APO or Power hose reels.

[Rambo]

Given a choice (for budget reasons) which would you choose, APO or Power reels. Why?

 

[Supersucker]

I have never used either, but I'm sure the reels will come in handy on every job.

Do you do a lot of small jobs that do not fill the tank, just dump when done? How about local regulations on dumping?
What unit are you getting & what size tanks?

 

[TimP]

Hose reels. I have one and find it a life saver especially in the summer. Rolling up vac hose is for the birds. I wouldn't think for solution it would matter much though. A pump out is only a must if you do large commercial and having the work would well justify it. I find that dumping the tank can bring a nice break to a large job anyhow, and usually you wouldn't be dumping more than 3-4 times on a large commercial job. Also keep in mind it's easier to add a pump out later than to add electric reels later if you land some large commercial jobs and find the need for it.

 

[Jim Martin]

reels......my apo is out of the truck sitting on a shelf......

 

[Duane Oxley]

APO...

When the tank fills, you HAVE to stop if you don't have it.

Power- rewind reels are a luxury. Granted, a very nice luxury, but they don't affect your production time like an APO (or lack thereof) does.

 

[Ron Lippold]

reels give me reels

 

[Blue Monarch]

APO for me. Tile and grout cleaning will fill a tank in a hurry. I hate constantly fearing the full tank shut down. Reeling hoses sucks, but at least I can still finish the job.

 

[Doug Cox]

I thought power hose reels were for lazy people (maybe they are) until I had them. Definitely power hose reels for me. Hardly ever use the pump out.

 

[LeeCory]

APO hands down unless you go home after every job. If you use alot of water and do more than a couple jobs a day and don't have a 200 gallon waste tank get the APO.

I have a Genesis and got it with the electric vac reel and love it. I did not get the APO with the machine thinking I wouldn't need it. It was the worst decision I ever made and wasted lots of time and cost me lots of money.

I just had the APO put on about a month ago. I only have a tank that holds about 70 gallons of water and would have to dump every job or two. Now I can go from one job to the next without having to worry about shutting down in the middle of a job with a full tank and having to find a place to dump.

It is much better to push a hose reel than to be limited in what you can do because of your waste tank filling up.

If you have a 200 gallon waste tank or larger then get the electric hose reel. Anything below 100 and it is a no brainer.

just my opinion, and I see others already disagree.

I can't imagine why these guys dont need or want an apo. They must have not problem dumping 3 times a day.

 

[hogjowl]

Electric reel.

You can tell Doodaddy doesn't actually clean carpets. :roll:

 

[LeeCory]

Doodaddy is actually correct. I guess most guys either do one job a day or go home after every job.

Seriously, what do you guys do with all your water if you don't have an APO?

If you go through a couple hundred gallons of water a day what do you do with it?

Does everyone have a HUGE waste tank?

 

[hogjowl]

If you are under 40 years old, and/or don't clean much carpet, you should stay out of this.

Ray and his son are ancient and need power reels.

 

[Rambo]

Correct me if I'm wrong Sir Loin of Pork but didn't you just pass your 50th?

 

[hogjowl]

That is precisely why I am qualified to tell you what you need.

Electric reels make it much easier and faster to pull up and run around back to dump.

 

[joey895]

Electric hose reel for me.

 

[LeeCory]

Wow, I am amazed.

Rolling up a couple 50 foot sections of hose to me makes better sense than limiting the amount of work a crew can do. Maybe its just here in Ohio that there is not always a convenient sanitary sewer to unload a torrent of dirty water.

I don't mind letting a small flow of water out with the APO, but I would never want to have someone see me unload a full tank of water in their lawn.

Yes, if you have easy access at all times to a good place to dump, or dont mind dumping a full tank in someones lawn, yes get the electric reels.

 

[Doug Cox]

Lee- I have the same machine as you. It might have to do with the fact that when I use my APO. all it does is drain my water tank.

