This £8 Level is More Accurate Than a Laser!

[@briancorrigan5350]

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.

[@MrChazz965]

Yup,I remember seeing steamfitters laying out sprinkler heights when I was an electrician apprentice in nyc too. Super cool

[@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.

[@iordachej]

Skill Builder I hope she did not read the “retro” part. Say her she’s brand new instead after all these years and you’ll get rewarded with a tasty pie.

[@SkillBuilder]

@@jeztickles4361 Ha!ha

[@Mike_5]

Nice one but i wonder if the wife hacked your account for that comment !!!

[@DPJOINERY]

@@Mike_5 Well if she has, i would like to say, Mrs Bisby, your dear husband who is at his advanced stage in life, is doing a great job in presenting a youtube channel that's dedicated to everyone that has an interest for being a creator. By the way tell him Dale say's thanks for the video, it brought back memories of using one of these at wood school. Have a great wknd Mrs Bisby.

[@markharris5771]

So will you still be presenting videos once you’ve been in the face several times, in a retro manner with a retro cast iron skillet by your wonderful youthful wife? A brilliant video, thank you.

[@billshedd55]

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.

[@Roger-Bisby1]

Too right

[@gav2759]

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.

[@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.

[@Elvo7684]

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.

[@deanlevett888]

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

[@SkillBuilder]

I used to use a couple of wine corks in my old one and I dyed the water red but people got the wrong idea.

[@nstl440]

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

[@steverichards575]

Premium water ?

[@stickshaker101]

@@steverichards575 Yes, it contains only deuterium rather than the common hydrogen-1 isotope that makes up most of the hydrogen in normal water. Very level water.

[@pussinboots1145]

@@steverichards575 It's what you use in indicator fluid.

[@johngratton467]

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)

[@mikebetts2046]

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.

[@patty109109]

Found the same this weekend. The part in sun was off from the cooler for sure. I flushed the hose out again to mediate the temps and was back at level.

[@MrJFoster1984]

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

[@macmac9140]

What did the Romans use for a water level? Water &?

[@kenrebro2746]

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

[@stanwilson8089]

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.

[@SkillBuilder]

Yes we made this video short and didn't know it would get many views so we thought that people would just get the idea if the wanted to know. We will show it in action soon.

[@karlstuart7267]

Roger I can still recall the youngsters (now skilled and time served craftsmen no doubt) laughing at me when I pulled out my water level back in 1988 to check the levels on a new site ! I had the last laugh mind !!!!!

[@edwardholmes91]

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.

[@SkillBuilder]

I think that brickwork will be rubble in a few months but I might re-point it for a video.

[@edwardholmes91]

@@SkillBuilder Ah right, I see... that would be a good video though. I've not done much brickwork or pointing before, but it would be great to pick up some tips :)

[@floydskifloyd2870]

👍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 👍

[@mijodo2008]

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.

[@paulmackilligin1754]

Thanks. But if the wind is blowing, the wind is blowing. You can't tell the wind to stop blowing. I'm currently doing a job in a windy location, and I'm wondering if it would work to use an additional long tube to connect the top of both tubes together. Just filled with air of course, no water in the top tube.

[@chriswick6904]

I've used a water level a few times, once as the only means of leveling available, and it allways worked perfectly. But i have never thought about the problem with one section in the sun and one in the shade. Thank you for this important info.!

[@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.

[@vamboroolz1612]

I well remember using these levels as an apprentice joiner in the 80’s. People shouting “up, up, down a bit”. They didnt have the intelligence to work out that up on the other end is the same as down on their end when levelling and transferring a mark,( even after I told them they wouldnt believe it).

[@chrisosh9574]

Brilliant things, I learned about them at college in the 60s, bubbles are really the only thing that can throw them out. I am pretty sure temperature won't make any difference, it just make the warmer water expand but will still run level.

