Hoselink Retractable Hose Reel (30m)

A solution to a problem that others are experiencing with Hoselink reels – We had previously purchased two of these hose reels and unfortunately birds were trying to nest inside via the wide gap where the hose feeds in. I wrote to Hoselink at the time asking if they had a solution to this problem. I was told that they didn't and that they had not received any other complaints re. this. We needed two further hose reels… Read more

recently and I thought the picture on the website showed a change of design and placed an order. Unfortunately the design had not changed and I wrote to them again asking if they could come up with a design to prevent this happening (as we still have straw stuck at the bottom of the original reel which we cannot remove and hence the hose doesn't retract fully). I had a nice reply in response but basically giving the same reply as before. I found it hard to believe that we were the only ones experiencing this issue. I looked on your website and saw there have been many people complaining over the years not only of birds trying to nest inside, but also tree frogs. Each time Hoselink replied to those complaints, they said they had no solution. But my husband has come up with an easy, cheap solution for this, which I hope will be helpful to other Hoselink owners. He cut a piece of polypipe the length of the gap, bent it into a V shape and it just slots inside the gap when not in use. It is simply removed when we need to use the hose and then popped back in again afterwards. (Photo below). I forwarded a photo of this to Hoselink and was told that their Product Department had been advised and would be working on something. It is a simple fix and something that Hoselink could sell as an optional extra. Even though they may not use anything similar to what my husband has come up, they have many options i.e. put a small flap on the cover that would cover the gap, but allow for the hose to feed out underneath or even attach a line of smooth brushes along the top of the gap. I am posting this review as I hope it will be helpful to other people who are experiencing issues.