 

[steve frasier]

If I didn't have the giant waste tank I have now I would need an APO, I had never been without one before, if you are doing more then one job a day or tile & grout you need one

I have an electric hose reel now for the first time and it is sweet

but if I had to chose, I would get the APO first

knowing what I do now, I would get both but reeling up a vacuum hose is pretty easy on a regular set up

 

[LeeCory]

Doug, is something wrong with it, or did it always do that?

 

[hogjowl]

OK, you guys ... if the old fart has a heart attack rolling up his vac. hoses, it on you, not me!

 

[Doug Cox]

U tell me Lee, I don't know how it's suppose to work.

 

[RichardnTn]

Been using APO's for almost 20 years.... Wouldn't be without one...no stopping to dump the waste tank....RR

 

[Duane Oxley]

Mardy...

I cleaned carpet for 8 years.

Many times, I had to stop and dump at the MOST INCONVENIENT time possible... like when I was finishing a job and only had 3 feet of the hall left...

... but the hose reel always worked... :wink:

(Hey, I'm not saying that an electric reel isn't a good idea. I sell them as well. But the question was, "If you had to choose, which would you choose?"... and that's my answer.)

 

[Kevin B]

Both are good, but if I were to buy one for budget reasons.

1. Get the APO first. Unless your waste tank is 150gallons or bigger, your gonna be dumping alot. My machine, the APO broke for a few days and I had to dump like alot. Its a pain in the butt, and some jobs I would have to leave and find the RV dump.

2. Electric hose reels are nice, but the hoses still roll up without the electric.

APO is a legal necessity in this business, and Electric Hose Reels are not.

 

[John Watson]

Ray git em both, That letric reel shore is knice,

Mine is a one of a kind modeled after what Bane sells in there rigs.
Holds 200 ft of 2 inch, has an air pressure foot switch, was used less than 3 months when I got it. (Stole it I did) bought shaft drive machine reels and all in pieces. It also had an APO in the waste tank, a 110 volt version.

We use the letric reel on every job, shore beets winding the reel by hand or trying to coil and hang hoses separately, Easy to keep hose clean and wipe down while reeling in.

Haven't had to use the pump out in couple of years. went to check it out the other day and couldn't get it to prime. Guess I better fix it now that we are using more flow in our cleaning process. Might need it a might bit more.

 

[Shawn Forsythe]

An electric hose reel is a labor saving option, that is almost never a necessity.

An APO is sometimes a necessity, if the user has no options as to the placement of collected water. Here in California, many users have no reasonable or legal destinations for their collected water other than that of the sewer systems of their customers. For these cleaners, the APO becomes a necessity and the electric hose reel a distant luxury by comparison.

However, if the cleaner has a suitable dumping strategy that makes an APO not necessary, then I can see the electric hose reel as being a first choice in labor savings.

 

[Shane T]

I have to agree with Lee although I have never had electric reel I am over 50 and have no problem reeling hose up. I have a Power-Clean with a smallish tank and would have trouble finishing one large residential without an APO.(especially if your running high flow)
Doug, there must be something wrong with your time relay if your using a lot of fresh water when using APO. It should only run the demand pump for a few seconds on start up of the apo. That being said I don't leave my apo on while cleaning, just run it when needed.

 

[Greenie]

If you have 125 gal or so tank, I'd get the elec. reel. that'll get me through a job, and you can usually dump somewhere. If you have a 70 gal girlie tank, get the APO.

 

[Bob Savage]

Since using a reliable and almost no maintenance APO for the past 5 years, I would NOT go back to NOT having one.

I would like an electric hose reel for only the vacuum hose (secondary choice), but NOT for the solution hose.

 

[Clean Response]

Yeah go for the power reel I have a apo I took it out last year and it sits in my garage wish I could trade it in on a power reel. I have only had one job I filled my tank up on and by then I needed a break so I was happy to go dump.