[@SkillBuilder]

Hi Chris Sorry to argue here but the temperature definitely makes a difference. I am a plumber and I spent many days at college learning about the way water behaves when it is heated and when it is frozen. Water is at its most dense at 4 deg cent. which means 1 litre weighs 1 kilo and above that it expands and becomes lighter by increments. Gravity circulation in heating systems works on this principle of heavier cold water pushing lighter hot water up inside a pipe. You will find that the warm water in a vent pipe is always higher than the cold water in the storage tank. If, in the case of the water level, you have some of the hose in the sun the water could be as much as 60 degrees centigrade. The colder water will push the warmer water up in the tube. It can result in a significant difference in the height of the water in the tubes which is compounded by the fact that the cold water will be lower and the hot water will be higher. Since the whole point of this instrument is to find a perfect level a discrepancy of 25mm, which would be the case, makes it pointless.

[@chrisosh9574]

@@SkillBuilder I have got a water level out on my terrace at the moment, now I am going to have to find a way of keeping one end hot and the other cool. Hot is easy as I live in Spain, I'll have to run one end in the shadow of the wall. I understand what you are saying about density but if both ends are open surely it should equalise. I'm definitely not a plumber, I'm a chippy and former mechanical engineer, the engineer says I have to test it. I like a challenge and I have been wrong before.

[@SkillBuilder]

@@chrisosh9574 Hi Chris I have also been wrong on many occasions and never afraid to admit it. I know this to be true because you can see it on a vent pipe from a boiler. If you don't raise the vent high enough the water will chuck over into the cold tank even when the pump is not running. What is keeping the water level?

[@chrisosh9574]

@@SkillBuilder Hi Roger. I'm not saying you are wrong I just have to try it and see for myself, I have never thought about it before and using a water level in the past mostly in the UK, hot and cold ends were less of a problem than it could be here. My house is a fixer upper, I have a few things that need leveling here and it would be a good thing to get it right.

[@wade4gas]

@@SkillBuilder Hi Rodger.. You are absolutely spot on.. Couldn't have explained it any better.. Sometimes people have to see it to believe it.

[@joeframer9642]

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.

[@SkillBuilder]

Hi Joe I thought this was going to be some archaic technology but it is alive and well. Good to know. Does yours have a couple of chains for hanging it on a nail? I think the one I am using needs something to hold it up otherwise it is hard to use single handed.

[@joeframer9642]

Skill Builder exactly...love your channel. Lots of guys comment without having any first hand knowledge of being in the trades, for decades...

[@nstl440]

When you reposition the hose the bends and twist will cause the holding volume to change. Double check after positioning

[@adrianl7147]

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

[@Improveng1]

Nice one Roger. When I was an apprentice maintenance engineer, many years ago, we were installing a large production machine and used a water level to level the machine up. Good point about avoiding any diferential in water temperature.

[@madcarew.3256]

years ago on site one bloke was always asking "got any pop?" so he'd have a swig. up a scaff. lost water from the level..nearest 3 stories down.."got any pop?" the level worked well with a nice red cherryade colour! Happy Daze..

[@petersmith-uh5sz]

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

[@Bari_Khan_CEng_CMarEng]

Legendary guidance! Simple and to that point

[@_J.F_]

I have used a transparent hosepipe many times. Never got any vials on the ends but just put a marker line on either end with a black pen and carefully fill water to that line. The great thing about using a hosepipe is that because of the larger diameter you don't get air bubbles stuck in the hose very easily.

[@ianbirkmyre4622]

Been using one for 20+ years recently spent £16 on flebay for an alarm for one end makes a single handed operation so easy

[@smartbuildengineering]

I learnt the best way to fill a water level without getting bubbles in it from a worker in a remote Nepali village: siphon the water in from a raised bucket.

[@mikesmith71]

That's how I use mine all the time, one end in the bucket of water and the other taped to my metre stick. Great for setting out decking, levelling ground, guttering... the list is endless. No power or batteries required.

