The main component of a hose reel, just like in its name, is the hose itself. So, when your vacuum hose reel is not retracting or moving as intended, that’s obviously no small deal.
Depending on what you’re using the tool for, it’s important to deal with that ASAP because it may be a safety issue. So, I’ll go into detail about fixing this problem and getting the hose to retract like normal.
3 Tips To Deal With Your Vacuum Hose Reel Not Retracting
- Complications With The Hose Itself
Most of the time a vacuum hose reel isn’t retracting, it’s because of the hose itself. The tough part is figuring out what specifically is wrong with the hose though.
Often, it has to do with the way the hose is set on the reel. This is something new users of vacuum hose reels make mistakes with often, and that’s nothing to worry about.
They might wrap it across the reel in a way that there’s twisting, bending, or uneven wrapping. Any of these things impose restrictions on the movement of the tool’s hose.
You want the cable on your vacuum reel to be as evenly wrapped and free to move as possible. Users shouldn’t wrap it on top of itself, or tangle it in any way that may restrict it.
To show you what I mean, I took this picture that shows a hose that isn’t wrapped 100% correctly. See how some parts of it are coming on top of itself, which presents issues during retraction.
Another thing that you may have noticed I mentioned in the photo up there is how the size of the cable can cause complications. This is a hose that’s too large or thick is bad for the tool.
All vacuum reels are built for use with a certain size of hose. If someone tries to use one of these tools with a cable that isn’t the right size, they’re confirmed to run into a snag.
Users can check what that certain size is for their specific vacuum hose reel by consulting its manual. That way, you’ll know if the size of your current cable is what’s causing this issue.
In short, if the cable isn’t wrapped properly, take it off and guide it with your hand so that it now is. And, if it’s not the right size at all, you know what to do now.
- Add Spring Tension
With the most common reason for this problem out of the way, I also want to talk about a couple of lesser-known reasons. One of these has to do with the tension of the springs inside the tool.
Some users may not be familiar, but there are spring canisters inside most vacuum hose reels. These springs are what provide support and force to certain functions.
One of those functions happens to be retracting the hose back. The spring generates the right force and calls the hose back into place.
A lot of vacuum hose reels actually have a way to adjust the tension for these springs. That way, users can reduce or increase it as necessary, depending on the workload.
In this instance, it’s necessary to increase the spring tension. You can see in the picture above why that’s helpful.
The force on the spring may be so low that it’s hard for it to pull the cable back into place. But, if you increase it, that will amend that and make sure you can retract it easily from now on.
Check the manual for your vacuum hose reel model to see how to do this, and adjust the spring tension accordingly to get the hose to retract from now on.
- Spring Canister Too Worn
For users who are completely sure that there’s nothing wrong with the hose and also sure that the spring tension is high enough, I think the springs themselves may be the root of all this.
You see, like all springs, the ones inside your vacuum hose reel get bad with use. They start losing their strength, and as such they start losing their functionality inside the tool.
It eventually reaches a point where the spring canister doesn’t even have enough strength to bring the hose back into place by retracting it. This may be what’s happening to you.
The only way to deal with a worn-out spring canister is to get a replacement for it. You can find and purchase suitable canisters for your specific vacuum hose reel online.
Look at the manual and see where the spring canister is inside your specific model. Take that one out and replace it with a new, functional one that has its strength.
After you do that, the springs will have life in them again, and your vacuum hose reel shouldn’t have any trouble retracting from now on!
