Power Washing and Roof Cleaning Forum

Soft-N-Safe Chuck · Veteran Member

Attaching hose to reel?

Soft-N-Safe Chuck · Veteran Member

So, an update on my hose to reel connection. I found a 1/2" 45 deg. street elbow made by maxline and ordered one. I think that will get my hose to roll on the reel ok...

BlueRidge · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Soft-N-Safe Chuck wrote:
So, an update on my hose to reel connection. I found a 1/2" 45 deg. street elbow made by maxline and ordered one. I think that will get my hose to roll on the reel ok...

If that fitting is brass, make sure you rinse it well.

Soft-N-Safe Chuck · Veteran Member

Hi Brett, roger that. I looked at a ss unit, but it was very expensive. I am using nylon thread tape on fittings, but I remember someone advised against it. He mentioned something about using something with the word *blue* in it. Thanks for the wash out tip. I ordered two of the brass els. Would you recommend using a neutralizer in the house rinse? So much to learn....... thanks, Chuck PS I live in Manatee County, Florida.

BlueRidge · Approved Exterior Cleaner

There's nothing wrong with teflon tape. I use Tru-Blue on just about all of the fittings. I guess the only way we could add a neutralizer to the house wash would be to down stream it. As mild as the house wash mix is, good rinsing has always worked for us.

Soft-N-Safe Chuck · Veteran Member

I ended up just screwing a SS hose barb directly to the reel. I checked around for tru-blue tape but ended up using standard white tape with no leaks yet. I'm still confused about selecting tips suitable low pressure systems. Is a check valve necessary, or beneficial
and if so, should it be used on the suction side or the pressure side? I guess it could be useful at the input to my rinse tank coming in from the customer's water system. I have a 50 grit filter on the customer supply reel. I can see why folks choose to purchase a complete well thought out system. I have close to $1K into the rig now which is a very basic 12 volt 1/2" system with a spare pump.

Going out to buy parts is risky. I keep wondering if I will catch the virus before I do my first wash job. The box stores are packed with people in my area just south of Tampa. A few are wearing face masks, but the majority don't bother. I can see why folks choose to purchase a complete well thought out system. I have close to $1K into the rig now which is a very basic 12 volt 1/2" system with a spare pump. Thanks for the great tips so far...

Soft-N-Safe Chuck · Veteran Member

Despite a couple miss-steps, I did a pressure test today. I was surprised how much adjustment of the pump pressure switch was required to settle things down for a smooth start and stop. I mounted a light switch and connected my battery using some heavy marine wiring I salvaged. There is a 50 amp circuit breaker that I will add when I add the 2nd pump motor. Just focusing on getting a reliable basic rig ready. I have a 15 gallon tank for my batch mix, and a 25 gallon rinse tank. No leaks! Got to add a 3 way ball valve to switch the pump from batch to rinse next. Thanks for sharing experience and the encouragement.