I want to make a water-level out of garden hose for levelling the yard
(approx 200' to 300'). I want to make one with a reservoir so as to
minimize the effect of the level jumping up and down as the hose is
moved and distorted.

Most instructions for a 'reservoir level' have you destroying a bucket
by putting a hole in it. Can anybody see a problem with simply letting
one end of the hose hang into the top of the bucket or a barrel? Of
course, all air must be out of the system, as is the case with any
water level. This would be no different than hauling a portion of the
hose over a fence etc, in which case I believe the water level still
works. Thanks.

wrote:
I want to make a water-level out of garden hose for levelling the yard
(approx 200' to 300'). I want to make one with a reservoir so as to
minimize the effect of the level jumping up and down as the hose is
moved and distorted.

Most instructions for a 'reservoir level' have you destroying a bucket
by putting a hole in it. Can anybody see a problem with simply letting
one end of the hose hang into the top of the bucket or a barrel? Of
course, all air must be out of the system, as is the case with any
water level. This would be no different than hauling a portion of the
hose over a fence etc, in which case I believe the water level still
works. Thanks.


Other than being a little clumsy to move around without spilling some
water, I don't see any physics reason why it won't work.

Syphons have worked just fine for thousands of years.

I'm not familiar with "reservoir levels", but I see what your about.

How do you compare the level in the bucket or barrel with what you are
trying to level to? Do you have a line painted around the inside and
outside of the bucket, both at the same height from its bottom, then
raise or lower the bucket (or add or subtract water) to get the water
level at the inside line and then use the outside line to reference your
work to?

Just wondering,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."

Cost of bucket $5. Significantly less if you find one at a yard sale.

Personally, I like the hi-tech ones with the electronic water level sensor
(with audible beep). With these, you don't need 2 people just to read the
level.

-Tim

Thanks for the reply.

In answer to your question. You would leave the bucket or barrel in
place, and note the level of the water from the gound (for example).
Let's say 3 feet. You then walk around the yard with the other end of
the hose and take measurements between the water level in the end of
the hose, and the ground. Let's say we have 3'5". We then know that
we are at a spot on the ground that is 5" lower than then ground at the
barrel.

A couple of notes...

You're right, you don't want to spill water as you are moving. The
typical kit that attaches to a garden hose has a clear tube with a
stopper that can be used when moving.

A while ago, I did some work in the basement and used a water level
without a reservoir. Again, I had the clear tubes from the kit on the
end of the hose. The bad thing was that the level at BOTH ends of the
hose would change as you walked around and distorted the hose. It was
a bit of a pain, as I would move the hose, then I would have to measure
both ends from the reference line that was at one end of the hose.
This is where the reservoir would be nice. The hose would still
distort as you move, but it would cause an insignificant change in
water volume when compared to the reservoir. Therefore, you don't have
to keep checking both ends.

On the end of the hose where you are walking around the yard, it is
best to attach it to a stick. You can then put the end of the stick on
the ground and stand there for a bit while the level settles. Then
take your measurement.

For me, this is a one-time use thing. Plus, I'm really cheap!

Jeff Wisnia wrote:
wrote:
I want to make a water-level out of garden hose for levelling the yard
(approx 200' to 300'). I want to make one with a reservoir so as to
minimize the effect of the level jumping up and down as the hose is
moved and distorted.

Most instructions for a 'reservoir level' have you destroying a bucket
by putting a hole in it. Can anybody see a problem with simply letting
one end of the hose hang into the top of the bucket or a barrel? Of
course, all air must be out of the system, as is the case with any
water level. This would be no different than hauling a portion of the
hose over a fence etc, in which case I believe the water level still
works. Thanks.


Other than being a little clumsy to move around without spilling some
water, I don't see any physics reason why it won't work.

Syphons have worked just fine for thousands of years.

I'm not familiar with "reservoir levels", but I see what your about.

How do you compare the level in the bucket or barrel with what you are
trying to level to? Do you have a line painted around the inside and
outside of the bucket, both at the same height from its bottom, then
raise or lower the bucket (or add or subtract water) to get the water
level at the inside line and then use the outside line to reference your
work to?

Just wondering,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."

You hit the problem with the hang the hose in the bucket. Trying to
read the level of the water in bucket is both very awkward and very
inaccurate.