[@rob.bateman]

I was doing some work on a shop and the guys had a laser to fit the suspended ceiling trims, anyway a couple of days later something looked not quite right and was bugging me to see weather or not the dado rail or the floor was out of level, so went to my van and got the trusty water level out and was surprised to find that the ceiling was going down hill slightly which over the course of a 10m run any shelving that was put up looked pissed.

[@robbob88]

Used one when building my extension, was 100% accurate and reliable.

[@eyecatcher1509]

Standard levelling equipment here in Thailand for all tiling walls and floors. The tube is only 10mm though, no vials. Hardest job is filling it up without bubbles,then hanging it up somewhere withoutlosing the water. Spirit levels are far too technical so they dont use them

[@morgenveres3945]

The old tricks hang around for a reason. Thanks very much.

[@elliottdebell7783]

You know what I bought one a long time ago never used it but have just the job for it as it’s on a hill with piles of dirt that a laser wouldn’t be able to get past! Thanks for reminding me I have it great video

[@superiorbeing95]

I got accused of living in the dark ages when I suggested there may be inaccuracies with modern equipment and sometimes the old school way is more accurate and fool proof.

[@SkillBuilder]

Yes people always try and intimidate you with that kind of jibe but you always win. I have a Bosch laser level sitting in my cupboard that refuses to work. I thought it was the battery contacts and cleaned them. I have probably spent three hours messing with it but I ought to just chuck it in the bin. It cost £110.00 and lasted two years and many people think that is good service.

[@superiorbeing95]

@@SkillBuilder I remember seeing the water level used on an episode of Grand Designs years ago, the guy used it because it could work around corners.

[@justme6621]

This is similar to laser alignment, they are great tools but someone still needs to be able to do straight edge or indicator alignment to check the laser occasionally. The old water level will never go away as the simplicity and accuracy make it to indispensable. This is a great video on set up.

[@cujoway]

Theyre great for setting out ponds and awesome for working out the steps on fencing jobs

[@EleanorPeterson]

Yes, perfect for ponds. A level edge is important, especially if it's a natural edge of mud or clay and not formal blocks or bricks. Many wildlife ponds also have a very shallow 'overflow' area about an inch deep which forms a permanent miniature swamp or bog. A water level is perfect for getting this patch spot-on so that it stays evenly soggy and doesn't dry out.🙂

[@7CAJONEZ]

I buillt my house using a can with clear tubing attached and yardstick attached to other end. Just make sure the wind isn't blowing, it will affect the level.

[@snappyfish]

I might buy one of these and post it to the guys who did concrete and built my summer house for 6k. I think they might need one.

[@Mike_5]

Nice idea but wont they need a very long pipe and lots of water to get it to Romania !!??

[@johnzo70]

A summer house for 6k wtf did u expect

[@snappyfish]

@@johnzo70 Nice intelligent comment, well done.

[@whitacrebespoke]

My dad used a clear length of pipe with bits of tape on it for many years. So greatfull for him showing me this done double gates this way for many years

[@glennpowell3444]

I studied surveying during my days in construction as a QS.I was taught the most basic ways to find levels.This was the 80,s and laser was just starting.But I also had to learn to use very basic timber triangular set ups to use trig to get a height etc.You go to any cathedral with modern tech and it will only confirm that everthing is cock on level and true.Levelling is very simple but thesedays its all speed and gps and no pencil needed.You dont need fancy stuff to set levels or falls .Just trig and yes water in this case.That water level will never get it wrong.A old spirit level basically.

[@EssGeeSee]

I’ve always wondered. Where did the Egyptians and Romans get plastic pipe?

[@SkillBuilder]

The Egyptians sold it to the Romans and the Raoman sold it back again. That is how the world works

[@EssGeeSee]

Venusians.

[@GdaySport]

Brilliant for my garden fencing project (drilled concrete posts)!

