Okay, so I wanted to share my little adventure with setting up a high pressure hose reel. For ages, I'd been battling that stiff, unruly hose that came with my pressure washer. Every time I wanted to wash the car or clean the patio, it was a whole production of untangling, fighting kinks, and then trying to coil it back up without it springing open like a jack-in-the-box. Honestly, it was a real pain.

I finally got fed up. I thought, there has to be a better way to manage this thing. So, I started looking into hose reels. Didn't want anything too fancy, just something sturdy that would make my life a bit easier. I eventually picked one up – nothing special, just a basic, solid-looking unit.

Getting it all set up

First things first, I unboxed it. The instructions were, well, instructions. A few diagrams, a bit of text. Seemed straightforward enough. The main job was figuring out where to mount this thing. I decided the garage wall, near where I store the pressure washer, was the prime spot. Out of the way, but easy to access.

So, I grabbed my drill. Holding the reel up to the wall, I marked the spots for the mounting bolts. Drilled the holes, popped in some heavy-duty wall anchors – because you know, that hose full of water isn't exactly light, and there's pulling involved. Then I bolted the reel itself to the wall. Gave it a good wiggle; felt pretty solid. That was a good start.

Next up was connecting the actual pressure washer hose. My reel had a short little inlet hose that connects to the pressure washer outlet, and then the main hose winds onto the drum. I unscrewed my existing hose from the pressure washer, connected the reel's inlet hose to the washer, and then connected my long pressure washer hose to the reel's swivel connector. Tightened everything up with a wrench, hoping for no leaks later!

Then came the satisfying part: winding the hose onto the reel for the first time. I carefully guided it, layer by layer. It actually fit! And it looked so much neater than the messy pile it used to be.

The Moment of Truth: Using It

The next weekend, it was time to wash the car. This was the real test. I grabbed the nozzle, gave the hose a pull, and it unreeled smoothly. No fighting, no kinking. I pulled out just enough hose to reach around the car. It was… easy. Too easy, almost. I kept waiting for something to snag or get stuck, but nope.

During the wash, I moved around, and the hose followed without much fuss. The swivel connection on the reel meant the hose didn't get all twisted up as I moved. That was a nice little bonus I hadn't really thought much about beforehand.

And then, the pack-up. This used to be my least favorite part. But now? I just walked back to the reel, started cranking the handle, and the hose wound itself back on, nice and tidy. No more wrestling matches. It took maybe a minute, tops. This was a game changer.

So, yeah, that's my experience.

• Finding a good spot: Took a bit of thought, but the garage wall worked perfectly.
• Mounting: Needed the right tools and a bit of effort to make sure it was secure. Didn't want it falling off the wall, obviously.
• Connecting: Pretty simple, just a couple of threaded connections. Made sure they were tight.
• Using it: So much better. Seriously. Pulls out easy, winds up easy.

Honestly, I should have done this years ago. It’s one of those simple upgrades that just removes a regular frustration. No more tripping over loose hose, no more dreading the pack-up. If you're wrestling with your pressure washer hose, I'd say definitely look into getting a reel. Makes the whole process a lot less of a chore.