Air Hose Reel

[Jim Becker]

I thought about a reel, but instead choose to just use a high-quality Flexeel coiled drop cord from my overhead air "outlets". It stretches out a good long way when needed, but retracts into a more compact setup when not in use. I have hooks setup so I can completely get it out of the way when I want/need to. I'm about to get a second one for convenience. With a reel, I would worry less about the reel and hose, but about the rotating connection required between the reel and the supply...something that I've had very dubious luck with on water hose reels. I don't want any air leaks because that will cause excessive compressor run.

[Bill Dufour]

I see some of the bug spray trucks use a nice powered hose reel. I think it is a radio controlled motor to wind and rewind the hose onto the truck. I bet those hoses are heavy when they are full of liquid.
Bill

325 feet of 1/2 hose!

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...iABEgI4x_D_BwE

[Harry Hagan]

I have a Goodyear reel in the maintenance area of my shop, this one (or at least it looks like it): https://www.amazon.com/Goodyear-L815.../dp/B01GFA35N2 I pull it outdoors to use with farm equipment too. Very well made, heavy duty reel and hose.

Is this for the shop ceiling? The Goodyear might be too big and maybe the hose longer than needed. If it is good quality, maybe their other reels are too.

JKJ

I have the same reel and would purchase it again if I needed another one.

[Chris Parks]

There is a big gotcha with some reels which I found about the hard way. I use a lot of air tools and after we installed two no name reels I wondered why our air tools were a bit short of grunt as the hoses were 3/8" the same as the original lines so I pulled one apart. What we found is that the air entry was 1/4" restricting the air flow hugely so we made new 1/2" fittings and all is well. Why they restricted the air inlet is one of life's mysteries yet to be solved.

[Scott T Smith]

I've had years of good service from Cox and Reelcraft hose reels. Go with 1/2" if you can.

[Bill Adamsen]

I too have the Goodyear. My only disappointment is that I hadn't anticipated that the swivel would not be perfectly centered. I "hard" plumbed mine in with copper and I'm waiting for the day the copper fails from the slight movement each time the reel rotates. I am sure it will be spectacular. 'm also not thrilled with the air volume reduction. I should search out the root cause as Chris did.

[Charles Lent]

For bench use, I have the coiled nylon lines connected to rubber lines at a point about 7' (arms reach) above the floor. The line hangs from the ceiling next to the left end of my benches, and I've added an S hook that is closed around the threaded part of the quick connector, so it forms a loop to the side of the connector for hanging the blow gun nozzle. If I want to use a nail gun there, I can pop the blow gun off and use the coiled line connected to the nail gun, or pop the coiled nylon line off and plug in a rubber air hose for assembly work away from the bench. Each of my ceiling air lines are set up the same. I also have a filter regulator with make and female connectors, so I can plug it in anywhere that I want lower air pressure that the line pressure, such as when doing touch-up at the bench with an air brush or when using one of my air powered carving tools. The piping from my air compressor is 5/8 flared copper and each fitting where the air line exits the wall or ceiling is a 1/2" flanged copper elbow (has mounting ears) to reduce the chance of damaging the copper wall and ceiling lines if a shop air line should ever get tugged hard. Yes, I probably have more male and female quick connect fittings in my air system than most, but I consider them much like electrical plugs and receptacles. You wouldn't permanently attach an extension cord to the wall outlet, so why do it with an air line. All of my air lines have a male quick connect fitting on one end and a female on the other. I can connect them end to end if needed, or change the tool being used whenever or wherever I need to. I also use the better quality quick connect female fittings that will accept the different length male fittings, so that there is never a plugging hassle if a friend brings his own air tools over to help me and the air fittings on his tools are a different length. The cost of these universal female fittings is only about $1.50 more each, so why not. It eliminates possible future compatibility problems.

I have never found the need for an air line on a reel in my shop. I prefer keeping 15 and 25' lines that I can plug together as needed, and coil them up to hang on the wall, completely out of the way when not needed. Having the quick connect fittings on the ends of them makes this possible.

Charley

[Ben Rivel]

I was planning on going with the Flexzilla when it came time: LINK

[John K Jordan]

...and I've added an S hook that is closed around the threaded part of the quick connector, so it forms a loop to the side of the connector for hanging the blow gun nozzle. ... I have never found the need for an air line on a reel in my shop. I prefer keeping 15 and 25' lines that I can plug together as needed, and coil them up to hang on the wall, completely out of the way when not needed. Having the quick connect fittings on the ends of them makes this possible.

How we configure our air lines probably depends on how we use them. I use compressed air very often at the lathe and not nearly as often anywhere else. Plumbing air around the shop lets me keep a coiled line handy - I drilled a couple of holes in the motor shroud and bent some wire to make a hanger:

Air_line_nozzle.jpg

I installed these quick-connect fittings on the wall for one-handed operation. They also make things easier to connect when used on a hose. They sell these at Home Depot right next to the type that needs two hands to operate. You can tell the difference by looking for the gap between the sleeve and the end flange:

Air_line_fitting.jpg

JKJ

[Dan Rude]

If you have a Menards, Black Friday they sometimes have the 30' Flexzilla on sale. I think I paid only $30 each for 2. Still in the boxes though, since my shop is in shrinkage. Dan