You know, I've been meaning to sort out that garden hose situation for ages. Every time I went to water the plants, it was like wrestling a python. Tangled, kinked, a real pain in the neck. Finally, last weekend, I said, 'Enough is enough!' and decided to get myself a proper hose reel and get it hooked up. It wasn't rocket science, but I figured I'd share how I went about it.

Getting Started

First thing, I unboxed the new reel. Always a good idea to lay out all the bits and pieces, you know? Just to make sure everything they said would be there actually is there. You'd be surprised.

Then, the big question: where to put the darn thing? I wanted it somewhere convenient, obviously near the tap, but also not somewhere I'd be tripping over it. I walked around a bit, eyeing up spots. Finally settled on a sturdy bit of wall on the side of the shed. Seemed like a good solid place to anchor it.

Mounting the Beast

Okay, this is probably the part where you want to take a little care. I held the reel up against the shed wall where I wanted it to go. Grabbed a pencil and marked where the screw holes needed to be. I even pulled out my little level to make sure it wasn't going to be crooked. A wonky hose reel would just annoy me every time I looked at it.

Once marked, I drilled some pilot holes. Makes it much easier to get the screws in straight and prevents the wood from splitting. Then I took the screws that came with the reel – they looked decent enough, though I had my own stash of heavy-duty ones on standby just in case. Drove them in good and tight with my drill. Gave the reel a good firm tug. Yep, that wasn't going anywhere. Solid as a rock.

Connecting the Hoses

Alright, so the reel was firmly attached to the wall. Next up, getting the water to it and then out of it.

First, the leader hose. That's the short hose that connects your outdoor tap, or spigot, to the reel itself. I screwed one end onto the tap. Made absolutely sure there was a rubber washer in the connector – that’s key to stopping leaks. Then, I attached the other end of the leader hose to the inlet fitting on the side of the reel. Tightened both connections up snugly with a wrench, but you don’t want to go crazy and strip the threads or crack any plastic parts.

With that done, it was time for my main garden hose. I took the end of my garden hose and connected it to the outlet fitting on the reel, the part where the water comes out and goes into your main hose. Again, double-checked for a washer in there. Seriously, washers are your best friend with hose connections.

Winding it On

This was the satisfying part. I started feeding the main hose onto the drum of the reel. My reel has a little guide thingy, which helped keep the hose winding on evenly. I just turned the handle, and slowly but surely, the hose started coiling up neatly. I tried to guide it a bit with my other hand to prevent any kinks or tangles as it went on. Got the whole length wound up without too much fuss.

The Moment of Truth

Okay, everything looked like it was hooked up right. Time to see if it actually worked and, more importantly, if it leaked.

I went over to the tap and turned the water on. Slowly at first, just in case one of my connections wasn't quite right. I peeked at the connection at the tap – all dry. Then I checked where the leader hose connected to the reel – dry as a bone. And finally, where my main hose connected to the reel outlet – also dry! Phew, success!

I pulled out a good length of the hose, attached my spray nozzle to the end, and gave it a whirl. Water came through perfectly. Retracting it back onto the reel was smooth too. No more tripping over a coiled serpent on the patio!

So, that was my little adventure in hooking up a hose reel. Took me maybe an hour, taking my time. And honestly, it’s made watering the garden so much less of a faff. Well worth the effort, I'd say.