Hose reels make it easy to store heavy duty industrial hoses used to keep your workspace clean. But it pays to put a little thought into mounting a hose reel on an exterior or interior wall before you begin.
Hose reels themselves don’t tend to be all that heavy. They may weigh a few pounds at most. But their weight significantly increases once you add the weight of the hose. And if it’s a retractable hose reel and the hose is filled with water, the weight is going to be even higher.
You don’t want to wait until your hose reel falls off the wall before you realize it can’t handle all that weight.
Mounting a Hose Reel
The hardware that typically comes with a hose wheel is usually graded to hold the weight of the reel itself as well as a single, standard sized hose.
The problem is that many businesses will connect more than one hose together. Or they will use reinforced hoses that weigh more than the typical industrial hose, adding more weight to the hose reel than it is designed to carry.
Hose reels typically come in crank-operated models or self-winding retractable hose reels. If it is a retractable hose reel, the torque of the spring rewinding the hose can also add additional pressures, potentially resulting in failure of the mounting hardware to hold it securely in place.
And when the hose reel rips off the wall, not only will it make a huge mess but it can cause a lot of other damage as well.
Reinforcing the Hose Reel for Additional Weight
If you plan on using heavier hoses or multiple hoses on your hose reel, it’s a good idea to buy hardware that can carry all that load.
You also want to avoid mounting the hose reel onto siding or plaster board because that’s not going to end well. Instead, find some studs or sink some masonry bolts into mortar over brick, rather than mover mortar joints which are weaker.
Freestanding Hose Reels
All of these issues can be avoided if you buy portable hose reels or hose reels that are freestanding or floor mounted rather than mounted on walls.
For one thing, you don’t have to worry about it being ripped from its bearings. For another, portable or freestanding hose reels give you more range so you are limited to using them in one area of your business.