A lot of projects, especially larger projects, require more than a small spirit level. Nowdays a lot of folks have abandoned the transit for a LASER level (Muy precio, amigo!) Transits weren't cheap either and a lot of things can go wrong, many in the instrument calibration and or user adjustment department.

Water levels have been discussed here but maybe some folks could profit from a description of how to build one, cheaply, but first some motivation.

Why build an old fashioned thing like a water level when your project needs close tollerances, ease of use, and an econo price. Real affordable LASERS are poor over much distance and can be useless in bright sunlight. Water levels can be read to about a tenth of an inch or so with excellent repeatability. They work fine in bright sunlight. They will work over a range of hundreds of feet or more (if you have enough common garden hose to span the distance.) Not expensive to build or use. No batteries needed (except for your flashlight if you work at night.) Not expensive to calibrate if dropped or abused (do it yourself in a couple minutes for free.)

Parts list:
1 each male and female garden hose ends (repair type)

About three feet or so of clear plastic tubing to fit the garden hose ends (I prefer 1/2 inch fittings and 1/2 inch ID clear plastic hose.)

Some electrical or other vinyl tape or similar.

A grade stake, scrap rebar, T-post, whatever to hold one end of the hose for you, later.

You need common garden hose as long or longer than the greatest range over which you need to compare elevations. If you use multiple hoses screwed together for greater length it sure helps that the connections don't leak. Not a real tough requirement since the pressure is never more than a few PSI.

Not absolutely mandatory but convenient to have is an inline ball valve with male hose threads on one end and female on the other. Also convenient is a yard stick, a few rubber bands, and a 1x2 (or 2x2 or...) 4 to 8 ft long or as required, you decide the length after I mention its use. A small funnel that will fit into the clear plastic hose is handy. Some folks like to have a small spirit level handy to tell when they are holding the 1x2 or whatever vertical. Some tie wraps would be handy but more tape is fine.

Construction:

Cut the clear hose into two pieces, one about a foot long and the other about 2 feet. Connect the female hose end to the 1 ft clear plastic hose. Connect the male hose end to the 2 ft piece of clear plastic hose.

Screw the male end of the ball valve into the female hose end that you put plastic hose on. Wrap some electrical tape around the 1 ft plastic hose midway along its length. Be neat and get it even as this is the index mark where you will read the level indication.

That is about all the construction.

Assembly and prep for use:

You have to fill the garden hose with water. This is most easily done by hooking the female end of your hose to a spigot (faucet) and the other end to the female ind of the ball valve. Open the ball valve and turn on the water. When all the air bubbles are purged, hold the end with the water squirting out above the elevation of the faucet and turn the faucet off. Close the ball valve. Disconnect the hose from the faucet and place the fitting with the 2 ft clear hose on that end trying to not spill a lot of water. It is handy to hold both ends of the garden hose side by side in the same hand so neither is lower and water doesn't try to run out. Add water to the 2 ft clear hose to nearly fill it (overflowing is OK too.)

Drive a T-post, rebar, stake, or whatever into the ground and affix the hose and 2 ft plastic hose to it with ruber bands or tie wraps or... Hold the 1 ft clear hose next to and at the same height as the 2 ft clear hose. Open the ball valve and while holding the 1 ft clear hose vertical, slightly lower the clear hose with the ball valve in it untill water runs out and the height of the water in the 2 ft clear hose falls to within an inch or so of the lowest visible portion of the 2 ft hose then raise the end with the ball valve until the water level is even with the top of the electrical tape and make a pencil mark next to the water level in the 2 ft clear hose.

The only critical part of the above procedure is having the water levels right at the electrical tape while marking the height of the water at the other end.

Now until a lot of evaporation takes place or you spill some water the unit is ready for use. You can try to select a loacation for the stake/post holding the 2 ft clear hose that is convenient to many of your other height (grade) measurements.

An example of a common use is in the next post.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]