# retractable vacuum hose?



## JeffP (Aug 4, 2014)

It seems I am in need of something that doesn't exist.

Didn't think I would EVER stump Amazon.com, but I typed it in there and got zero results.

Where can I get, or how can I make, a vacuum hose for my shop that retracts out of the way, and that I can pull down with lots of slack to suck a significant area…and then let go and have it pull itself back up out of the way?

I'm thinking of something much like the retractable extension-cord/air-hose reels that are so ubiquitous…why can't I find one for a shop-vac hose?

Maybe I will have to buy a section of pool hose and a loooooong piece of bungie cord? Hook the bungie to the highest point in my shop ceiling and the other end to the business end of the hose?

Any other thoughts on how to do this?

Are there some other types of retractable spring loaded wheel type things that pay out a rope or a cable of some kind that I could use as the retraction mechanism, separate from the hose? What are they called?


----------



## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

It wouldn't work very well if at all, the vacuum generated would collapse the hose as much as possible with enough force to make it virtually useless. As for a reel with a large diameter hose, vacuum or otherwise, I've seen them on smaller fire engines but they can be very expensive.


----------



## hotbyte (Apr 3, 2010)

Rockler has a hose that collapses pretty small compared to its stretched out length. I think they are called Dust Right or similar.

You could also look at some of the whole house vacuum hose setups. I recall one that after use, you put hand over the end and it sucks back into some rigid ductwork,


----------



## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

About the closest I can think of is the retractable sewage dump hose used for travel trailers.

They usually have to dump their sewage more than a few feet from their hose connections, so they have a retractable sewage dump hose they can store in a small container on the side of the trailer, usually with a 3", 3.5" or even 4" dump capacity hose. The one I show extends to 15 feet, and retracts to 56". Will it hold a pull on a vacuum? I don't know.
Here is one example:
http://www.amazon.com/Camco-39761-RhinoFLEX-Swivel-Fitting/dp/B002OUMVWY

I used to know of one guy in Kansas who sold a retractable rigid hose that was like sliding successively smaller pipes into one another until you had one single three foot piece. His first name was Tracy, but I cannot remember anything else about the company save it was in Kansas. It was rigid, so you might not be able to use it. Straight line dump, so to speak.


----------



## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

Rockler has just the thing:









I have this hose and the spring return is good. To the point that it wanders away if you let go of it.

M


----------



## dyfhid (Jun 4, 2015)

Maybe this? www.hideahose.com

This site has a "Hide-a-hose Kit Builder" - http://www.centralvacuumstores.com/central-vacuum/hose-systems/hide-a-hose/hide-a-hose-inlet-kit-builder


----------



## JeffP (Aug 4, 2014)

Thanks guys, that Rockler slinky-hose seems to be what I was looking for.

Trying to get over the sticker shock though…

@madmark, how long have you had yours? Is it holding up well? Have you noticed any tendency for it to not spring back as much as it did when it was new?


----------



## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

Think of something like a retractable keychain… 
.








.
.
They make larger versions for retracting tooling in manufacturing. like this… 
.









.
.
.

Search google for "retractable tool balancer" and you'll see a bunch of them


----------



## JeffP (Aug 4, 2014)

Thanks JoeInGa. These "tool balancer" things were what I was originally thinking. Had no clue what they were called. It would have taken me roughly 3 million tries before I guessed "tool balancer". 

They seem to be kinda short in general (did find one on amazon that was 78", which is probably still too short to be awesome for this use. Would want one about twice that.

Meanwhile, this morning I got a new "rotating boom" idea stuck in my head for a way to pivot one hose across the whole width of my shop from a central point up high at the back of the shop. Gonna have to convince myself that isn't practical before I can move forward.


----------



## JeffP (Aug 4, 2014)

Hmmmmn, maybe something like this:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=24899&cmpid=01cseYY&ref=XXXX&subref=AA&gclid=CNTQk5W898oCFUw6gQodzSMK6w


----------



## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

The hose hasn't lost any if its springiness for over two years. I have it attached to the mobile bandsaw that lives in a corner until needed. Tip: use metal blast gates, not the plastic ones.

M


----------



## WhyMe (Feb 15, 2014)

Like this…. https://www.sachvac.com/en/product/automatic-wall-mounted-hose-reel

Search "Central Vacuum System Hose Reel" . Look at "images" in browser.


----------



## JeffP (Aug 4, 2014)

Yeah, looks nice. For any LJ in Spain, might work. They don't seem to have any distributors here in the US.

Might consider building one. Easily found one youtube video of a guy who did a DIY one. Looks like he just used a couple of loose fitting pieces of PVC for the obligatory slip fitting.