I would suspect a true reservoir level would have the reservoir
somewhere in the middle of the hose.

I really see no benefit to one anyhow as I have never seen a problem
with the level 'jumping up and down' As soon as the moves are done,
the level is there, it doesn't 'jump'

A warning about using one in addition to the 'no bubbles'. Make sure
that the entire hose is at the same temperature. Part in shade and
part in sun will throw the level off.

Harry K

That 5 bux is better in my pocket (he he). Also, I can just see a
leaky mess when trying to attach the fitting to the bucket. Just
dropping it in the bucket sounds easier. I was thinking of using the
rain barrel as it is a nice big reservoir.

Actually, with the hose and reservoir, you only need one person. You
just walk around with the end of the hose and take your measurements.

As for the electronic gismo, well you know how I feel about 5 bux.
Cheers.

I'd have no problem measuring the level in the bucket or barrel. In
fact, you don't even need to to that. You can simply begin by taking
the other end of the hose and placing it anywhere to make a reference
mark or measurement. Then all of your other measurements are reference
from that point (which is exactly equal to the level in the reservoir
anyway).

I should have been a little more clear when I talked about the level
"jumping around". I wasn't refering to the bobbing as the level
settles. In another post above, I noted that I had once used a water
level without a reservoir. As the hose was moved around, the hose gets
disorted and its volume changes. This causes the water in both ends to
go up and down. I had thought that I could affix one end to the wall,
make a reference mark, and then leave it. I then notice that as I
moved the hose, the level at the reference mark would change. I got
around it by measuring at both ends for each measurement. With the
reservoir however, I should be able to walk around and take
measurements at one end, with the confidence that the other end is not
changing.

wrote in message
oups.com...
I want to make a water-level out of garden hose for levelling the yard
(approx 200' to 300'). I want to make one with a reservoir so as to
minimize the effect of the level jumping up and down as the hose is
moved and distorted.

Most instructions for a 'reservoir level' have you destroying a bucket
by putting a hole in it. Can anybody see a problem with simply letting
one end of the hose hang into the top of the bucket or a barrel? Of
course, all air must be out of the system, as is the case with any
water level. This would be no different than hauling a portion of the
hose over a fence etc, in which case I believe the water level still
works. Thanks.

When I was trying to install a drop ceiling I did exactly what you are
suggesting. I used 1/4 inch vinyl tubing and a bucket on a ladder. The
tubing was just stuck in the bucket and duct taped to prevent it from coming
out. The only problem I had was that I would get a different reading
depending on which way the water went. IF I took a reading when the water
had to drop to be level, it was 1/2 inch off from a reading taken with the
water rising to be level. I attributed that to the narrow tubing I used. I
just made sure I always took the reading the same way. Maybe a bit of soap
added to the water would have improved it but back than I didnt think of
that.

Once I had a level line around the room, I then measured up from it to get
my ceiling height.

Neat - sounds like it works OK.

Yes, I have heard that you must use a fairly large hose to prevent
capillary action. That's why I like garden hose, it's cheap, it's
wide, it's available, easy to fill from a spiggot, it has another use
when done., etc.

wrote in message
oups.com...
Neat - sounds like it works OK.

Yes, I have heard that you must use a fairly large hose to prevent
capillary action. That's why I like garden hose, it's cheap, it's
wide, it's available, easy to fill from a spiggot, it has another use
when done., etc.

But how do you see thru the garden hose to mark the waters level?

I like to fasten a hose fitting to the side of the bucket for the hose to
fasten to. I like to rig another hose above the bucket to keep it full and
spilling over the top. That way if I spill some moving the hose it doesn't
matter.

I want to make a water-level out of garden hose for levelling the yard
(approx 200' to 300').

I find a rotating laser level works great. Plant some stakes in the ground
and mark the level line on them. Granted, you generally have to do it out
of midday sun.

I tried to do this with just a hose when installing an oval above ground
pool.
Halfway through the installation I decided to buy a water level that had a
sensor on one end. You set this sensor at the desired height and when you
raise the other end of the hose, when the water raises to the right height
it activates an alarm back in the sensor at the other end of the hose. This
was much more accurate. The water level in the final pool is within 1/4" of
the top of the pool wall all the way around. good enough for me!

