what do you guys like for high pressure hose?

[Neil 14]

It's gettin kinda fun here. Thanks to your recent recommendations, I just bought a nice Hanney electric hose reel that has a capacity of 325 feet.

I figure the more hose the merrier since I am doing residential flat work here and who knows how far I will need to go.

Anyway, from reading some things here, it sounds like the preferred hose diameter is 1/2 inch.

So... I am thinking 1/2 inch high quality custom sized hose at 325 feet since that is the capacity of my hose reel.

What would you suggest ? Who do you like that custom sizes ( length) the stuff?

thanks

I am going to buy very soon . I will appreciate your input.

On a side note, I just talked to a local salesman who suggested I go with a "storage tote" like from Home Depot for my buffer tank. And then I could get what I need from him to adapt it to PW use . Does that sound a bit crazy or what? I assumed I would be buying a tank designed for this that would have all fitting installed in it already for around 175?

[Neil 14]

OK, I just talked to a salesman who told me he would stick with 3/8 hose since I don't need more diameter for my 5.5 @ 4k machine

So the capacity of my new hose reel @ 3/8 diam is 450 feet -wow. I can't even afford to fill this reel. ( Hanney electric - the next smaller reel was the same price)

I also learned from him that hose manufacturers can't make them longer usually because of manufacturing flaws - they just have to cut the hose as different lengths depending on where the flaw is. And rarely can hose be found longer than 200- 250 feet because of this he told me. And the longer it is the more expensive it is also.

He is right? Noone sells longer lengths?

You will ask why I need longer. I MIGHT need longer . So I am just trying to learn about what is possible. Obviously I will have to compromise at some point.

[Guy B 70]

I have found no need to have more than 200' on a reel. Do we have more? Yes it's in the truck rarely used.

[Neil 14]

interestingly, Hanney electric reels go from a capacity of 300 feet down to 175 of 3/8 stuff.

And since most of the lower priced stuff seems to sell as 100 foot or 50 foot lengths, I would end up with only 150 feet on a smaller reel.

AND, the shorter capacity Hanney hose reels ( 175 feet) are hand crank only . I wanted electric.

So, I guess if I needed more I go add to the end manually. That makes sense I guess now that I see how expensive the hose is.

I guess i just want to maximize length if possible and I would hate to have to buy a larger reel later if I ever needed it at the cost of those reels.

I am thinking long term here. ( Not going to go work at Walmart LOL )

Edited May 24, 2012 by Neil

[bks0005 14]

I use a 200' 3/8 Goodyear hose stand up good to the abuse. I have had 2- 100' hoses and the connection is a pain to work around as it will catch on everything and the hose doesn't wind up as it should.

[apsurfacesolutions 17]

200' remember you have a pressure drop for every foot of hose. Also if you at down streaming once you get past 200' you can start experiencing problems with your injector.

[Guy B 70]

That makes sense I guess now that I see how expensive the hose is.

Not sure where you're getting that from, we run 200' straight lengths and the hose cost about $160-170 with shipping.

[bks0005 14]

Guy B, where are you getting your hoses from?

[bigchaz 157]

I've never needed more than 200 feet except two or three times for residential. I prefer 2 100 foot lengths on both my reels, and I keep an extra 100 on the trailer. If it needs to longer I just couple the extra 100 on, or if the hose bursts or breaks I can replace the 100 foot section with my backup. You would hate to have a 400 foot hose break and not be able to repair it and have to buy a new one

[Doug Rucker 31]

I have found no need to have more than 200' on a reel. Do we have more? Yes it's in the truck rarely used.

Same here

[Guy B 70]

Guy B, where are you getting your hoses from?

Check with Russ Johnson at Southside Equipment I think he's got a sale going on. I bought 400' from him and buy hose from several places. I try to buy 400 to 600 at a time, spare hose is a must.

[Neil 14]

Not sure where you're getting that from, we run 200' straight lengths and the hose cost about $160-170 with shipping.

I'd like to know where you get this hose too. I will carefully check Southside Equipment's site for it asap though.

I got the bit about longer lengths generally costing more from a salesman at a Seattle supply company. His explanation , which I mentioned in an earlier post here seemed to make sense.

And would there be less pressure drop with larger diameter hose? Like 1/2 inch?

[Guy B 70]

I'd like to know where you get this hose too. I will carefully check Southside Equipment's site for it asap though.

