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About seven years ago I purchased a Suncast Side Tracker STA100 hose reel. For the first two years it worked wonderfully and leak free. Since then it’s leaked like crazy, showering the wall and wasting lots of water. Clearly something needed to be fixed. Here’s how I fixed it.
I don’t really use my hose reel too often. After all, being in Toronto, Canada, garden hoses are really only used in the summer, particularly when the kids want to cool off by running in the sprinkler. In the fall, before winter returns, I take the hose reel off the wall and store the reel and hose in the garage.
Though no one else really notices, wasting water annoys be. Here in Toronto, all water that comes out of the tap is potable, meaning that it has been filtered, cleaned, disinfected, and fluoridated. To simply waste water is to waste all the energy and technology used to make it safe to drink.
So it took me five more years to get around to fixing it. Yes, after a couple of years I did begin to research what could be wrong, but really a hose reel is not high on my priority list. Of course, all the retailers that sell Suncast products do not sell their parts. As a customer you buy, and if anything breaks, you deal with the manufacturer. My search begins.
Going to the Suncast site I notice that the Side Tracker model has been discontinued, though parts are still available in a well hidden cranny of their site. Clearly maintenance is not a priority for them either. I suppose they expect people to throw their leaky hose reel out and buy a new one. Do I really want Chinese workers to pump me out yet another one and pay $30CAD, when my hose reel leaks? No, that is not the answer as I will not waste the world’s resources in such a frivolous manner.
Parts Diagram of the Suncast Side Tracker STA100 hose reel
After 2 years my Suncast Side Tracker hose reel leaked badly.
After finding the parts diagram for my hose reel, it was clear that two o-rings needed replacing: part #11 “O-ring For In-tube #209, 260040″ and part #12 “O-ring For In-tube #208 0260029″. Why there are two differently numbered o-rings I do not know, as they are the same dimensions.
Suncast will sell me these two o-rings, one costing $0.10US, the other costing $0.96US, and charge me $0.39US for shipping and $2.50US for handling, for a grand total of $3.95US. All for two o-rings.
So I scoured the internet and some documentation said that I could find these o-ring locally at “better plumbing and auto parts stores”. After visiting 3 local plumbing stores they all said the same thing: It’s cheaper to spend the $3.95US on the internet and don’t bother looking locally. Thankfully the Pickering Partsource store had what I was looking for: 2 o-rings with dimensions 5/8″ ID 7/8″ OD 1/8″ thick, in black, $0.51CAD each.
With a small screwdriver and some care I mounted them onto my reel, and added some automotive axle grease. In under a minute, Voila! My leaky Suncast is cured for at least another 2 years. At least this time I know where to get replacement o-rings locally.
Is it not possible to repair products that break or wear out? Do we always have to throw out broken products and buy new? Certainly Suncast should know that the only wear items in their hose reel were these two o-rings, and that they’d leak after a couple of years. Putting the dimensions of the o-rings into the instructions would have been a better customer service initiative, rather than shipping 2 rubber o-ring over international borders. While I appreciate the power of the internet, sometimes fixing locally beats ordering parts internationally.
July 21st, 2009 at 21:36
thanks for the help Don I have exactly the same problem as you had and the same procrastination. I have taken my o rings out but they look like slightly different sizes. I will try and use the same size as you did to see if it works.
thanks again
peter
March 28th, 2010 at 12:56
Your blog about the leaking Suncast hose reel is most informative. I have the identical problem and am trying to figure out how to open the thing up to access the rings….any tips? Thanks
April 17th, 2010 at 11:38
I agree it makes more sense to replace the o-rings than buy a whole new unit. I have a Suncast SFB 200. I tried to get to the o-rings per the instructions that came with the hose reel. When I popped the black outside piece off, it popped off with such force that it cut my upper lip, leaving a half-inch vertical slit – now held together with a butterfly closure. Instructions say to “grasp the white release tabs and pull.” I see them, but I don’t have the strength to do this. Seems it should be easier to perform maintenance, since Suncast knows it’s going to need it. But, manufacturers know there’s more money in replacing the hose reel, than in fixing it.
