How often and how should I maintain my reels

That depends on what they are, how many you have and how they are used and treated.  I carry 20 setups, 10 bc and 10 spinning.  I take care of my stuff and keep it clean.  I relube the bc reels 3 or 4 times yearly and clean and grease yearly.  The spinning get a yearly job.

I asked this exact question when I bought my first bait caster this year and got some great advice here! DVT should be here shortly to give you some good insight.

My baseline is annual deep cleaning(full tear down). Depending on use and conditions bi/annual or semi annual may be appropriate. Interim service every 8 or so outings, again, depending on use. Keep level wind brushed clear and oil lightly, same with rollers, hinges, joints, spool rim and frame. Oil spool bearing at the same time and in between if noise or degraded casting exists. 

9 hours ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

My baseline is annual deep cleaning(full tear down). Depending on use and conditions bi/annual or semi annual may be appropriate. Interim service every 8 or so outings, again, depending on use. Keep level wind brushed clear and oil lightly, same with rollers, hinges, joints, spool rim and frame. Oil spool bearing at the same time and in between if noise or degraded casting exists. 

10 hours ago, Jig Man said:

That depends on what they are, how many you have and how they are used and treated.  I carry 20 setups, 10 bc and 10 spinning.  I take care of my stuff and keep it clean.  I relube the bc reels 3 or 4 times yearly and clean and grease yearly.  The spinning get a yearly job.

2 tatula sv tws 1 tatula elite 1 zillion hd tws 2 steez sv tw and 1 tatula elite flip n pitch and what gets me nervous is taking them apart and messing them up

Taking apart is easy.  It’s the putting back that can be tricky.  Carefully laying each piece in a row as you take them off and placing them so you know what is up and what is down is a big help.

 

Check out some you tube videos before you begin.

7 hours ago, Jig Man said:

Taking apart is easy.  It’s the putting back that can be tricky.  Carefully laying each piece in a row as you take them off and placing them so you know what is up and what is down is a big help.

 

Check out some you tube videos before you begin.

And take lots of pictures with your cell phone or digital camera.  Every time you remove a part, take a picture of it first.  That way you'll have a list of where everything goes, which way it goes in, and the order in which it was removed.  

 

I also do this over a white bath towel.  The reason is because sometimes small parts like to jump off and roll away. The fibers of the bath towel keep them from scattering off, and it being white makes those tiny parts easy to find.  I also line up each part across the top of the towel in a few rows, keeping their orientation the same.  Doing that prevents me from having to even access the photos most of the time.  Though, sometimes I'll lose the order or orientation when I'm cleaning a part.  That's when the photos come in handy.  And if all else fails, you can usually download a schematic online.  The point is to have a system and stick to it.  That way you don't have to remember anything.

 

Reels are not high precision machines like a wristwatch, nor subject to high levels of stress like an automobile engine.  So they tend to tolerate a healthy level of neglect.  The reels I inherited from my grandfather who was not known for his diligence towards maintenance will attest to that.  Still, the more care you put into them, the longer use you'll get out of them.  So how often they require maintenance is a function of how hard and often you use them, how they're stored, how much and what kinds of lubricants you use, how they were constructed, and how long you expect them to last.  For me, once a year for teardowns is about right.  That usually gives me something to do in the winter anyway.  Other than that, I just address problems as I notice them.  

What he said, lol.  I use a non-terry towel though so stuff doesn't get tangled.

1 hour ago, Guitarfish said:

What he said, lol.  I use a non-terry towel though so stuff doesn't get tangled.

And DONT work on carpet

Taking apart a reel is simple until a C clip rockets to Mars