PeakOfPerfection
New member
Roof Cleaning is hard on equipment. Nothing more so than pumps and reels. Pumps...that problem has been fairly well solved with the switch to Air Diaphragm pumps made from chemically inert materials like Kynar or Hastelloy. But the Reel? Huge problem. The issue is, Roof Cleaning reels are not designed for roof cleaning. Roof Cleaning is a chemically driven, ultra low pressure process. To be effective, the Sodium Hypo percentages are 3-5 times higher than a house mix. The reels which are being sold for roof cleaning are PRESSURE WASHING REELS! Those reels have one major, massive weakness that guarantees destruction in Roof Cleaning applications...the manifold. The manifold is metal, and it doesn't matter if you make it out of Stainless, it is going to fail because SH is corrosive to metal. Nobody has been able to make a manifold out of any material that will withstand high percentage mix Sodium Hypochlorite going thru it and you can wash it with fresh water all you want but it WILL rust out. Period. So, thought I, why not make a manifold out of an inert material? Nope. I spent over 6 months researching, trying to come up with a manifold design that would withstand high percentage SH usage to no avail. Nobody can coat the interior of the manifolds and a Hastelloy manifold would run thousands and thousands of dollars to make.
So what is the solution? You either deal with replacing the reel every couple of years or the manifold yearly and watching it like a hawk. Or do what a lot of guys here have been forced to do...given up running with reels. Running reel-less solves the reel failure problems but lets' be honest, running reel-less is a royal pain in the Derrière. Unlike Pressure Washing hoses, roof cleaning hoses are BIG. 5/8" is common and 3/4" is becoming more common as bigger Air Diaphragm pumps make their way onto rigs. Wrapping several hundred of feet of 1/2" to 3/4" hose back onto the rig after every job is a hassle. especially if you run the big hose. Plus your rig just looks much more professional with a reel and it saves on space. Also, running reel-less is hard on the hoses. There is more chance of kinking your hose and lets face it...hoses aren't cheap.
But now, after months of research, I finally found the solution. Introducing the first Reel that is made specifically for high percentage Sodium Hypochlorite and Roof Cleaning use! What makes this reel better than any other reel out there? Simple...there is NO MANIFOLD. This is a unique design that makes so much sense that is is almost silly. Your hose will pass thru the center hub where it is secured, then thru a hollow end bearing and into a bracket mounted CPVC Super Swivel. At no point is there a single contact with metal in the fluid path.
And for those running electric pumps and larger hose setups...there is another issue...most reels restrict flow. Look at the common reels sold and they all use 1/2" manifolds. 1/2" is simply too small. You start out with a restriction right off the bat. Most cleaners go to 5/8" hose to help the flow, but putting the flow thru an additional connector, a 90 degree bend and then throttling it down to 1/2" makes no sense. Our smallest reel uses a 3/4" swivel and our big boys are 1" swivels. Because we eliminate the 90 degree bend and use a much bigger swivel, you will get more flow and less retraction which is hyper important for the Electric pump guys.
It gets better. This reel is not made by a Chinese company or a fly by night operation. This reel is made for us by Hannay, THE World's leading reel manufacturer. Look at a chemical transport truck...Hannay Reel. Fire Truck? Hannay Reels. Military vehicle? Hannay Reels. These reels are built to last in extreme environments and guys who run them will run nothing else. They are built to last.
Now...we might as well get this out of the way...this reel is not cheap. It is an investment in a very good piece of equipment. It is going to cost you more than an equivalent Titan or Steel Eagle. But...it will also last far far far longer than those Reels. It won't leak. It won't fail. It is built like an absolute tank with the big 400M Electric reel running nearly 200 lbs ship weight. It won't give you that red flash of rusty fluid as you prime your hose with SH. It is the Kynar AODD Pump of hose reels and thus, it is a very good investment in a piece of equipment that makes your and your crew's lives easier and more productive. There are both electric and manual rewind models. I recommend electric if you run 300 or more ft of hose as it is just so much easier to rewind.
Here are the models and prices:
400M Manual Rewind Reel. Holds 300’ of up to 3/4” Hose or 400’ of 5/8” hose. $970
400E Electric Rewind Reel. Holds 300’ of 3/4” hose or 400” of 5/8” hose. $1400
300M. Manual reel. Holds up to 300’ of 5/8” hose $890
300E. Electric Rewind Reel. Holds up to 300’ of 5/8” hose. $1400
200M Manual rewind reel. Holds up to 300’ of 1/2” hose. $750
200E. Electric Rewind Reel. Holds up to 300’ of 1/2” hose. $1260
I am taking orders for these now. Each reel is custom built for you and shipped directly to you. Production time is 2-3 weeks. Choose Grey, White, Red or Green. They are also available primed if you want to put your own finish on. Note that I recommend you coat the swivel in Plasti-dip or paint it to protect it from UV degradation. I also recommend you coat the frame and hubs in clear plasti-dip or POR-15 as an added preventative...it is fairly cheap so why not? An annual cleaning and re-coating of the hubs and frame is not a bad idea to keep them corrosion free. Do that and do a rebuild on the swivel seals (yes they can be easily rebuilt!) and this reel should last decades. Call me at 360-831-9494 with questions or to order. I will have pics up as soon as I can.