April 19th, 2010 at 09:57
Ouch! I hope you heal up quickly. I doubt manufacturers like Suncast expect consumers to do any maintenance on their products, or they would consider maintenance in their designs. Are we all too lazy to maintain our stuff?
Products we purchase today are not meant to last, and that’s a sad state of affairs for our environment. I keep doggedly finding fixes for my stuff in order to keep it out of the landfill and to save money. Some old products were built to last. Today, unfortunately, products made in China often look great but are made with inferior quality, leading to premature product failure. I am therefore hesitant to purchase products made in China, but often there is no other choice. This dependence is unfortunate and a tad scary.
June 7th, 2010 at 13:57
Compared to some other manufacturers, I am glad that Suncast at least sells replacement parts, but I agree that they ought to pack some extra o-rings in the retail box, since it is usually the first (and often only) part that ever wears out.
I also agree it can be hard to pop off that reel after it’s been mounted for several years- and you can’t pull too hard on the reel, or it might crack, after getting brittle in the direct sun. Once it releases, watch out! Sorry to hear of your bad luck, Trish- I’ll bet you’re not the first!
The inner o-ring seems slightly larger than the outer, but I am viewing the worn rings and maybe the new rings start out the same size. In any case I had trouble matching up the old rings to the available sizes displayed at Home Depot.
Now that Don has published the dimensions, I have a better chance of finding one locally without springing for Suncast’s shipping and handling costs! Their S&H costs are not too excessive compared to some othes I’ve seen, but still a waste for two rings the size of a postage stamp.
Thanks for sharing, everyone!
June 8th, 2010 at 11:58
Uh oh…Houston (or Canada)- We have a problem:
Having o-rings with dimensions of:
7/8? OD
1/8? thick
5/8? ID
Would defy the laws of mathematics, since if it was 1/8″ thick, that would have to be the difference between the ID and OD.
So my trip to the hardware store came to an abrupt end when I saw that!
I’ll try again, if you could provide a Pickering Partsource part number or revised dimensions.
June 8th, 2010 at 22:10
Lay the washer flat on a table, centre hole on the table. View the washer from the side. You should not be able to see the hole. The thickness is from the table surface to the top of the washer.
Keep the washer on the table. View the washer from the top. You should see the hole in the middle. The OD is from outer edge to outer edge. The ID is the inner edge to inner edge of the hole.
I hope this helps! There is no parts number that I can remember. They have the dimensions on the bin. Besides, Partsource is a Canadian company and you’re in OC!
June 9th, 2010 at 18:56
The part number is \208\ for o-rings (not washers) of the size you cite.
It’s not a commonly-stocked size, for neither Home Depot nor Ace Hardware carries it.
Next stop – plumbing supply stores!
July 11th, 2010 at 22:56
I was looking for the inner O Ring and came up with the size you found on the site. I too looked on the Suncast web site and saw the diagram which you have shown here but did not search enough to find the order page.
As mentioned here, the local big box home stores had all but those sizes. I will now go to other stores to find them. Thanks for listing those sizes.
A search for O Ring size chart yielded some help/ See http://www.marcorubber.com/sizingchart.htm and you will find the correct sizes under the -208 & -209 listing.
PerryinOC, You probably didn’t add correctly because 5/8 (ID) Plus 1/8 (Per Side) equals the OD size of 7/8.
June 9th, 2011 at 17:15
Hey guys. Plumbing o rings are a funny lot. Try an auto parts store or wholesale auto parts store. Plumbing washers and o rings don’t fit anything other than the taps they were made for. Trust me I have 25 years in parts usage in industry. Big box stores should be your last place to look. They are like the manufacturers that only want to sell you a new item. Always go to a dedicated parts store first.
June 23rd, 2011 at 20:58
I noticed that the Suncast web site
(www.suncast.com/replacement/replacementdisplay.aspx?prodId=149)
says “In-tube WITH O-rings sta100-0461113″ unit price is $0.63,
so why they would charge an individual O-ring (sta100-0260040) at $0.97 is hard to understand.
