How to quickly and easily check the building level: Instructions

How to quickly and easily check the building level: Instructions How to check the building level for accuracy at home. The bubble level is an essential tool for the builder, as well as for the electrician a line, tape measure, or even pliers. Without it, it will be impossible to correctly install the switchboard, lay a route for cable lines or install socket blocks. Even for DIYers, this tool is very important.

There are several basic and important rules for choosing and using a building level correctly.

What to look for if you buy a building level

Housing

How to quickly and easily check the building level: Instructions When choosing tools, first of all pay attention to the body, as it should be with thick walls that have a minimum thickness of 0.2 cm, or better cast. If there are inserts on the ends, it will be difficult to "by eye" determine the thickness of the metal, and for this reason it is worth focusing on the weight of the device. Thin-walled levels are very light and can literally be pushed through with your fingers. Even T-bars are not all more rigid than rectangular profiles.

Much of the quality of the tool will depend on the manufacturing company.

A defect in the form of a bend in the profile may appear if you carry the tool not in a separate case, but in a regular bag where many other tools are located. It will be great if rubberized shockproof inserts are installed along the edges of the device (yes, it is rubber, but not plastic). The fact is that if the level falls, the plastic will simply break off. For household needs a tool with a length of 0.

6 meters is enough. The presence of magnetic inserts will be very useful, and if there are holes for 220 V socket blocks, this will greatly simplify the work of an electrician.

Yes, of course, you can buy several devices with different lengths and different improvements, for example, one small level in order to install sockets, the second a little larger and for installing large distribution boards, cable ducts and boxes.

Flask

When you decide what should be the case, you should pay attention to the flask. Choose a large bubble so that there is a distance of about 0.
1 cm between the risks. This will give you the advantage of making measurements with great accuracy. On cheap models, this simply does not exist, and some masters use syringes with their own hands to try to make the bottle larger. To do this, remove the flask from the rail, pierce the side stopper and use an insulin syringe (it has the thinnest needle) to extract a little alcohol-containing colored liquid.

If you check the building level with your own hands, then usually ethanol can be found as a filling fluid.

The fact is that it will not freeze at negative temperatures and, due to its low viscosity level, allows air bubbles to quickly move inside the level flask.After the liquid is pumped out, the air bubble increases in size. This way you can adjust it to fit the risks. The hole obtained in the reticle should then be sealed with hot melt glue. If you overdo it with the size, then with the same syringe pump the liquid back into the capsule and then the bubble will become smaller.

The bulb itself can be glued in or have adjustments with screws. It is difficult to say which of the fastening methods is better, as both have their advantages and disadvantages. Expensive tools most often do not have adjusting screws, for example, Capro. But this brand has a lifetime guarantee that the flask will remain intact, and it is made of acrylic glass. In addition, if after a while such a level begins to lie, then it will definitely be changed to a new one, if there is no mechanical damage to the profile.

Another parameter selection is the number of cones. Most often, two pieces will be enough for you - vertical and horizontal flasks, but those that show you an angle of 45 degrees may not be useful at all for the entire time of use. If you are often engaged in repair work and not only at home, then the price for a professional level that will cover all your needs can be considerable. But the most important parameter, on which the final cost will depend - the coefficient of permissible error. Cheap devices have an error of up to 0.

5 cm per meter, and expensive ones only up to 0. 001 cm per meter. This parameter cannot be manually configured or corrected in any way.

How to check the level readings?

If the tool is required for one-time work, then you should not spend several thousand on it, you can get by with cheaper models. The main thing is that the readings are accurate.

How to check them?

Horizontal check

Before checking the building level when buying, remember two important rules:

The level can lie, even if it is completely new.
The level can lie, even its cost is higher than other instruments.

For this reason, it is always worth checking the instrument, despite its value and the seller's assurances. To check the accuracy of the level, find at least a relatively flat surface, that is, one with which the tool will touch the entire plane. Before doing this, make sure that the plane of the rail is flat, not deformed.
To do this, it is enough to attach a metal ruler and see that there are no gaps. After that, attach the device to the surface and mark the landmarks with a pencil. They are required so that the level can be set in the same place every time.

Next, remember all the readings and the position of the bubble. After that, it is worth turning the tool 180 degrees and putting it back on all marks.

If the readings remain unchanged, then you can safely buy this level.

Check if there is no flat surface

How to quickly and easily check the building level: Instructions If you are not completely are sure that the surface chosen for testing is even or it is difficult to orientate by eye according to the indentation of the bubble from the marks, use the drill or match method. To do this, put the building level on the counter (it does not have to be level). Next, you should slip a thin drill or match under one side. Next, move it so that the edge of the bubble comes close to the risk.

Now it remains to make a note with a pencil and rotate the level 180 degrees horizontally and put everything in its place according to the marks. The drill must necessarily remain where it was before. If the instrument is of good quality, then the readings will be identical.

Working surface of the tool

It should be noted that most building levels, especially the budget segment, have only one working side. This is due to the fact that the inner surface of the cone is not symmetrical and has the shape of a barrel.