So what is the solution? You either deal with replacing the reel every couple of years or the manifold yearly and watching it like a hawk. Or do what a lot of guys here have been forced to do...given up running with reels. Running reel-less solves the reel failure problems but lets' be honest, running reel-less is a royal pain in the Derrière. Unlike Pressure Washing hoses, roof cleaning hoses are BIG. 5/8" is common and 3/4" is becoming more common as bigger Air Diaphragm pumps make their way onto rigs. Wrapping several hundred of feet of 1/2" to 3/4" hose back onto the rig after every job is a hassle. especially if you run the big hose. Plus your rig just looks much more professional with a reel and it saves on space. Also, running reel-less is hard on the hoses. There is more chance of kinking your hose and lets face it...hoses aren't cheap.
But now, after months of research, I finally found the solution. Introducing the first Reel that is made specifically for high percentage Sodium Hypochlorite and Roof Cleaning use! What makes this reel better than any other reel out there? Simple...there is NO MANIFOLD. This is a unique design that makes so much sense that is is almost silly. Your hose will pass thru the center hub where it is secured, then thru a hollow end bearing and into a bracket mounted CPVC Super Swivel. At no point is there a single contact with metal in the fluid path.
And for those running electric pumps and larger hose setups...there is another issue...most reels restrict flow. Look at the common reels sold and they all use 1/2" manifolds. 1/2" is simply too small. You start out with a restriction right off the bat. Most cleaners go to 5/8" hose to help the flow, but putting the flow thru an additional connector, a 90 degree bend and then throttling it down to 1/2" makes no sense. Our smallest reel uses a 3/4" swivel and our big boys are 1" swivels. Because we eliminate the 90 degree bend and use a much bigger swivel, you will get more flow and less retraction which is hyper important for the Electric pump guys.
It gets better. This reel is not made by a Chinese company or a fly by night operation. This reel is made for us by Hannay, THE World's leading reel manufacturer. Look at a chemical transport truck...Hannay Reel. Fire Truck? Hannay Reels. Military vehicle? Hannay Reels. These reels are built to last in extreme environments and guys who run them will run nothing else. They are built to last.
Now...we might as well get this out of the way...this reel is not cheap. It is an investment in a very good piece of equipment. It is going to cost you more than an equivalent Titan or Steel Eagle. But...it will also last far far far longer than those Reels. It won't leak. It won't fail. It is built like an absolute tank with the big 400M Electric reel running nearly 200 lbs ship weight. It won't give you that red flash of rusty fluid as you prime your hose with SH. It is the Kynar AODD Pump of hose reels and thus, it is a very good investment in a piece of equipment that makes your and your crew's lives easier and more productive. There are both electric and manual rewind models. I recommend electric if you run 300 or more ft of hose as it is just so much easier to rewind.
Here are the models and prices:
400M Manual Rewind Reel. Holds 300’ of up to 3/4” Hose or 400’ of 5/8” hose. $970
400E Electric Rewind Reel. Holds 300’ of 3/4” hose or 400” of 5/8” hose. $1400
300M. Manual reel. Holds up to 300’ of 5/8” hose $890
300E. Electric Rewind Reel. Holds up to 300’ of 5/8” hose. $1400
200M Manual rewind reel. Holds up to 300’ of 1/2” hose. $750
200E. Electric Rewind Reel. Holds up to 300’ of 1/2” hose. $1260
I am taking orders for these now. Each reel is custom built for you and shipped directly to you. Production time is 2-3 weeks. Choose Grey, White, Red or Green. They are also available primed if you want to put your own finish on. Note that I recommend you coat the swivel in Plasti-dip or paint it to protect it from UV degradation. I also recommend you coat the frame and hubs in clear plasti-dip or POR-15 as an added preventative...it is fairly cheap so why not? An annual cleaning and re-coating of the hubs and frame is not a bad idea to keep them corrosion free. Do that and do a rebuild on the swivel seals (yes they can be easily rebuilt!) and this reel should last decades. Call me at 360-831-9494 with questions or to order. I will have pics up as soon as I can.
