So, I'd been getting pretty tired of wrestling with that darn garden hose. You know the drill, right? Watering the plants is the easy part. Then comes the coiling, the twisting, the inevitable kinks, and dragging it back to the shed. My back was not thanking me, let me tell you.

The Idea Takes Root

I looked at those fancy automatic hose reels in the stores. Some of them looked okay, but the prices! Wow. And then you read the reviews, and half of them break after a season. I thought, "There's gotta be a way I can make something sturdier, something that actually works for me." Plus, I like a good project, keeps the mind busy.

My first thought was, how complex can it be? A motor, a reel, some kind of guide. Famous last words, sometimes, but I was determined.

Gathering the Bits and Pieces

So, the hunt began. I already had an old manual hose reel that was on its last legs. The drum part was still good, so that was a start. Recycling, right?

Then I needed a motor. I poked around online, thought about using a windshield wiper motor – those things are pretty tough. Found one for a decent price from a car parts place. Had to make sure it had enough oomph to pull a 50-foot hose full of water. That took a bit of guesswork, I'll admit.

For the brains, I didn't want anything too fancy. No Wi-Fi connected hose reels for me, thanks. Just a simple switch. I found a sturdy, weatherproof push-button switch. One to reel in, and maybe some limit switches to stop it from over-reeling or unreeling too much. That seemed sensible.

The power source was another thing. I thought about batteries, but then you've got charging. So, I decided to go with a low-voltage power supply, something I could plug into an outdoor outlet. Safety first, especially with water around.

Putting It All Together – The Mechanical Part

First, I mounted the motor. This took some doing. I had to make a bracket to attach it securely to the frame of the old reel. Lots of measuring, drilling, and a few choice words when things didn't line up perfectly the first time. You know how it is.

Then, connecting the motor to the reel drum. I tried a direct drive at first, but the motor was too fast. The hose would have whipped around like crazy. So, I had to figure out a gear reduction. Found some suitable gears – a big one for the drum, a small one for the motor. A bit of chain drive, like a bicycle, but smaller. That slowed things down to a more manageable speed.

I also built a simple hose guide. Just a little arm with a roller that moves back and forth as the hose winds up, to make sure it coils evenly. That was surprisingly tricky to get smooth. My first attempt made the hose pile up on one side. Had to re-jig the mechanism a few times.

Making it "Automatic"

Alright, the electrical bit. This is where I had to be careful. I'm no master electrician, but I can follow a diagram. I wired up the push-button switch to the motor, through the power supply. Pretty straightforward.

The limit switches were next. These are little switches that get pressed when something reaches a certain point. One to stop the motor when the hose is fully reeled in, and another to stop it if I accidentally tried to pull out too much hose while it was still powered (though mostly it would be off when pulling out).

• Connected the "reel-in" limit switch near the drum.
• Figured out the wiring so it cut power to the motor when tripped.

This part involved a bit of trial and error, making sure the switches were positioned just right. Too soon, and not enough hose was in. Too late, and the motor would strain.

Testing, Tweaking, and That "Aha!" Moment

The first full test run was… interesting. I unspooled the hose, took a deep breath, and hit the button. The motor whirred, the drum turned, and the hose started coming in! It was a bit jerky at first. I realized the chain needed a bit more tension.

Then, the hose guide wasn't quite keeping up. More adjustments. A little grease here, a tightened bolt there. It's always the little things.

There was this one time I forgot to secure the end of the hose properly, and when I hit the button, it started reeling itself in and the nozzle went flying, clanging against the side of the shed. Gave me a bit of a fright, and the dog started barking like mad. Lesson learned: always secure the nozzle!

But then, finally, it worked. Smoothly. The hose glided in, layering neatly onto the drum. The limit switch clicked, and the motor stopped. Pure satisfaction, that was.

Was It Worth It?

Absolutely. It’s not the prettiest thing in the world, not like those shiny store-bought ones. But it’s mine. I built it, I know how it works, and if something goes wrong, I can probably fix it. It's been running for a couple of seasons now, and it's just so convenient. No more hose wrestling matches after a long day in the garden.

It cost me a fraction of a new one, and I got the satisfaction of making something useful. Plus, it’s a good conversation starter when folks come over and see it. They're always curious how it works. And I'm always happy to share the story.