Air hose reel size

[AA7483]

I just bought a 60 gallon IR compressor for my shop. I'm going to plumb a 1/2 copper air line across to the garage door and put a hose reel there. I'm not going to be using it every day and when I do it will be for typical shop uses (air tools etc) so I know 3/8 is sufficient. Once a year, I want to drag the hose 100' or so to my house to blow out my irrigation. I would only get a 50' reel and get an extension to go the rest of the way. Should I get a 1/2 reel for this once a year occasion? Should I buy a separate 1/2" hose to use for this occasion? Would I be ok just using 3/8 for this purpose? FWIW, Ive been using a small 30g compressor with a 3/8 hose up until this point and its worked ok.

 

[astroracer]

Spend the money on a portable air tank. Way easier and you will find it has many other uses when you need air away from the shop. I built one out of a dead pancake compressor a few years ago and it gets hauled all over. Even into the house to run a brad nailer putting up new trim...
Mark

 

[AA7483]

I already have a portable one but I want to take advantage of the large tank and higher cfm of the new compressor when blowing my irrigation out. For in home projects I still have my 30g portable unit.

 

[tarmy]

This is overkill for your situation...but this is what GJ is all about...

The reel has enough hose to reach all parts of my house...and two detached garages...

 

[mobiledynamics]

I've had larger reel setups on Cox Reels. Hated it. Heavy as F unwinding/etc.

I'd say run with what you need to do primarily on the reel and the -extensions-, use loop them up and put somewhere safe for use

 

[AA7483]

This is overkill for your situation...but this is what GJ is all about...

The reel has enough hose to reach all parts of my house...and two detached garages...

I do love me some overkill

 

[logical]

I have a 60 gal tank and a relatively small motor...and my system has 24 zones, many with a lot of pipe...meaning lots of volume. I basically empty the tank for each zone. Thats not something you do with a little portable tank. It's a 3 hour ordeal for me to charge up the tank 24 times, walk out to make sure all the heads are clear, change to the next zone, sip my beer, remember which zone I'm on... and my inlet is at the opposite end of my ranch style house...about 75 feet of hose.

But blowing out the system is a high volume, low pressure task. I regulate down to about 55-60 psi and just use garden hose for some or all of the run. Adapters can be put together from the isles of Ace Hardware or Lowes and I just spliced a hose bib into the supply line just after the check valve to hook up.

Sent from my garage.

 

[matt_i]

I have used the garden hose itself for blowing out drip irrigation. With some fittings I regulated down to 50psi, similar to the water pressure.

There's a larger volume in the long hose but just give it a little bit of recovery time between blasts.

 

[AA7483]

So basically I can just use a regular 3/4 garden hose straight to the tank for my once a year irrigation stuff and not worry about incorporating it into my piping plan? I like that.

 

[kingston]

3/8" dia. is plenty on the reel.

 

[jeepinerdeep]

I have a enough drops in my shop to just use 25 footers. I've got a few 3/8, and 1 or 2 1/4 lines for odds and ends. This way I can try different types of hoses for what works best.

I never liked the reels. To get a good one they are $$$, you fight that spring on the way out, kind of limited to rubber style and they just cheese me.

Keep an old rubber 50' on the shelf for going the distance outside.

 

[thickhead]

...Once a year, I want to drag the hose 100' or so to my house to blow out my irrigation. I would only get a 50' reel and get an extension to go the rest of the way. Should I get a 1/2 reel for this once a year occasion? Should I buy a separate 1/2" hose to use for this occasion? Would I be ok just using 3/8 for this purpose? FWIW, Ive been using a small 30g compressor with a 3/8 hose up until this point and its worked ok.

Ive been using a Tekton 3/8” 50’ manual hose reel and a 3/8” 50’ hose I already had to extend out to blow out my sprinkler system and it works fine, even with the stupid 175psi portable Husky 20 gallon unit I have. Easier than moving the compressor out to the yard and running a cord out to it.

 

[sherlocktk]

I have a 3/8 hose from the ceiling and have a 3/8 50ft extension hose stored on an 150ft extension cord reel (the one sold at wal mart) This fits perfectly and is easy for rolling and unrolling. I have yet to see a better way to store a pneumatic hose

 

[1badrz28]

3/8 is fine., I have blown out all of my irrigation systems with up to 15 zones with a 3/8 hose. A compressor with a good rate of cfm will keep up no problem.

 

[sweetk30]

28ft deep x 50ft wide shop i have a 75ft 3/8" flexzilla real combo and love it .

i have 2 50ft units 1 in the back paint bay room and 1 in other corner of the 75ft and dont hardly use it .

1/2" i have a quick chuck off the main for the shop at compressor and have a 50ft flexzilla hanging on the wall on a old polished up aluminum 70's truck rim .

doing shop work over 20 years this combo seems to be a good balance for me .

 

[sberry]

28ft deep x 50ft wide shop i have a 75ft 3/8" flexzilla real combo and love it .

i have 2 50ft units 1 in the back paint bay room and 1 in other corner of the 75ft and dont hardly use it .

1/2" i have a quick chuck off the main for the shop at compressor and have a 50ft flexzilla hanging on the wall on a old polished up aluminum 70's truck rim .

doing shop work over 20 years this combo seems to be a good balance for me .

This is good, simple. I have 75 on my reel goes outside on apron, used on tires a lot and the extra 25 ft gives it so.e reach so it's not so fussy to do all the wheels.

 

[logical]

So basically I can just use a regular 3/4 garden hose straight to the tank for my once a year irrigation stuff and not worry about incorporating it into my piping plan? I like that.

Yes. I use that length garden hose year round and would have zero other use for that much more air hose so it made sense to me.

Sent from my garage.