Okay, let's talk about wrangling that pressure washer hose. Mine was always a tangled mess on the garage floor, a real tripping hazard, you know? I finally got fed up and decided a hose reel was the way to go.

Getting Started - The Decision

So, I started looking around. Didn't want anything too fancy, just something solid that would hold the hose and keep it off the ground. Saw a few different types, some on wheels, some you bolt to the wall. I figured mounting it on the wall near where I store the pressure washer made the most sense for my space. Found one online, looked pretty sturdy, metal construction, decent reviews. Added it to the cart and waited for it to arrive.

Unboxing and Planning the Attack

Box showed up a few days later. Pulled everything out. The reel itself, a short little jumper hose to connect the reel to the pressure washer outlet, and some mounting hardware which, let's be honest, I usually end up replacing with something beefier anyway. First thing was figuring out exactly where on the wall it needed to go. Had to make sure it was high enough to easily wind the hose, but also close enough to the pressure washer itself. And, crucially, it needed to hit a stud. Tapping on drywall looking for that solid thunk is always fun, right?

Mounting the Beast

Found my spot, marked the holes. Got out the drill. This is where you gotta be careful. Started with a smaller pilot hole, then went up to the size needed for the lag bolts I decided to use (ditched the included screws, like I thought). Driving those lag bolts into the stud took some elbow grease with the ratchet, but I wanted this thing secure. Didn't want fifty feet of hose pulling it off the wall mid-wash. Once the bracket was firmly attached, hanging the actual reel onto it was pretty straightforward.

Hooking Everything Up

Next step, the hoses.

• First, I took my main pressure washer hose and connected one end to the outlet swivel on the reel. Just threaded it on, nice and snug. A little wrench tighten, but not too much.
• Then, I took that short jumper hose that came with the reel. One end connected to the inlet fitting on the reel.
• The other end of the jumper hose connected directly to the pressure washer's high-pressure outlet port. Again, just threaded them on, gave them a little tighten.

Double-checked all the connections to make sure they felt tight. Nothing worse than spraying water everywhere except where you want it.

The Moment of Truth - Testing

Alright, time to see if this whole setup actually worked. Hooked up the water supply to the pressure washer, turned on the spigot. Fired up the pressure washer. Pulled out some hose from the new reel – it unspooled pretty smoothly. Gave the trigger a squeeze. Success! Water came blasting out the wand tip as expected. I walked around, pulling out more hose, checking the reel connections for leaks. Found a tiny drip at the jumper hose connection to the reel inlet. Grabbed the wrench, gave it another quarter turn, and that fixed it. Perfect.

Winding It Back Up

After spraying down the driveway for a bit (had to test it properly, right?), it was time for the best part: winding the hose back up. Used the crank handle. It wasn't effortless, you still gotta guide the hose a bit to make it wrap evenly, but man, compared to wrestling that thing into a coil on the floor? Night and day difference. The hose was neatly tucked away on the reel, off the floor, out of the way. Looked so much tidier.

So yeah, putting in that hose reel was definitely worth the bit of effort. No more tripping over coils of hose, and setup/cleanup for pressure washing is way faster now. Simple project, big improvement.