I got the bit about longer lengths generally costing more from a salesman at a Seattle supply company. His explanation , which I mentioned in an earlier post here seemed to make sense.

And would there be less pressure drop with larger diameter hose? Like 1/2 inch?

Call Russ he'll hook you up. No you don't need 1/2 hose, now that's expensive. PSI drop for me is about 300 to 400 PSI on 200' of hose...it's a non-factor really.

Somebody is trying to sell you a load of bull.

[John T 744]

Hey Neil I think Charlie said it above about the 100' sections. That's what I buy because the wear and tear on our hoses will cause a section to go bad eventually and it's much cheaper to replace 100' sections then going having to junk a 300'

Section. We carry alot more hoses then most with aprox 300' per real on my flatbed that has 4 hose reals on it and I carry at least 3 more 100' sections in my trailer. Reason why we carry so much is because I could have guys cleaning as far as 500' away from my truck with at least 2-3 guys doing this when were doing large commercial flatwork such as parking garages, large strip malls etc. The truck never has to move and we can just keep cleaning and cleaning.

[Neil 14]

Hey Neil I think Charlie said it above about the 100' sections. That's what I buy because the wear and tear on our hoses will cause a section to go bad eventually and it's much cheaper to replace 100' sections then going having to junk a 300'

Section. We carry alot more hoses then most with aprox 300' per real on my flatbed that has 4 hose reals on it and I carry at least 3 more 100' sections in my trailer. Reason why we carry so much is because I could have guys cleaning as far as 500' away from my truck with at least 2-3 guys doing this when were doing large commercial flatwork such as parking garages, large strip malls etc. The truck never has to move and we can just keep cleaning and cleaning.

Thanks for your thoughts John. So, your post makes me wonder how big of a deal the connections ( joints ? couplers? ) are between the hoses on the hose reel? Is there a way to minimize how messed up this makes the hose on the reel? Is this a minimal issue that could just be ignored?

I probably will end up having extra capacity on my hose reel anyway , so if the hose is a bit sloppy on there because of the connections, I'm guessing that won't be a big deal ?

BTW- I just found 300 foot hose ( Neptune) on Southside's site for $394. I see 200 foot lengths of the same stuff on there for $259

Edited May 25, 2012 by Neil

[Christopher 102]

It really depends on the type of work you will be doing. 150' is good for commercial cleaning, 200' is better for larger areas so less moving the truck/trailer.

I use 200' of hose on the hose reel (I took off the 300' hose reel because it was tearing the metal off the trailer with the bumpy roads here) but I still have it and will install it on the new, stronger trailer. 200' is enough to do most house washing but 25% of the time I have to add another 50' or 100' or both to the 200' hose as some of these houses have a big yard in front and sometimes you need 75' to 100' just to reach the house from the street (some of these driveways are too narrow or curved too sharp to get the truck and trailer into them) so I have to run the hose from out at the street then wrap around the house one way then pull the hose back and go the other way.

Running the 3/8" hose will be good for a lot of cleaning jobs but for the large concrete work I will use the 1/2" hose as it has less of a pressure drop but for house washing, it is not an issue as you reduce the pressure to downstream anyway. For 100' of 3/8" hose you lose 300psi with 8gpm, for 100' of 1/2" hose and 8gpm the pressure loss is only 45psi.

You need to decide what kind of work you will be doing and set up your rig for that kind of work as all the opinions in the world don't matter too much if they don't relate to the type of work you will be doing.

I keep an extra 50' and 100' hose on the trailer all the time for most house washing jobs because it is easier to have it on the trailer then to move it on/off all the time.

What kind of work are you doing or going to do? This will help you determine your rig setup.

Are you trying to make this fit into a truck or trailer or van?

I have not seen a storage tote at Home Depot that would work good for a buffer tank unless they have new larger totes. I have a 45 or 50 gallon tote for other purposes and they are not a good idea as the sun will oxidize the plastic and it will start cracking, something sliding against it can crack/break it and due to the size and design, you might cavitate the pump easily if the water level gets too low. With these storage totes, how do you know how much water is in it since the larger totes are not clear? This is not a good idea, stop listening to people out there that are not in the business, don't have a clue and don't know about tanks.

Tell us more about what you are wanting to do, what kind of work you want to do and what kind of rig you want to build and you will get a lot of good help here. Don't just go out and start buying things based on what is popular or because so and so said so.

