[Davew]

Fitted a new reel in my van yesterday. Chatting to a custy today and some funny noises came from my reel. Turns out the microbore pressured up and crushed the reel spool popping it apart and jamming it all up.

[john tomkins]

Is this that plastic green reel?

[billozz]

dave we had the same problem the reel cannot take the pressure if you put the pump on while the hose is still round the reel, we put pieces of metal plate across the two halves of the reel and screwed them into place no probs now

[Davew]

I tried to bolt the two halves together but made a pigs ear of it. The missus came home whilst I was throwing my socket set around the garage and took the lot back to the shop and got my money back. I've had to buy another the same because I have to work. I've tried bonding the halves together but don't think it will work. Any pics of your solution?
John - yes the green reel (I think Gardiners sell one very similar) They come in a flat pack which means the spool is in two halves and just clips together. Why is everything built down to a price?
Nothing seems to last more than five minutes.

[Davew]

It also has a small strengthening bar in the middle of the spool that tends to foul the internal connector. I'm sure it was designed by a child of three.

[billozz]

dave,
look at the pics below all you need is a 2 flat pieces of metal, you can screw straight into the plastic reel

[billozz]

they have pulled aprt very slightly since we did it but nowhere near as much as before

[Davew]

Thanks billoz, I couldn't visulize how you did it. I tried drilling through the two halves and bolting them together but there was not enough room to get my socket in.

[Davew]

My second hozereel blew apart today so yes they are not suitable for 100mtr of microbore. I have repaired it pretty much as billoz's pictures but with four smaller brackets around the spindle and the bar inside araldited in. :

[Davew]

............. and today the brand new connector blew off the reel!!!!!! Hozelocks arn't designed to spin. What utter *rap!!! 

[john tomkins]

davew,
 they really are crap, just do what I did and bin it and get a metal reel

[Davew]

Looks like I'll have to. Funny thing was I had a plastic one from wintecs originally which I thought was flimsey but it was far superior to this junk. Do the metal reels come with brass connectors or is that an extra?

[john tomkins]

I got mine from cleantech......and yes the brass elbow is extra

[Davew]

Why couldn't the dullards at Hozelock make the reel adapter the same as a tap fitting? :

[Davew]

Thats it!! another connector gone today - must be made from butter!
Alex you have email (fast as you can please  )

[jeff1]

Sorry guy's just reading this post out of interest, I use the metal hose reel and its the corgies conkers.

If I did use the plastic type and kept getting the problems you guy's were having, I would be looking for a better solution to keep it all locked together.

Can you not go into B&Q and look in the threaded bolt section, now these threaded bolts come in about  1m lenghts, drill a couple of holes through your reels, cut these bolts to lenght, stick a couple of washers and nuts on them and they will never come apart again. I would suggest using locking nuts as all the spinning might just undo the nuts.
Hope it helps guy's?

[Davew]

Jeff got the reel sorted with metal plates fine. It's the crappy connectors that go for a pastime. I can only think I have more pressure in my system than other people because others seem ok. I've backed off my blue dial a bit for my last connector untill a new metal reel arrives.

[jeff1]

Jeff got the reel sorted with metal plates fine. It's the crappy connectors that go for a pastime. I can only think I have more pressure in my system than other people because others seem ok. I've backed off my blue dial a bit for my last connector untill a new metal reel arrives.

I binned my hoselock connectors and replaced them with the brass ones, but the bit the conectors go onto can sometimes be a problem, so again I replace with brass ones.

[Davew]

Jeff thats the whole problem, Hozelock male on the reel is a ***tard sized fitting, it looks like any normal tap connector but isn't so you can't convert to brass. Utter design pillocks.

[jeff1]

When you get your metal one, it should come with a brass male, so you should be ok from now on.