[@puffinman4285]

Thanks for the reminder about water levels skillbuilder, i've seen them used in the past, but have never thought of using them myself. Even on bright days I can't always see my laser line on interior walls and using them outside over any sort of distance is pretty much a waste of time, as it's near impossible to see the line. The next time I do a decking, or similar job outside, I will invest in some nice wide bore hose and a couple of vials. Top tip as always. Keep up the great work buddy 👍

[@MrJasonspratt]

Hi Great level I still use to this day I learned the method in Germany 20 years ago I personally love them for setting out joist level 💯% perfect every time

[@RI-uv3lm]

Wonderful tips as always Roger. 👍 This is the best tool. It costs about £0.5 or less, in India

[@eddieharding5961]

Using a water level is common practise in both Australia and Germany , when I worked there. I use them all the time , but they are only effective over 5m !!!!! Anything greater it is better to go on to the laser or quickset . For a one house project they are perfect. I level everything , joists ,wall tiles, brickwork ,floor screeds. Now a couple of points SB won't like. Never fill from a tap , always syphon from a bucket you can see the air bubbles run through the tube , when the tube is running clear water put your thumb on the end of the tube and then check . Always level from a central datum NEVER from one point to another , compound errors !

[@christopherscallio2539]

I've tested it with lots of air in the coils and it is always true & accurate. Don't waste time removing bubbles. Unnecessarily slows you down. Use windshield wiper fluid to avoid freezing.

[@SkillBuilder]

Good tip!

[@wtfvids3472]

small bubbles shouldnt matter(at all) but if you have a big one that creates a separation between water so there is water - airbubble - water: it will fuckup your levelling.

[@christopherscallio2539]

@@wtfvids3472 I install overhead doors as wide as 30'. On job sites that have no floor yet. To determine my level starting point to weld the Door guides to the Jambs I use the clear tube with windshield Washer Fluid to Mark the Level Point. Bubbles Never made any side lower or Higher. Always Level. In Winter the Contractors often cannot Pour the Concrete until the Doors are Installed so that they can Heat the Warehouse.

[@wtfvids3472]

@@christopherscallio2539 well i dont know anything about windshield washer fluid but it is possible this fluid is better at getting large bubbles out, especially if it is slippery. the air bubbles will slide more easily perhaps. i am just talking from a physical standpoint. you can test it with a transparent straw for example and by pouring water into it and stopping at intervals you can create water - airbubble - water "interfaces" something that would render a waterlevel useless. Granted this is harder to do if the diameter of the tube is wider(wider the better) and it also depends on how well the water or fluid adheres to the tube wall(eg; material and smoothness & shape of materialwall) but lots of small bubbles could potentially come together and create a larger bubble to create a water - bubble - water interface that would render the level imperfect. Like i said i am only talking about the physics here, it is possible that for example wall diameter, material, and fluid choice renders this a non-worry.

[@veronicathecow]

Hadn't considered temperature effect, nice one thank you.

[@adamwilks]

Gawd that’s me back to GCSE physics at school. Right, to the shed! Thanks for sharing. Brilliant!

[@kennethmunnoch1493]

Great tip about the water temperature- I had that issue once. Also maybe add food colouring to the water- makes it easier to see.

[@AllanDee]

Use a small bucket on one end and use that as a reference point from which all the others are measured. This eliminates the need for a helper to hold one end in place and hope that it's not moving.

[@thevictorianworkshop8660]

I've been useing one for over 10years. Sighting a line down a 100ft garden no problem .won't do a vertical though lol .great videos guys

[@SkillBuilder]

Shaun I think a vertical water level is in development at Niagra Falls

[@thevictorianworkshop8660]

@@SkillBuilder I like it lol

[@DICEGEORGE]

I used my water level when searching for the other end of a sewer pipe, it showed me how deep to dig before lengthening the trench in both directions before I found the pipe. Because it can go over humps and down again, unlike a laser level.

[@SkillBuilder]

Have you ever used boning rods. We will do that next week and check it with a laser.

