How To Attach A Hose Reel To Vinyl Siding

Are you lot looking to put your garden hose on a reel that attaches to vinyl siding?  This is an installation guide with a list of additional hardware you lot might need, as well as recommendation for the best garden hose reel for vinyl siding.

Use the quick navigation links beneath to find what yous're looking for:

My outset flake of communication is to avert attaching a garden hose to a vinyl wall if you can.  It'south a bit of a tricky, unpredictable project that depends on what is nether your siding.

In most cases, it'southward easier to install a 4 x iv pressure level treated wood post in the basis, and so mount your garden hose reel on that.

An even easier route would be to merely purchase a wheeled hose reel cart and call it a 24-hour interval.

However, in that location might be circumstances that prevent both of these options and mounting your hose reel to vinyl siding is your all-time option.

So let's become started helping you get that done!

Why Mounting a Hose Reel to a Vinyl Wall is Difficult

The aforementioned tricky and unpredictable part of this chore is the ease with which y'all'll be able to find the structural support within the wall that's best to mountain your garden hose reel to.

**Important:You MUST mount your hose reel to the structural frame, or studs, of the house.

You lot may exist tempted to buy a lightweight reel and garden hose hoping that somehow your vinyl siding will be potent plenty to agree up your hose reel.

If you lot do this, the weight of the garden hose & reel will pull off the wall leaving gaping holes in your your vinyl.  Information technology's simply a matter of time.

A large garden hose filled with water on a reel can weigh upwards to 150 lbs.   Vinyl siding, even the plywood capsule nether the vinyl, is non strong enough to bear that kind of weight over a long period of fourth dimension.

In well-nigh cases, the structural support backside vinyl siding are going to be studs – vertical beams that run vertically from the ground to the top of the house.

Finding those studs tin can exist a scrap tricky because they are non ever located close enough to the siding for a stud finder to detect them.

And if at that place is a gap between your siding and the studs, you at present take an additional business of damaging your siding by pinching information technology to the stud when you bolt your hose reel to it.

This could get out your structural back up exposed to moisture – not good.

Y'all may become lucky and find the stud with a stud finder sliding information technology over the vinyl paneling.   If that's the case you lot can probably become abroad with using the hardware included with the hose reel to mountain.

The Best Garden Hose Reel For Vinyl Siding

The all-time hose reel I've found that includes hardware and instructions specific for mounting the reel to various types of siding, including vinyl, is from Eley.

It may be a piddling more than you wanted to spend on a reel, but I've poured through dozens of forums & amazon review and at that place are very few complaints virtually this loftier quality, durable product.

I've also reached out to Eley'due south customer service team for installation instructions for this reel and they got back to me within a few hours with fifty-fifty more detailed instructions than are provided with the reel.

Eley Mounted Hose Reel

Here are some features of the Eley hose reel that might help justify the expense and why it's the best garden hose reel for vinyl siding.

Vinyl Siding Hardware Included

Mounting Hardware and six-1/2 ft. x v/viii″ Polyurethane Inlet Hose Included.  This includes spacers needed for vinyl siding and a mounting plate.

Winter Storage

The reel can be removed from the mounting bracket for wintertime storage

Showtime Course Durability

Made from high quality aluminum alloy, one of the highest rated reels fabricated

Dimensional Fit for Stud Walls

The lag bolt holes on the mounting plate included with the reel are 16″ apart which is the distance between studs of MOST wood framed walls behind vinyl or lap paneling.

There are several hose reel'south available on Eley's website.  Here'southward the link to the wall mounted hose reel you lot want.

I'm convinced Eley makes the best garden hose reel for vinyl siding.  Therefor, we'll assume yous're using this reel for the instructions below.

Notwithstanding, these instructions are general enough that you tin employ them to all garden hose reels when mounting to vinyl siding.

Finding Studs Behind Vinyl

Ok back to the installation details.

Effort finding the studs with a high stop stud finder on the outside of the wall.  You lot'll need a good one like this one from Zircon to find the stud behind the vinyl

Click image to view on Amazon

Some other fashion to determine if yous've institute a stud is to pay attention to how much solid woods your drill bit has penetrated behind your vinyl.

The lag bolts that are included are ii .5″ long.  The hole you drill should be no deeper than ane.v″ to leave room for the mounting hardware.

