A good transit would be an excellent choice for checking tower plum
after the tower was up. A water level could be used to check level of
the steel in the concrete prior to tower erection (and prior to the
concrete pour too.
What you want to do is increase the "baseline" for a more accurate
reading. Lets say the tower base has the legs 2 ft apart. We can pull
a string tightly across the 2 ft apart steel mounts securing the far end
to a stake driven securely into the ground. If the string is 10 ft end
to end it is 5 times the width of the tower leg connectors set in concrete.
This multiplies the error by a factor of 5 making it easier and more
accurate to read the error with a water level. This approach will
measure level as good as you can read a digital level or spirit level
and likely better. Use a good strong string and pull it very tight and
you could move the stake out to 20 ft and magnify the error by a factor
of 10. This would be (in my opinion) getting into diminishing returns,
beyond good enough.
The above water level approach would also work on the first section of
tower but would get difficult above that. A plumb bob in a no or low
wind condition would be better (suspended from the top of the tower.)
Of course a transit would also be excellent for checking plumb of the
erect tower but not everyone has a good transit. A plumb bob can be
jerry rigged very inexpensively but a transit can't.
Patrick NJ5G
On 7/23/2017 9:06 AM, john@kk9a.com wrote:
How do you use a water level to plumb a tower? I have been using a transit
level for decades and it works in any WX.
John KK9A
To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Be Careful With the Tolerance in Laser
Levels (Tower base leveling.
From: Patrick Greenlee <patrick_g@windstream.net>
Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2017 06:02:32 -0500
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
Roger, What did you use to measure the error in the water level. My
experience with water levels vs 4 ft and even 8 ft spirit levels shows the
water level to be as close as I could read it, essentially zero instrument
error.
I second the disparaging comment posted here regarding cheap Chinese laser
levels. I have a transit and find it no better than the water level.
For a water level I use garden hoses with clear plastic extensions. The
extensions are sold to use for filling RV water tanks. A small tipped
marker pen can scribe a narrow line on each when the water is not disturbed.
Some of the plastic extensions have 90 degree ball valves incorporated which
makes it easier to move the hoses around without spilling water.
Patrick NJ5G
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