[@offshoretinker]

I built my house using a water level. Got the wall plate to within 2mm!

[@pdloder]

Says it's 100% reliable then goes on to tell us the five or six ways it could give us an incorrect result.

[@BariMusawwir]

very helpful Cant thank you enough, am going to do a foundation stump and pad tomorrow, but my senior engineer has a water level that he bought for 2000 dollars !! I wonder if it has additional features !!

[@daibhiseaghdha153]

keep it in the dark, or algae can grow in it, which produces gas bubbles which stops it working correctly, plus making it difficult to refill with water.

[@nstl440]

Maybe fill it with thin oil? Like car transmission fluid?

[@daibhiseaghdha153]

@@nstl440 oil destroys plastic in time, I think I will just add some - EcoPond Barley-Bio Algae Control, or equivilant. to the water, to prevent algae from growing in the water, and keep it stored in the dark when I am not using it.

[@rocksandoil2241]

My dad built pole barns and used a clear tube and a can with a nipple on it. Poured the water in the can to trickle into the can where he had the other end tacked up to a pole.

[@horizontarn]

Just was wondering.. as anyone ever seen a water level tool not establishing a horizontal plain of reference as what is claimed..? Thanks 👍

[@muppit666]

Still got mine in the shed. Had it for nigh on 50 years now and never let me down. Young apprentice once thought I was winding him up when I got it out to start running a datum round the job. He was blown away when it was all set out in a matter of minutes. P.S. I have upgraded to a laser since. 😜

[@mathewbaldwin3446]

You learn something everyday. Thank you

[@mannab2975]

@2:23 you say, and I agree, it will continue to be level! Water's ability to flow means it constantly seeks, find and maintains its own level. When it is way low or down, it will form a puddle, pool or dam for that matter. This is the fundamental characteristics of water. Water cannot curve!! Yet the earth is apparently round? Wrong, it is indeed a flat plane with mountains, valleys, etc. The trailing comment states "water never lets you down".......

[@awatt]

Water visibly curves in Ship Model Basins. Globe confirmed 💯🌍

[@RS20O0]

Most people involved in garden pond building have been using this principle for decades because remote gravity fed filters, which are often housed in outbuildings, need to align with the pond water level.

[@stevenwaibel6856]

That was really cool! You learn something every day!

[@hyland1984]

Hahaha...learned about this about 6 months ago in college. If they can build pyramids, the acropolis, world heritage sites using a water level, then I'm all for it over unreliable technology. Old school roger. Can't beat it

[@SkillBuilder]

Oh not the Pyramids they were built by aliens.

[@JEB2024]

Good effort for a confident video advice 👍🏼

[@kenwebster5053]

It's actually quite difficult to get a water level to work well. Getting all the air out is not easy & the water continues to release dissolved air, particularly as it warms. Parts in the sun or shade are at different temperatures & density. Wind, even the lightest of breezes changes the pressure at each end of the tube, causing the water level to surge up & down. The surging water has momentum, causing surges to continue for a long time. Before the surging stops, another one of the above factors will occur and upset the whole thing again. I know this because it's the way I levelled my 9m x 6m garage foundations some 35 years ago. Yes, I did get it to work, but it took a lot of messing about, patiently checking, rechecking, fixing problems, damping the system etc.

[@gdfggggg]

This is a great tip, all the old schoolers bang on about water levels. If your a full time builder though, a laser level is the nuts (if it’s accurate).

[@SkillBuilder]

Trouble is that, on a sunny day, it is bloody hard to see that red laser beam so you need a detector or come back in the evening.

[@gdfggggg]

Skill Builder I’ve got a staff with a detector. When pouring foundations, no pegging, no messing; just pour it in the hole and work around with the staff then tamp. The staff has measurements on it so you can step foundations if needed, no problem. Laying hardcore with a digger for slab: bloke works in front of the digger with the staff and instructs where to put hardcore. It’s great. Sloped patios: there’s a slope function or you can use it on drainage. Love it 😍 👏🏻

[@gbelectrical969]

Always great to see your videos I remember using water levels as an apprentice electrician Also hammer and rawl plug tool

[@Roger-Bisby1]

I had one of those star driver tools and it might still be in my shed. I can't believe we used them and I remember wetting up the asbestos powder to push in the holes before putting the screws in.