Your lag bolts should achieve at least 1″ of penetration into the stud in order to support the reel properly.

Anything deeper than ane.5″ and you run the take a chance of damaging your siding because y'all'll need to sandwich your siding into the stud in lodge to reach a 1″ penetration depth.

Most plywood capsule is 1/2″ thick.  If your drill chip has over 1/2″ of sawdust on it and yous've drilled at the 16″ mark, and then y'all've hit a stud.

Yous can tell that yous've missed a stud if you experience resistance when you lot're drilling so suddenly at that place's no resistance at all afterwards an 1″-2″ of drilling.   That means you've drilled through the vinyl siding and plywood capsule simply to notice empty space behind them.

Here is a link to Eley's installation videos for farther educational activity.

This video beneath should aid as well, but has caveat which I'll become into below

What this videodoes not tell you lot is what to do if y'all tin't observe the stud equally easily as he did.

Why Finding Studs Tin can be Hard

1. Studs are not xvi″ on center – most homes are built with studs sixteen inches autonomously, but not always.  They could be 24″ apart.  Starting time try drilling a pilot hole 16″ from your point of reference, then at 24″ if you lot don't detect the stud at 16″.  You lot tin use the edge or a window (the glass, non the frame) or a corner of a wall every bit a point of reference for this – y'all know a stud is there.
2. Stud finding tools are non efficient – every bit mentioned in the video, stud finders often are non sensitive plenty to penetrate material on lap siding such as vinyl.
3. Likewise much space between vinyl and studs – Sometimes builders wrap vinyl over an existing layer of lap paneling when remodeling a domicile.  This among other reasons, creates likewise much space to locate a stud using the method in the video above.
4. It takes experience– For some, telling the divergence between hitting the plywood capsule and a structural stud is non ever easy.

Mounting a Hose reel to Vinyl Siding if You Tin can't Detect a Stud

This project starts to become more advanced if you've tried the 3 steps below and notwithstanding can't find the stud:

1. A loftier quality stud finder could not notice one.
2. Pilot holes at sixteen″ from a corner or window (the glass, not the frame) did non achieve a stud
3. Airplane pilot holes at 24″ from a corner or window did non reach a stud.

If your airplane pilot holes did not hit a stud,  it's likely that the studs are besides far back from the siding for the hardware included with the reel to achieve the job.

The ii.5″ lag bolt included with reel accounts for .5″ of reel mounting hardware, .5″ of siding, .v″ of sheathing plywood, and 1″ of stud penetration.

So in a nutshell, what you're going to want to do is find the studs by locating them from the inside of the wall .

And so we're going to create a spacing tube that longer lag bolts tin laissez passer through to attach to the stud.

If y'all want to exercise a professional level quality job,  Here'southward a listing of tools & hardware (with links) you volition likely need in addition to what is included with the reel.

• Stud finder
• 1″ Bi-Metal Pigsty Saw
• Extra Long 3/32″ woods drill bit
• Painters Tape
• Level
• Pencil
• Measuring Tape
• Drill
• Silicone Caulk
• 1/two″ Schedule 80 PVC Pipe
• Lag Bolts – No link here because we won't know the length of these lag bolts until we determine how deep the studs are in the wall.  More on that afterwards

Finding Studs From the Within of a Wall

Nosotros've now determined that the studs are too far back from the vinyl siding to find them easily.

It's much easier to find the studs on the inside of a wall.   Hither are iii common means to practice so:

1. Utilise an electronic stud finder sliding information technology across the inside wall until a stud is detected
2.  Discover a blast in the base trim of the inside wall.  You can usually tell where they are past finding a spot where putty or paint has been practical to cover the nail hole.  Nails are almost always driven into studs
3. Find an electrical box, which are unremarkably attached to the side of a stud

Once you locate a stud, mark the sides and eye of the stud using painters tape & pencil.   Studs are 1.5″ wide

At present find a point of reference that exits on both the within and outside of the business firm such equally a corner or window.

Using a window as an case, measure the distance from the window glass (not the frame) to the centre of the stud.   Then measure the distance to the adjacent stud'southward centre.

Be sure to utilise a level to make sure your lines are level.

If y'all want to be certain y'all've located both studs, you tin blast a finishing nail through your drywall.   You'll be able to remove the nail and embrace the hole with spackle or paint easily.

If the boom encounters resistance after ane/two″, you've found a stud.

