be worn out. To check, simply detach the garden hose from the reel and inspect the threads of the plastic water system.
If you observe that any of the threads have been broken, punctured, or cut off, you can try to repair them by patching the concerned areas with tape. However, if it is beyond repair, replace the entire water system instead.
Step 5: Check for leaks
All of these steps should have resolved most of the common problems that users report regarding a hose reel. However, if you find that your hose or reel seems to be leaking after all of this, there are a few more steps to follow. We have a dedicated section for this below.
How To Fix A Leaky Garden Hose Reel
The first step to resolving any leak issue is to find the source. More often than not, there are only two main components wherein a leak could start, namely:
- Inlet hose
- Brass swivel
With that, there are 3 possible reasons for the leak, namely:
- The inlet hose is now malfunctioning
- The brass swivel is now malfunctioning
- The connection between the inlet hose and the brass swivel has loosened.
If the connection has loosened
Since the 3rd reason is easiest to manage, start by checking the connection and tightening it up. If the hose reel continues to leak, the solution may be covered with the guidelines below.
If the inlet hose is now malfunctioning
An inlet hose may malfunction due to freezing, accidents, or misuse. If you find that it does not deliver to its best capacity, then it is best to purchase a replacement part. You can find our inlet selection here: Yard Butler Inlet Replacement Parts
If the brass swivel is now malfunctioning
More often than not, brass swivel malfunction can be due to a faulty internal seal, normal wear and tear, or freezing water. You may find our swivel offering here: Yard Butler Replacement Swivel Core
If the problem persists
If even after all of these steps, you find that the problem persists, it is time to call in a professional to have your garden hose reel checked.
That’s all there is to it! Unless you have a specifically difficult situation going on, your garden hose reel should be just fine with the handy guide above!