[Jim Gamble 20]

On Long runs of 200 ft or more, we use the 1/2 inch hose. We run 5.9 GPM through them. A 1/2 inch hose will save wear on your pumps as well. You will not have nearly as much loss of pressure as well. You will find that a good quality 1/2 inch hose will last up to 14 months or better. When we used a 3/8 R2 hose, they lasted for 2-3 months and sometimes even less. Our current hoses use a synthetic rubber. This makes the hose a lot stiffer, but the chemicals we use that go after petroleum product do not attack synthetic rubber, thus our 1/2 inch hose will last longer. These hoses aren’t for everybody and they certainly aren’t cheap. They can range over 2 to 9 dollars a foot or more. Our hoses are trade secrets and we do not give the brand name out on these BBS. However, you can find similar hoses on the net, just lower specs for the $2 dollar a ft. range.

We have 1 pump that has lasted 18 years running at 13 hour day loads without a rebuild. We have another that lasted 8 years, but only because our sub over rev the pump to 4,000 rpms for 12 hours via our hydraulic systems.

We contribute this 18 years to the hoses we use and the open end surface cleaners and maintenance of the pump. In 1989, we used 3/8 hose. It seems like our pumps was being rebuilt every year or two. Since we changed over to the 1/2 inch hose, those frequent rebuilds are a thing of the past. I doubt many can say that who have a close end wand runing off then on, then off then on, again and again for hours while having 200 ft of 3/8 hose.

Make your machine work less and it will return the favor.

When our new unit comes online in a few months, we will be considering a 5/8 inch R2 Line hose to power our 7+ foot motorized surface cleaner.

[newlook 265]

150 on the reel with 250 (2 - 100' and a 50' ) for a back up.

[John T 744]

Thanks for your thoughts John. So, your post makes me wonder how big of a deal the connections ( joints ? couplers? ) are between the hoses on the hose reel? Is there a way to minimize how messed up this makes the hose on the reel? Is this a minimal issue that could just be ignored?

I probably will end up having extra capacity on my hose reel anyway , so if the hose is a bit sloppy on there because of the connections, I'm guessing that won't be a big deal ?

BTW- I just found 300 foot hose ( Neptune) on Southside's site for $394. I see 200 foot lengths of the same stuff on there for $259

Hey Neil-- I'm on my iPad as usual but I'll try to remember when on the laptop to post some pics for you. The couplers on the hoses are no problem when there on the hose real. The hose by the coupler take the shape of the real after awhile. There was a couple of times when dragging the hose on the ground the couple came lose.. But all in all the 100' sections work best for us. I usually buy my hose out of season from Pressure Washers | Pressure Washer | Pressure Washer Superstore | Power Washer | Power Washers | EnviroSpec because John sells decent gray non marking hose for less then a dollar a foot. We buy upwards from 500-1000 feet of hose yearly from Envirospec. We beat the heck out of our hoses so we go thru a ton..for a little business.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

I've never needed more than 200 feet except two or three times for residential. I prefer 2 100 foot lengths on both my reels, and I keep an extra 100 on the trailer. If it needs to longer I just couple the extra 100 on, or if the hose bursts or breaks I can replace the 100 foot section with my backup. You would hate to have a 400 foot hose break and not be able to repair it and have to buy a new one

Ditto that!

[Neil 14]

On Long runs of 200 ft or more, we use the 1/2 inch hose. We run 5.9 GPM through them. A 1/2 inch hose will save wear on your pumps as well. You will not have nearly as much loss of pressure as well. You will find that a good quality 1/2 inch hose will last up to 14 months or better. When we used a 3/8 R2 hose, they lasted for 2-3 months and sometimes even less. Our current hoses use a synthetic rubber. This makes the hose a lot stiffer, but the chemicals we use that go after petroleum product do not attack synthetic rubber, thus our 1/2 inch hose will last longer. These hoses aren’t for everybody and they certainly aren’t cheap. They can range over 2 to 9 dollars a foot or more. Our hoses are trade secrets and we do not give the brand name out on these BBS. However, you can find similar hoses on the net, just lower specs for the $2 dollar a ft. range.

We have 1 pump that has lasted 18 years running at 13 hour day loads without a rebuild. We have another that lasted 8 years, but only because our sub over rev the pump to 4,000 rpms for 12 hours via our hydraulic systems.

