Friday, March 29

How To Install a Hose Reel on the Side of a House

A garden hose reel is an incredibly practical tool that makes storing a hose a breeze. It can help make garden design and maintenance more efficient. If you’ve decided to get one to store your garden hose, you’ve probably considered mounting it on the side of your house. After all, why shouldn’t you? If the wall is next to your garden, it seems like the sensible thing to do. Though, you may have concerns about whether or not the wall material can handle the hose reel and how you might install it depending on the façade. These are common concerns for mounted hose reels. Below, we’ll cover all the basics of how to install a hose reel on the side of your house without causing damage to the wall.

Understand the construction

Before you start mounting anything to a wall, you want to understand the construction. What is the framing made out of? Depending on the material involved, you’ll have to use different types of tools and screws.

At the same time, you must identify the structure that’s behind the siding. The easiest way to figure this out is by pounding on the wall with your hand. The sound produced should give you a hint. If it sounds hollow, it’s most likely a wood frame wall. A more solid sound is likely concrete.

Figure out the siding

Generally, siding is considered non-structural. What this means is that it doesn’t have the strength to carry independent loads. A garden hose reel might not seem like much of a heavy weight, but it can weigh more than 70 kgs. Since the hose can move and tug on the reel, the dynamic load of the reel can be even higher.

You should figure out what your home’s siding is made out of before you try to install a hose reel. Brick is one of the only siding materials that can support a hose reel on its own, so keep that in mind. Veneer, stucco, vinyl, and most other materials are strictly non-structural. Attaching the hose reel to the siding alone will definitely damage the wall, so beware.

Find the structural frame

While the wall’s siding can’t be used to support a garden hose reel, the structural frame certainly can. By passing through the siding into the structural frame, you can mount the reel without worrying that it will crush the siding.

Of course, you can’t simply drill into any part of the wall and hope for the best. If the structural wall is made out of wood, you need to find the studs first. This is most often done by finding them on the inside of the home and transferring the measurements to the outside wall. Confirm stud locations with finishing nails to make the process easier. Make sure that you mark the top holes of the hose reel mounting plate to match the location of the studs.

Get the right screws and spacers

Once you figure out where to place the hose reel, you need to acquire some screws and spacers to mount it. Half-inch 80 conduit PVC can be used to make the spacers, and you can find them at any hardware store. Make sure that you cut them so that they are slightly longer than the thickest portion of the wall’s siding.

For screws, you should go with quarter-inch lag screws. They are strong enough to hold the weight of a 50ft hose reel with ease. The screw length should be a bit longer than the spacer length so that it can penetrate the reel base, spacer, and structure.

Mount the reel

After measuring everything and getting the right materials, it’s time to mount the hose reel. You can use the pass-through, platform, or direct method to get the reel on the wall. Which one you choose will depend on the tools you have at your disposal and the siding material. The direct method is only viable if your siding is made of brick, so keep that in mind. A platform is required if the stud spacing is too great for the regular pass-through method.

Conclusion

Mounting a garden hose reel to a wall isn’t as simple as hanging a photo, but it can be if you prepare adequately. Follow the pointers we’ve mentioned, and you shouldn’t have trouble with setting up your new hose reel exactly where you need it.