Here you'll want to brand note of the altitude between the studs.   If they are longer than xvi″ apart, you'll need to make a platform made from pressure treated wood to attach your reel mount to.

Remember the mountain that comes with the Eley reel has mounting holes sixteen″apart, assuming that'due south the distance betwixt your studs.  More often than not, that will exist the example.

You can now employ these distances to decide the location of the heart of the stud on the exterior wall, using the same window'due south edge as a point of reference.  Mark locations with pencil & level.

Creating a Pass Through with a Hole Saw

Now that we've marked the location of our drill points, we need to create holes for the lag bolts to pass through.

We practice this by creating 4 tubes made of PVC pipage that span 1/4″ beyond the vinyl siding to the wood sheathing roofing the structural studs.  Our 4 lag bolts will laissez passer through this siding and drill into the studs.

Nosotros want the reel to "float" above the vinyl siding without coming in contact with it.

This will ensure that the weight of the reel is being distributed  properly so equally to not damage your vinyl siding.

**Of import:Before y'all start drilling, make sure your the location of your reel is at the proper tiptop, which is 12″ above the knees, and clear of whatsoever pipes.

H2o pipes run vertical, so brand sure your water hose bib does not lie directly beneath your reel location.

Using the ane″ bi-metallic hole saw attachment, drill iv holes at your marked location on your siding.   Here's a video demonstrating how to do this properly.

Go on drilling with your hole saw, checking oft, until you've reached the forest capsule below.

Once you lot've reached the wood, replace your pigsty saw with the 3/32″ wood drill chip. Begin drilling to ensure that a stud is behind the sheathing.

If y'all encounter resistance subsequently 3/4″ or more than of drilling, you know y'all've constitute the stud.

If you lot didn't striking a stud, re-check your measurements and try once more.

Once yous've located a stud, you should now know the altitude between your studs.   Utilize those measurements to drill iii more holes with the pigsty saw for each of the lag bolt locations.   Be sure the holes are plumb & level.

Drill ii″ pilot holes into the wood sheathing & studs at the 4 mounting bolt locations.

Creating Laissez passer Through Spacers with PVC Pipage

Once yous've hit the wood sheathing with your pigsty saw and made sure there's a stud behind it, measure the distance from the wood capsule to the surface of the siding.

Add ane/four″ to that distance and cut four pieces of PVC piping to that length.  You lot don't desire the reel to prevarication flush on the siding, which is why we add together a one/4″ gap.

You should at present be able to determine what length lag bolts you'll need to mount the hose reel properly.   Accept the length of your PVC cuts and add another 2″.   This will allow for the lag bolts to pass through the spacer, 1/ii″ of wood capsule plus 1.5″ into the stud.

Observe 1/4″ bore lag bolts that meet or exceed that length at your local hardware store and purchase 4 of them.

Mounting Your Garden Hose Reel

Now that we're created iv pass through holes, 4 PVC spacers, and purchased our extra long lag bolts, we are ready to mount the reel.

Start get together the reel according to the instructions provided with the reel.

Apply silicon caulk to any errant pilot holes yous've drilled trying to notice a stud.   So apply silicone calk to the holes yous cut with the hole saw into your vinyl siding.

You want to simply cover the surface of the wood capsule within the pigsty with the silicon caulk.  This will created a waterproof bulwark betwixt the PVC spacer and the wood capsule.

Fit the PVC spacers you've cut into each of the holes.  Remove whatever excess caulk with a wet towel.

Pass your lag bolts through the washer, mounting frame & PVC spacing tube.  Tighten each bolt only plenty to inhibit any movement of the mounting plate.  ​

Don't over-tighten!

Go along with the hose reel instructions provided until your hose reel is fully assembled and attached to hose bib.

Eley Hose Reel Vinyl Siding Installation Video

Hither'south ane more than link to the Eley wall mounted hose reel and the best instructional video nosotros could discover on YouTube to help you install.

Conclusion

This might non take been as piece of cake of a job as initially expected but if washed right, you now have the best garden hose for vinyl siding mounted and ready to go.

If y'all have any thoughts, suggestions or improvements on how to all-time adhere a garden hose to vinyl siding on a abode, please go out them in the comments below.

Source: https://homeandgardentalk.com/best-garden-hose-reel-for-vinyl-siding/

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