[@gbelectrical969]

Roger Bisby we must be old 😂😂😂😂😂

[@am11744]

Used them shoplifting when I started out, water level and a chalk line worked well. Although a laser does impress the customers more .

[@deanlevett888]

Can't see the use in 'shoplifting`. May shop fitting. Predictive texts heh.

[@ronniebiggs4026]

Are you a scouser😂😂😂👍

[@eastcoastuk1120]

SO WE LIVE ON A SPINNING BALL IN SPACE DO WE ? This water level suggests very strongly that water finds it's own level and if so How can the contained capsian sea be on a ball. 750 miles by 200 miles. HOW MANY MILES OF CURVATURE would be in play.? It raises some questions on where we are surely.

[@SkillBuilder]

Who would take a water level and deduce that the earth is flat.? A water level works over a relatively short distance, not miles.

[@eastcoastuk1120]

​@@SkillBuilder It was the principle behind it. What would happen to the water in the level if one side was much lower than the other. Wiould the water not run out of the open ended container.?

[@ronaldlangley259]

I've not heard if this but will use it in future, to cut our hedges height correctly.

[@MonzaSSguy]

I regularly use a laser level and watching this video, it occurred to me, that you can check the accuracy of a laser with a water level! I'll be doing that soon...

[@tigrehermano]

here in mexico we prefer the ones with bubble on it. there are very smalls to hang small things like a guitar holder but there are large ones to level floor or walls. they never run out of battery. :P

[@shannonjaensch3705]

Such a well tested as fact simplistic tool that proves the saying of "Water always finds it's true Level as being true. And yet so many still falsely believe that we live on a giant spinning ball in "Outer space".

[@HugoFilho.]

Sea level=an spheroidal surface around the Earth. Sunsets debunk flattardia "many still believe we ive on a giant spinning ball in outer space" No, we dont believe, WE KNOW, because there is irrefutable EVIDENCE that Earth is spherical

[@zedman442]

I used these string levels for a time. Rubbish they were as they bowed on the string. Flawed design really. The water levels are great for drainage. Good to see a nod to the old tech!

[@whitacrebespoke]

Best one I had was a Stanley one but line needed to be really good quality and drum right else as you say it sags

[@franklinarguedas4832]

Do you know where one can get UV light resistant transparent hose which will not become cloudy and therefore not being able to read the level of water any longer? You mentioned that one can actually use a garden hose, which will obviate the UV Light fading problem, and at the end you use to viles or pieces of clear pvc tubing. However, how do I make sure that there are no air bubbles in the rubber hose portion of the water level? Muchas Gracias, Señor!

[@alexhjohno]

It would be even better if put some kind of dye or cordial in the water to help you visually spot the water level easily.

[@peterbell4154]

Hi Roger, when I was in the shopfitting game, we used these all the time all round the shop taking the Datum from where ever the setter out had decided it was you couldn't afford to be out at all but more often than not we were fitting shops that were still open and the amount of times people would tread on them and you can guess what effect that had on the level and us.

[@SkillBuilder]

I can see that using one where the public are loose is not great but using lasers is also not great because some nutter will come up and tell you that they have been blinded and they want compensation.

[@peterbell4154]

@@SkillBuilder l agree Roger, we didn't have lasers then they were just coming in. Still when any one did tread on the pipe even when we had signs up we just give them the mutterings of the builders language and the builders disgruntled look which can be quite daunting and of which I am well practiced!!

[@davidz1681]

Great video. I hear everybody say the anciet greeks and egyptians used water levels, but i cant find examples how.