Steve


wrote in message
oups.com...
I want to make a water-level out of garden hose for levelling the yard
(approx 200' to 300'). I want to make one with a reservoir so as to
minimize the effect of the level jumping up and down as the hose is
moved and distorted.

Most instructions for a 'reservoir level' have you destroying a bucket
by putting a hole in it. Can anybody see a problem with simply letting
one end of the hose hang into the top of the bucket or a barrel? Of
course, all air must be out of the system, as is the case with any
water level. This would be no different than hauling a portion of the
hose over a fence etc, in which case I believe the water level still
works. Thanks.

"wkearney99" wrote in message
t...

I find a rotating laser level works great. Plant some stakes in the
ground
and mark the level line on them. Granted, you generally have to do it out
of midday sun.

Definitely -- we found a cheap one for $50 and it worked great to build our
deck.

OTOH if the OP doesn't want to spend $5 on a bucket, he probably doesn't
want to spend $50 (or more) on a tool that would make the job a whole lot
easier.... shrug

-Tim

wrote:
I'd have no problem measuring the level in the bucket or barrel. In
fact, you don't even need to to that. You can simply begin by taking
the other end of the hose and placing it anywhere to make a reference
mark or measurement. Then all of your other measurements are reference
from that point (which is exactly equal to the level in the reservoir
anyway).

I should have been a little more clear when I talked about the level
"jumping around". I wasn't refering to the bobbing as the level
settles. In another post above, I noted that I had once used a water
level without a reservoir. As the hose was moved around, the hose gets
disorted and its volume changes. This causes the water in both ends to
go up and down. I had thought that I could affix one end to the wall,
make a reference mark, and then leave it. I then notice that as I
moved the hose, the level at the reference mark would change. I got
around it by measuring at both ends for each measurement. With the
reservoir however, I should be able to walk around and take
measurements at one end, with the confidence that the other end is not
changing.

Sorry but it won't work that way. As you move the hose around you are
changing the amount of water in that hose. It goes back into the
bucket or more comes out of the bucket. You cannot use a water level
by only reading one end unless, as somewone else mentioned, you have an
alarm.

My method working by myself: fill the hose getting all air bubbles
out.

1. Set a stake for the master and mark the level on it. Put two nails
into it such that the hose will slide between them but friction holds
it in place.

2. Go to first station, set stake, two nails as above, put end of hose
in.

3. Return to master and pull up or push down on hose until water level
matches the mark.

4. Return to 1st station and mark stake where the water level is.

This is simpler with two people. One at master adjusts the hose to the
mark, other marks stakes.

Harry K

According to Harry K :
Sorry but it won't work that way. As you move the hose around you are
changing the amount of water in that hose. It goes back into the
bucket or more comes out of the bucket. You cannot use a water level
by only reading one end unless, as somewone else mentioned, you have an
alarm.

Not really true.

The bucket has a MUCH more voluminous "column" than the hose does. Water
level changes in the hose in the order of several feet will only make
a difference of small fractions of an inch in the bucket.

So, the wider the bucket, the more you can treat the level of the
water in the bucket as essentially fixed (once the hose is filled
with water of course). More than close enough for most purposes.
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

I want to make a water-level out of garden hose for levelling the yard
(approx 200' to 300'). I want to make one with a reservoir so as to
minimize the effect of the level jumping up and down as the hose is
moved and distorted.

I made a similar water level to get our foundation forms level when we
built our house. I used a large bottle I had sitting around and about 100
feet of clear tubing. I stuck one end of the tubing into the bottle, and
used a plastic "zip" tie to secure it to the handle so it wouldn't slip
out. Just be sure not to squeeze the tubing tight enough to compress it.

I then filled the bottle about 2/3 full with water and set it up in the
center of our building site. Ideally, it should be slightly higher than
any area you are checking. I set mine on a couple of bricks.

Before you begin, lower the open end of the tubing and let the water run
out to get the air bubbles out. You may have to suck on the end a bit to
get the syphon going if this is your first time to use it.

Once the air bubbles are out, hold the end of the hose up and let the
water settle. This is your level reference point. Measure down from this
line to whatever you are trying to level. When the measurements are the
same everywhere, the site is level.

