This £8 Level is More Accurate Than a Laser!

So we've covered spirit levels, laser levels and now we look at the oldest of all level measurement technologies, the water level.

How accurate is a water level? Watch Roger and find out.

Water will always find its own level, making these very accurate instruments which are used widely throughout the construction and building industries.

Easy to set up and simple to use, they are designed for single-handed use when simultaneously measuring equal heights at two distant points. A water level is an ideal tool for accurate unsighted room to room measurement or distant levelling when you can't use a spirit level.

Other applications include working on wall tiling, guttering, landscaping, patios, driveways, fencing and drainage projects.

#WaterLevel #LaserLevel #SpiritLevel

===================================================

Out of respect to our channel sponsors and the wide variety of people who watch our videos, we will remove comments that do not follow common standards of politeness and decency.

[SkillBuilder]

I am really pleased to see so many people love the water level. It feels retro and reliable and it never lets you down. Just like my wife.

[briancorrigan]

As an Apprentice Carpenter back in the early 1980s, another youngster and I laid out the entire floor in an office building on Madison Avenue and 48th Street in NYC for a stripped-to- bare remodel. Nothing but concrete floor, steel beams and sprayed Q deck overhead for the length of a city block.. Couple of tips: Try to work from one master point as much as possible. We put a mark in the center of the building and then carried that mark far and near. Otherwise, the tiniest bit of error in marking and working from a new mark can creep in. All we had was plastic hose, no fancy end bits. Keep you finger over the top and when you first go to mark a new spot, use your finger on the top of the hose like a damper to quickly settle the wild oscillations of the water. Otherwise the water acts like a pendulum swinging above and below the level point until it settles. Finger on..let it move..finger off. You don't mark until the water is still with no cap.(finger). Make sure both guys are calling the level to the top of the meniscus curve of the water. It is easier and faster for the person at the master point to move the tube up and down, then call "Mark it" to the person at the unmarked end. Unmarked end: Hold it still, assist with damping initial big oscillations caused by moving and getting in position, then let the guy at the master point dial it in.

[gav]

Used one for years. I would say it is a good idea to attach each end to a stick to keep at eye level. Put some food colouring in the water (a golf tee is a good alternative) for visibility over a distance . Use your thumb over the vial to settle the level quickly.

[billshedd]

The water level can do things that even laser levels cannot. Laser levels require line of sight. This can find the same height on opposite sides of a wall or even in different rooms.

[Elvo]

I've got one just like that, I use it all the time. I added a bit of food colouring in to the water to make it easy to see and clipped both ends to a thin board, it's ideal for levelling out patios and paths, rain or shine it's always spot on.

[deanlevett]

I fitted suspended ceilings, years ago. Water level was my go to tool. We never had them fancy chambers on the ends, but we used food colouring so we could see the level. Especially if you are on your own. Great video, as all of yours

[caskwith]

Bombproof simple technology.
It occurred to me while watching your laser level vid that if you own a water level you could use it to check the accuracy of your laser level.

[kenrebro]

Making sure the water temperature is the same throughout is a good tip. Haven't see any other content producers mention that.

[edwardholmes]

Got to love the water level :) It looks like some of the brickwork needs re-pointing too! Great tip about the temperature Roger, I've never thought about that. I like to add some food dye to the water too and it makes it easier to read the level.

[floydskifloyd]

👍Water levels are generally forgotten hidden gems in this world of technology They are foolproof bombproof & extremely accurate with the added bonus they are cheap as chips Thanks for showing everyone this little gem Great stuff Keep the videos coming there first class 👍

[mikebetts]

This is the first video where there was mention of variable density due to temperature. I learned the same thing a while back. I also tried adding some colored windshield washer fluid to improve visibility, but determined that it was not uniformly mixed with the water and thus one end had a different density. I flushed the mixture into a container, remixed it and put it back in the tube and then the two legs aligned properly.

[SamuelGeist]

Not a tradie myself, nor likely to need a level for anything, but this was concise and informative and I enjoyed it very much. Thank you.

[nstl]

For enhanced accuracy don't forget to put premium water in it. I recommend mafell level fluid. It's the most level of all.

[johngratton]

As a first year apprentice electrician in 1972 one of my jobs of the day was to re-brew tea to put in the water levels, last job of the day was to hose them out ready for the next day, still used them (with tea) until I retired a year or so ago, you still will not find a better method of levelling tray etc. around a building (IMHO)

[MrJFoster]

When I was at college for the carpentry practical lessons etc we had to level all the way around the workshop and come back to the start, think I was 2mm out over around 50m, they are highly accurate. Don't forget to purge all of the air bubbles out first other wise you will get a false reading as the air compresses like in your cars brakes. You can use water levels for excavation work by using an empty container like a 20L water/jerry can. Fill this with water and then attach a clear hose like Rodger used, to the container. The other end gets attached to a long stake like a 2x2 or 3x2 timber etc with increments on it, could be 50mm or 100mm increments and your final depth you want to be at. So as you excavate you lower your staff down into the hole you are digging and the water will start to fill the tube up and rise up the staff to match the level in the container. I think you may need to adjust the water in the container and adjust the amount to a predetermined datum marked on the side. I saw a swimming pool builder use one when he was installing a fiberglass pool and he explained it. A cheap way if you haven't got a laser level and a string line would get in the way for a machine digging etc. If you want to make your water levels easier to read you can add food colourent/dye to the water. The same stuff your mum or missus probably has in the cupboard for adding to cake icing to change its colour. I had to explain a water level to a civil engineer friend of mine recently when he was building himself a deck at home and had no idea what one was! It is one of my favorite tools also Cheers for the video Roger

[petersmith-uhsz]

great bit of old school kit, can transfer a level in a building from one room to another through an opening

[mijodo]

Be mindful of wind blowing across one end of the water filled tube, it will render the level inaccurate. Other than that the water level, used correctly is very accurate, used one for over 45 years. Cheers from Michael. Australia.

[stanwilson]

I'm a brickie(retired)I used water levels in Germany a few years ago, like you say, they are brilliant.
I think you missed out how they are used, I'm not complaining, I think your vids are great, but a practical demo would help those who don't know how they work.Keep 'em coming Roger.

[adrianl]

Brilliant. Yes, I used a bucket and a clear tube to build a cedar deck and for marking lines for floating storage units.

[joeframer]

Still use it framing today...setting windows from one area to another area, you can mark the water line then pick it up with the laser again, for a perfect line around a house.