[@SkillBuilder]

They flooded trenches and marked levels on sticks

[@EM-vc6qr]

The water level i highly recommend is the Akwamasta water level, its a 1 man level and its great honestly guys have a look and get it in your tool kit.

[@highdownmartin]

Using a self levelling lazer level across the top of my pond ( 750/1000 galls) While the side to side projected across the water tallied with the pond level it certainly wasn’t wasnt a level projection from the level to the far side, the level was an inch higher than the line so it was shining down. Accurate only in one dimension.

[@daibhiseaghdha153]

I had one in the 70's, it was a job to fill it with water, so I took it up to a flat roof, 60 feet high, then lowered it over the side, and fill it so the air would come out, lovely, until I went to use it, the water bursts out when I opened one end, I then realised that the " head pressure " had expanded the tubing, which meant that it was pressurised. I later had one which was electronic, was it made a high pitch sound when the water was at the same level, so if you did not need to look at it.

[@waytospergtherebro]

Pendulum lasers aren't advertised as being particularly accurate, idiots just assume they are because they're lasers.

[@paulperrin2152]

So you dont leave caps on viles when using it ??

[@barryoconnor8678]

Never use anything else when building a deck level pool. Excellent tool. Barry Eden Pools

[@maskedavenger2578]

I use a 40 year old battered German Stablia level ,it’s probably no longer level. but it makes jobs leaning on the skunt look level & as long as I got paid & couldn’t see it from my house all was good . 😎

[@nicolasg6861]

Great tips! Easy, cheap and accurate, what more do you want?! Many thanks !

[@LOSTYKmail]

My brother use this method, it's so cheap and yet so good during broad day light and on multiple sides of walls

[@contessa.adella]

You don’t need fancy shop bought water level parts. The tube is cheap and you can just zip tie a few inches at each end to a short stick. I levelled a workbench with connected levelling tubes at each corner. I also levelled a patio using a water level. It is dead accurate even over many metres and very cheap to make. One vital point…you must get any air bubbles out of the filled tube. Proud to say I devised this method for myself….before finding out that it was a ‘known’ idea already…..Reckon I could have gotten an apprenticeship with Archimedes back in the day😂

[@JonSmith-cx7gr]

I like the idea of using water instead of laser so when myself and a few friends decided to build a guided missile in our shed, we decided that water was the best option as our guidance system. Well that was 2001 and we still have not perfected the missile despite losing several members of our cell to explosions. I think therefore that you should probably include a caveat to this video that long distance guided missiles really have no way of being practically designed just using water and garden hose as a guidance system.

[@Trevor_Austin]

May I suggest a really simple and cheap improvement? Put a drop of blackcurrant squash each of the vials to make the level easier to see.

[@Roger-Bisby1]

Ribena?

[@leestewart1848]

Love it!, round corners too - thanks for sharing

[@petemoring67]

As you say - Us Oldies had it sussed years ago. Funny how it's News to some nowadays :-) I bet you 'your Mortgage' that the Chippies will STILL want to turn the danged apparatus around to make sure it reads the same both ways - (They're ALL Bonkers ;-)

[@William1st]

Was literally thinking of these this morning as we had some guttering to install over 6m. The crappy red laser wouldn't have shown up, especially in the daylight.

[@fran2562]

I've had one for years, great little addition to my tools

[@soisaidtogod4248]

A few cents worth of 1/2 inch clear tube and a marker. No need to buy anything fancier.

[@mmarshall7701]

Roger, how do you set up an intravenous morphine drip please?

[@nikolairubinskii6450]

2:27 garden hose is not transparent, you'd want to be sure you've shaken all the air bubbles, especially if your hose is quite long.

[@patty109109]

I used a garden hose last week but with some fittings from Home Depot to attach some transparent just to each end.

[@nikolairubinskii6450]

@@patty109109 Well, I suppose a regular hose would work as long as you make sure first that the water level is the same in both vials before working with it.