We contribute this 18 years to the hoses we use and the open end surface cleaners and maintenance of the pump. In 1989, we used 3/8 hose. It seems like our pumps was being rebuilt every year or two. Since we changed over to the 1/2 inch hose, those frequent rebuilds are a thing of the past. I doubt many can say that who have a close end wand runing off then on, then off then on, again and again for hours while having 200 ft of 3/8 hose.

Make your machine work less and it will return the favor.

When our new unit comes online in a few months, we will be considering a 5/8 inch R2 Line hose to power our 7+ foot motorized surface cleaner.

Jim , thanks for bringing up the stuff about the 1/2 inch hose saving your pumps by making them work less . That advise sounds really important to me and a top notch reason to buy 1/2 inch hose. would be great to find a source of 1/2 inch at a reasonable cost . two 150 lengths :)

Edited May 26, 2012 by Neil

[Neil 14]

Hey Neil-- I'm on my iPad as usual but I'll try to remember when on the laptop to post some pics for you. The couplers on the hoses are no problem when there on the hose real. The hose by the coupler take the shape of the real after awhile. There was a couple of times when dragging the hose on the ground the couple came lose.. But all in all the 100' sections work best for us. I usually buy my hose out of season from Pressure Washers | Pressure Washer | Pressure Washer Superstore | Power Washer | Power Washers | EnviroSpec because John sells decent gray non marking hose for less then a dollar a foot. We buy upwards from 500-1000 feet of hose yearly from Envirospec. We beat the heck out of our hoses so we go thru a ton..for a little business.

I just tried the link and they don't have 1/2 inch in stock .

100 feet of 3/8 costs about $130 WEB ORDER FORM

Edited May 26, 2012 by Neil

[adco 14]

I also use (2) 100 ft. 3/8" hose like John. If one hose blows you can disconnect one and you're back in business. I like the Rawhide hoses that have a smooth covering since I pull my hose across concrete and asphalt. Easier to pull and the cover seems to last longer. Also, I use a 3/8" female to female coupler to connect the two hoses instead of quick connects.

[Guy B 70]

Neil, Jim's advice on 1/2 hose would be correct & sound if you washed parking garages...which I'm guessing you don't. Also Jim's equipment is far and above (both in use and build) than what most contractors have. Your company is window cleaning that is adding or has added pressure washing in its line up. So let me say this again "You Don't Need 1/2" Pressure Hose". Not only is it more expensive it's also quite a bit heavier than 3/8's hose 1 wire hose.

Now if you have high volume (10+ gpm) hot water equipment & wash very large ammounts of flat work then by all means step up to 1/2" hose and disregard this post.

[Neil 14]

Neil, Jim's advice on 1/2 hose would be correct & sound if you washed parking garages...which I'm guessing you don't. Also Jim's equipment is far and above (both in use and build) than what most contractors have. Your company is window cleaning that is adding or has added pressure washing in its line up. So let me say this again "You Don't Need 1/2" Pressure Hose". Not only is it more expensive it's also quite a bit heavier than 3/8's hose 1 wire hose.

Now if you have high volume (10+ gpm) hot water equipment & wash very large ammounts of flat work then by all means step up to 1/2" hose and disregard this post.

Thanks for taking the time Guy. I appreciate it.

Over time I might try both sizes. I think I need to go look at 1/2 hose to see how big it is. By the numbers it doesn't sound much larger , but when I see it, I may change my mind about that.

Price: I'll have to get on the Google magic carpet today and do an exhaustive search for pricing. Yes, I am concerned about price, but if a larger size hose can save me repair dollars down the road, I'm feeling that that cost is no big deal.

(And right now I have my window income :) ) But obviously if the 1/2 stuff is totally not doing any of that, I'm wasting my money and lugging around heavy hose for nothing. So, it would be interesting to see the facts , so I will see if I can find the data.

Yes, I am a window cleaner primarily but there is more money in pressure washing and I am in my fifties with diminishing years of being able to climb ladders safely, so pressure washing is going to be much more important to me in the future. So this is why I am trying to understand these things so that I can leave avenues of opportunity open rather than thinking only in terms of what is happening today for me.

I do have some 3/8 stuff on order. Maybe I'll let it ship and see how it goes. I'm sure what you say is true. I do respect your opinion . And I am open to all opinions here and from the sales people I talk to as well