But the web site won’t calculate shipping on just the O rings anyway (or for the lubricant tube), no matter how many you buy. However, you can buy all that stuff with a mounting screw and it WILL calculate the shipping — $17 to Canada or $12 to my mule in the US.
All this suggests that Suncast is not really interested in selling you the minimum to keep your product working.
June 24th, 2011 at 10:26
marcorubber.com sells these O rings in quantities of (roughly) 300 at less than $0.05 each, so NOT including extra with the original reel is definitely an unfriendly act.
(Where is OC, anyway? Oklahoma City? Orange County? Off Campus? Ontario, Canada?)
July 6th, 2011 at 11:11
Thanks for this!
I’m with you on this point. I’m not going to pitch this and buy a new one. It’s a total waste. Just ordered replacement parts for the next 10 years for the rose reels I garbage picked in the first place! 3 hose reels for free with 15 bucks in parts. I’ve permanently lagged them to the brick now that I know they’ll be productive for years :)
A
July 15th, 2011 at 08:32
I have two of these hose reels. I think that I have had them for about 20 years! I do pull off the removable reel every winter and store it inside. I know that I have replaced the o-rings before, but can’t remember all the details. Both reels are leaking again. I just called Suncast. They were very helpful, and courteous. The lady told me that they use non standard size o-rings, and that the right sizes are not available in regular stores. She is going to send me a set Free of charge. She told me that they are two different sizes, and one is blue, while the other is white, not both black as in the past. It could be that Suncast is using improved o-rings. As I recall, the last time I replaced them a few years ago, Suncast told me what size o-rings to buy locally. I assume that they have made an improvement here, and hopefully these special sized rings will last longer.
July 15th, 2011 at 08:34
I have two of these hose reels. I think that I have had them for about 20 years! I do pull off the removable reel every winter and store it inside. I know that I have replaced the o-rings before, but can’t remember all the details. Both reels are leaking again. I just called Suncast. They were very helpful, and courteous. The lady told me that they use non standard size o-rings, and that the right sizes are not available in regular stores. She is going to send me a set Free of charge. She told me that they are two different sizes, and one is blue, while the other is white, not both black as in the past. It could be that Suncast is using improved o-rings. As I recall, the last time I replaced them a few years ago, Suncast told me what size o-rings to buy locally. I assume that they have made an improvement here, and hopefully these special sized rings will last longer.
July 29th, 2011 at 15:19
I have your O-rings – read on:
I have had 2 Suncast STA100 hose reels for quite a few years, both of which eventually leaked at the O-rings. Unable to easily get my hands on replacement O-rings, I’ve lived with these leaks, and grumbled about it, for some time now.
Recently, I stumbled on this Blog, read the above posts, and was inspired to take action. I found a supply house that could get the correct O-rings and ordered them, although they only sell them in bags of 100. (Yes, there are two different-sized O-rings required so I had to get 2 bags). I’ve installed the new O-rings, applied some silicon grease, and both hose reels work as-good-as-new. I’m now set for life on this problem, with many more O-rings than I’ll ever need.
Since then, Patrick has posted and I’m happy to see that Suncast sent him a pair for free. If you can get them to do the same for you, go for it. If you can’t, or if you don’t want to go through this exercise every year or two, I have lots of O-rings left over.
If you want some, and you live in Canada, send me an email at erv.w@hotmail.com. I’ll reply with my home address and ask you to send me a stamped, self-addressed envelope and five bucks to recoup some of my costs. I’ll mail your envelope back with 5 pairs of O-rings (that’s 5 no. 208 and 5 no. 209 O-rings). Hopefully, this is reasonable. If you want more O-rings, I’m happy to add them at a buck-a-pair.
I live in Canada (near Toronto) so, if you live in the U.S., it works a little differently as you likely won’t have Canadian stamps for the self-addressed envelope. In this case, send me the self-addressed envelope without the stamp and add $5.00 for the postage. No charge for the currency exchange (our Canadian dollar is worth about US$1.05 right now – don’t take it too hard.)