----------



## RandyinFlorida (Sep 27, 2012)

Piggy backing on Joe in Ga. how about a large breed retractable dog leash. I use a small breed one for the wrench I use to R&R my tablesaw blade. Have it hanging above the saw. Just pull it down to use and let it go to retract.


----------



## JeffP (Aug 4, 2014)

Randy, I bought 2 of the slinky hoses that MadMark suggested.

I set up my shop vac outside in a lean-to, next to my DC. It is plumbed in to the shop using the 2" gray pvc that is supposed to be used as electrical conduit. (including nice long elbows).

The two slinky hoses are nestled in an approx. 5 feet long section of 4" PVC that is mounted up high enough I can walk under it, but low enough I can reach up and grab the end of the hose. The "business end" is located near the center-front of my garage/shop. It can reach around the shop and out into the driveway from there.

I can just reach up and pull on the slinky and pull out enough to get anywhere in my shop…hit the wireless remote that I have attached to the end of the slinky, and suck with reckless abandon.

When I'm done sucking, I just put my hand over the end of the slinky hose and that helps to retract it back up into it's "cocoon". Then I turn off the suction and tuck the rest of the hose up in there and it's out of the way until next time.

It is working nicely still. Only change I would make is that I want to add a trash-can separator outside before it goes into the shop vac.


----------



## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

I did a review on a four inch retractable on Amazon. The title references exercise equipment, because it's horrible hose. Using it is constant battle. It sounds like the slinky type mentioned above might be better, since the conversations indicate it may need help retracting.

The foregoing aside, you might also consider mounting a couple pulleys in the ceiling and installing counter weights. You could use any kind of hose you wanted and adjust how much pull it takes to pull the hose down.


----------



## JeffP (Aug 4, 2014)

> I did a review on a four inch retractable on Amazon. The title references exercise equipment, because it s horrible hose. Using it is constant battle. It sounds like the slinky type mentioned above might be better, since the conversations indicate it may need help retracting.
> 
> The foregoing aside, you might also consider mounting a couple pulleys in the ceiling and installing counter weights. You could use any kind of hose you wanted and adjust how much pull it takes to pull the hose down.
> 
> - Kelly


This idea is worthy of experimentation. It would solve the only significant issue I have with my system. While not strong enough to be a big problem, there is of course some tendency of the slinky hose to retract (both all the time, and more so when the air is fully restricted). In practice I find this to be a minor nuisance, but one that I would happily get rid of.

The nice thing about Kelly's idea is that the weights would apply a consistent back-force that is not dependent on how far out you have it from its resting position. With the slinky hose, just like any other spring system, the retraction force is a function of how much it is currently stretched. I find this to be most significant when trying to use my hose to vacuum my car interior with the car sitting just outside the garage. I can reach it, but it is always trying to get away from me.

Inside the shop the hose extension is a smaller amount and the retraction force is typically not a problem.


----------



## htl (Mar 24, 2015)

JeffP Sounds great but,
We need pictures!!! LOL


----------



## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I have a panel saw and the hose is routed in such a way
that it stays overhead yet can follow the carriage. I don't know
if you can see the cord with a loop around the middle
of the hose… it keeps it overhead yet allows a good range 
of travel.


----------



## jwmalone (Jun 23, 2016)

I have painted several houses with what I think is called a central vacuum. Anyway there are connections in the wall all over the house turn it on and plug the the hose into witch ever port is closest. you could run that system in the ceiling and have strategically placed ports spread over the shop. that to me would seem the best and most efficient way to do it. you could build your own anyway you wanted.


----------



## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

Another, of several versions:

http://www.productsforautomation.com/coxreels-v100-hand-crank-no-hose-v117850-p/V-117-850.htm?gclid=CKvcgL7C2s4CFRKRfgodCsIKkg

These are for pool vac systems, but would do the trick for applications requiring smaller hoses



> Like this….
> 
> Search "Central Vacuum System Hose Reel" . Look at "images" in browser.
> 
> ...


----------



## JeffP (Aug 4, 2014)

> JeffP Sounds great but,
> We need pictures!!! LOL
> 
> - htl


Sure, not particularly easy thing to take a picture of and really show anything…but here ya go:

















sorry about the rotated second image guys - just think of it as a neck exercise.
And no, that little rigid shop vac sitting there doesn't have anything to do with this slinky system…nor does the mound of DC hose next to that.

The black thing hanging on the bottom of the white PVC pipe is an extension tube I can put on the end in place of the usual nozzle. It is magnetically attached to the PVC pipe. Handy place for it.


----------

