Many pressure washing companies will opt for automatic winding hose reels. Although on the surface this appears to be a good strategy to save time and make operations more efficient, it actually invites Murphy to strike. More moving parts and mechanism means more can go wrong and it will. It is easy to pinch the hose between the reel and reel’s frame. We do not always recommend self winding hose reels. Some hand crank hose reels are better unless you have double steel braided hose and are working with 10,000 psi burst pressure, in that case the hoses are thick and hard to work with and difficult to roll up. In this case a self winding hose reel should be preferred, as it saves you time. If you over stack your hose reel with too much hose, the weight will cause the springs on the advance clicker to break and it will not catch. It will be continually trying to roll itself up while you are working. Too much hose length can also cause a problem by going past the limit of the internal coil spring. You can fix this by taking the reel apart. But, if you take it apart you will void the warranty.
You should not spray the pressure washer while rolling up the hose. The pressure in the hose should be unloaded completely. If not this can cause the O-rings in your swivel to turn and come apart. Then your swivel will leak. New swivels cost $30-$55 for good ones. You can buy them at a hydraulic hose dealer or at a pressure washer sales company. If you buy one that holds 5000 PSI working pressure, this would be enough. If you buy a cheaper one, it will blow out soon, especially if that particular truck does a lot of steam cleaning. The hot water cuts the life in half, so it’s important to go ‘overkill’ on the swivels.
Greasing Unit
Small steps in preventative maintenance will increase the life of your hose reel. There are two grease points on most high pressure hose reels. You should grease them whenever it starts squeaking a lot or once a month under normal use. Your should keep a small grease gun on the work truck or in the cargo box on the pressure washer trailer. If you don’t grease the fittings, you will cause scaring on the inside of the movable parts that will increase the risk of failure and cause excessive wear or failure of the O-rings. This is similar to brake rotors on a car when they scar and wear out brake pads quicker. You can buy O-rings kit and replace them yourself. Most O-ring repair kits come with simple instructions, be careful not to lose the little parts, each part is necessary and without each the unit will not work right and cause premature failure. Maintain your equipment, it is your livelihood. Think about it.
"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/
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Article: Maintaining Hose Reels In A Pressure Washing Business Author: Lance Winslow Publication Date: 2007-04-27 Total Views: 406 Word Count: 526 Category:Home /
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