August 8th, 2011 at 14:37
Same problem (plus bad hoses and hose ends…everything gives up after awhile!). I took the two \O\ rings off (1-blue & 1-white but appear to be the same size??) and tried to get them at Home Depot. No Luck. However, a very nice young lady \sales associate\ took a new reel out of the box, took it apart, we removed the two rings (which she gave to me), put the reel back together and back into the box. Then she put the reel with other \defective\ parts to be returned to the mfg, I suppose. How’s that for customer service? I’m not sure that her \boss\ would approve but we got the problem solved. I think that Suncast should convince their dealers to stock these in that it seems all of the reels will need them eventually.
August 8th, 2011 at 20:00
Bob, this is highly unusual but good for you. You must be very charming! Here in Canada I have never seen a Suncast dealer sell any maintenance parts. This is a large problem with no solution. To have to buy yet another hose reel is simply a waste of money and a crime against the environment.
For the rest of us folk I recommend you contact Erv.w (see above) for replacement O rings.
August 20th, 2011 at 17:46
Whew! What a saga for two o-rings! Well I learned from here about the two sizes needed, and I found those sizes for $.49 each at the Ace Hardware here in town (in Iowa). They worked fine but I didn’t realize it until I spotted that the hose connector inside the reel, was leaking!
January 11th, 2012 at 10:19
Wow. Called Sun Cast as the online ordering was not calculating shipping costs. I needed 6 of each o ring. She took my address and name, said they would be in the mail today. No charge! Amazing customer service if they arrive.
January 27th, 2012 at 08:50
Received the o rings, that didn’t solve the leaking. Another call- they sent no charge 3 in/out replacement tubes that hold the o rings. Problem solved. Thanks Suncast for getting it right.
April 22nd, 2012 at 11:43
Reading all of the Blogs–sound as if both o rings are of diff size. If one is 5/8 ID–1/8 thick what size is the other one. Does Suncast use same o-rings in most of their hose reels? I sure have enjoyed everybodys comments. My E-mail is (roncam47371@centurylink.net) I would certainly appreciate a response.
June 25th, 2012 at 09:42
had same experience as Jim, just called and they are sending me 4 of each free. I hope I don’t have same experience as Jim that it doesn’t work! but if that is the case I will call back and get the tube as he did.
June 25th, 2012 at 10:47
My white o-ring got mangled. Like Jim says above, I tried to purchase some directly from the Suncast website but it wouldn’t calculate the shipping. So I called them and figured while I was at it I’d just buy 8 white and 8 blue, along with some more lube. When I was done customer service said they don’t change for those items and maybe that’s why ordering online didn’t work. It took about 3 weeks to receive the package. Great customer service. But note that the white and the blue are NOT the same size. When I look at them, the blue has a slightly bigger diameter.
July 5th, 2012 at 13:09
I have to agree with everyone above, great customer service. Just got off the phone with Suncast 1-800-846-2345. They are sending me three of each o-ring and a packet of the silicon lube, no charge, they estimated two+ weeksfor shipping cross border into Canada. Thumbs up Suncast!
September 4th, 2012 at 14:44
To those of you who think the Suncast hose reels are Chinese,you are wrong, they are manufactured and assembled in the good old USA near Chicago, and they have a great customer service personnel. I have a couple carts and replacing the o-rings is quite simple: All you have to do is unsnap the inner reels, take out the wheel cap, and go to a decent hardware store and get o-rings. One size is all I use and they last for a couple years. Suncast has all the diagrams for their models. Unfortunately one cannot order an instruction manual but it is quite easy to dissassemble the total unit if necessary. Good Luck to you all. Rob
May 8th, 2013 at 05:26
Great blog and excellent information. The Suncast website now doesn’t allow the purchase of the O-rings separately but the supply tube with the O-rings is only 65 cents. The problem is when you have the site estimate shipping it indicates the cost to be 20 dollars more! The Parts Source store I went to here in Calgary is a franchise and the person I talked to said they don’t stock the o-rings but I was the fifth person to ask him. Clearly this blog is being well read and the o-ring issue is widespread.