Be sure to hold your finger over the end of the tubing as you get up and
move around. This will prevent water from leaking out the end of the
tubing (if you lower the end), or draining back to the reservoir and
overflowing it (if you raise the end). If you lose water, your reference
will change and you'll have to remeasure from the beginning again.

When you're done checking your level status, stick the open end of the
tubing back in the bottle. Then you can just pull it out again, re-
establish a reference measurement, and check the level of other areas.

It works very well, is accurate, and can work around corners or other
obstructions (something transits and laser levels don't do).

Good luck!

Anthony

A while ago, I did some work in the basement and used a water level
without a reservoir. Again, I had the clear tubes from the kit on the
end of the hose. The bad thing was that the level at BOTH ends of the
hose would change as you walked around and distorted the hose. It was

If you set up the source end of the water-level as a little-bucket
inside of a bigger bucket, and hook up a pump to keep moving water
from the outer bucket to the inner bucket, then the water level at
the source will always be the overflow level of the inner bucket,
regardless of how much you spill or squish the hoses.

--Goedjn

I bought a kit a long time ago that consists of two clear hoses (each
approx 2 feet long). They screw onto the ends of a garden hose. They
also have stoppers that you can use when you are walking around to
prevent spillage.

I think that Chris is right. The whole reason I wanted to use a
reservoir is to "buffer" any changes in the hose's volume.

Incidentally, I notice that some people refer to a method where you try
and adjust the "reference" end of the hose to match the reference line
(for each measurement). When I had used a water level before (without
a reservoir) I had found that this method was too time consuming. You
would be moving the refence end of the hose up and down while trying to
let it settle each time. I found it was better to just leave the
reference end alone. When the water settles, just measure the distance
between the reference mark and the water level, then just add/subtract
that from the measurement at the other end. With either method, you
have to run to both ends of the hose, this just eliminates the "playing
around" with the reference end.

According to :
I think that Chris is right. The whole reason I wanted to use a
reservoir is to "buffer" any changes in the hose's volume.

Incidentally, I notice that some people refer to a method where you try
and adjust the "reference" end of the hose to match the reference line
(for each measurement). When I had used a water level before (without
a reservoir) I had found that this method was too time consuming. You
would be moving the refence end of the hose up and down while trying to
let it settle each time. I found it was better to just leave the
reference end alone. When the water settles, just measure the distance
between the reference mark and the water level, then just add/subtract
that from the measurement at the other end. With either method, you
have to run to both ends of the hose, this just eliminates the "playing
around" with the reference end.

I had the same trouble, when I was not using a reservoir.

This has to be the simplest way, and will be dead accurate:

- fill bucket (water and a bit of liquid detergent)
- afix one end of hose in bucket with tape.
- siphon the hose until it fills.
- hold the other hose end up, and put tape on the hose to mark
where the water level is.
- stroll around, when you want to strike a level, raise or lower
the hose end until the water level meets the tape mark. There's
your level mark.

As long as the hose doesn't get kinked, or you lose too much water,
it'll be dead on.
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

Chris Lewis wrote:
According to :
I think that Chris is right. The whole reason I wanted to use a
reservoir is to "buffer" any changes in the hose's volume.

Incidentally, I notice that some people refer to a method where you try
and adjust the "reference" end of the hose to match the reference line
(for each measurement). When I had used a water level before (without
a reservoir) I had found that this method was too time consuming. You
would be moving the refence end of the hose up and down while trying to
let it settle each time. I found it was better to just leave the
reference end alone. When the water settles, just measure the distance
between the reference mark and the water level, then just add/subtract
that from the measurement at the other end. With either method, you
have to run to both ends of the hose, this just eliminates the "playing
around" with the reference end.

I had the same trouble, when I was not using a reservoir.

This has to be the simplest way, and will be dead accurate:

- fill bucket (water and a bit of liquid detergent)
- afix one end of hose in bucket with tape.
- siphon the hose until it fills.
- hold the other hose end up, and put tape on the hose to mark
where the water level is.
- stroll around, when you want to strike a level, raise or lower
the hose end until the water level meets the tape mark. There's
your level mark.

As long as the hose doesn't get kinked, or you lose too much water,
it'll be dead on.
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

Now that is just plain brilliant! Thanks, never thought of that.

Harry K