For this reason, I calibrate such levels relative to the side opposite the flask. Because of this, performing calibration and checking the building level on the ceiling is not the correct method. On expensive models, calibration is carried out on each side, and each has its own errors, they are indicated on the case. Remember - if the visor is cylindrical, the bubble level will be more sensitive. If the flask had a strictly cylindrical surface, then the bubble will go left and right, since there are simply no ideal horizontal surfaces in everyday life (the exception is the water surface at rest).

How to check the vertical

After the horizontal check is performed, the vertical should also be compared. To do this, place the tool on a vertical surface and make marks along the edges of the body. The readings should be remembered, and then, applying everything so that you know about the working surface, turn the level 180 degrees relative to the vertical. If the readings match, then everything is in order, and if not, then a calibration will be required.

Performing a Level Calibration

Calibration is quite simple.

To do this, fix the flask with screws and do everything strictly according to the instructions:

Attach the rail to the wall and place the bubble exactly in the center. Below you need to mark and draw a line.
Flip the building level to the other side and align with one of the ends of the line. Check again that the bubble is exactly in the center, and draw another line.
To check the construction bubble level and adjust it, divide the resulting angle in half and draw a third line between them (i.
e., the bisector).
Attach the bar to this line and adjust the flask with the screws, the bubble should be centered.

The correct vertical can be calibrated using a plumb line, and the plumb line must be made of non-ferrous metal. If steel is used, then with a long cord length, magnetic fields can affect it, and magnetized sawdust often adheres to the plumb line itself, and this will also create unnecessary errors and deviations.

If the bulb is glued in, then try to adjust it by tapping lightly on the screwdriver, which will touch the edges of the bulb.

You should hit the sublime often, but it will not be so easy to achieve increased accuracy with this method. In any case, you have little to lose if your building level is shamelessly lying. If the method helps, then after glue all the joints of the cones with superglue.

How to make a building level with your own hands

If for some reason you cannot buy a new building level or calibrate an old one, you can make a building level with your own hands.

We offer you two ways.

Water building level

The simplest variety is a water tool, and it is very easy to do it yourself:

Take two 20 ml syringes without needles and a thin hose of any length. A standard dropper is ideal as a hose.
Remove the plunger from one syringe and connect it to one end of the IV hose.
Next, prepare the liquid to fill the level.
You can even use ordinary tap water for this, but it should be tinted a little with tea leaves.
Now take the second syringe and fill the system with fluid. Both the hose and the first syringe must be completely filled.
Remove the plunger from the second syringe, but before that it must be connected to the hose in advance. Now you have a ready-made water level, which is a structure filled with liquid, consisting of two syringes that are connected to each other by hoses.

The device will work on the principle of connecting vessels, and for marking on a horizontal surface you will need:

Measure and mark the required height level on one wall ...
Apply one of the syringes to the mark so that the water level exactly matches the mark. Secure the syringe to the wall using regular tape.
During work, if you will be doing the marking with an assistant, you do not need to attach the syringe, since your partner can hold it.
Place the second syringe against the walls and mark the water level. All marks will correspond to the same level above the sea surface. If you connect them, you get the perfect horizontal.

To store a homemade water level, you can close the syringes with plungers.

The main advantages of using this level are:

Low cost of the device.
Ease of creation.
Ease of operation.

Now let's consider the second version of the device, which can also be made by hand.

Laser building level

The purpose of the laser level is to mark a plane, both horizontal and vertical.
Such a tool is indispensable if you fill the floor, when installing partitions between rooms, laying tiles, pasting wallpaper and other work. Even in order to evenly arrange furniture, a laser level will come in very handy. There are two ways to make a laser level.

Method # 1

Take a laser pointer. The hole in the nozzle should be sealed with a piece of cardboard, but it is better to use a nozzle without a pattern.
A small hole should be punctured in the middle of the nozzle, and then put the nozzle onto the laser nozzle. Now turn it on and hover over a vertical type surface. If a small and bright dot appears, then you did everything right.
Now find a piece of wood that should be 1.3 meters long.
With the help of an ax, one end should be cut, and the result will be a stake, sharpened on one side.
Next, take an even piece of square board / plywood. The side size should be 0. 1 meter and attach it to the flat end of the peg.
Use a nail or screw to attach the strip to the center of the plywood.
The length of the bar must necessarily correspond to the length of the bubble-type level. The bar should rotate in a circle.
Connect the bubble level to the bar.
A thick piece of rubber should be placed on the level. Attach the laser pointer to it using a clamp.
Congratulations, the device is ready to use!

You can check the construction level for accuracy immediately after production. To do this, you need to place the stake on the site and level it with a bubble level. If everything is set correctly, the bubble of the level will be located in the center, and will not move during the rotation of the bar. Next, turn on the laser pointer and mark the place where the beam reflects from the wall. Turn the plank, mark the rest of the points where the beam hits the wall surface.
All labels will be located on the same horizontal line.

Method # 2

Take a small container and fill it with water along the edge. This can be a bucket, bowl, or even a saucepan.
Attach a laser pointer to a piece of Styrofoam. The nozzle must be without drawings, point.
Try to position the pointer so that it lies flat. Attach it with a cable tie or rubber band.
Next, place the container with water at the height required for marking.
Dip the foam in water.
Turn on the pointer.
Rotate the foam around its axis, mark the points of intersection of the laser beam with the surface and get marks.

Although such devices are far from ideal, they are quite efficient.

( 3 marks, average 3.33 of 5 )