leveling

[badutahboy]

So I'm still not clear on how to use the water level... now that I think about it.

Tell me if I'm right here..

1. Make your water level.

2. Fill the bucket to an identifiable reference point, and create a siphon in your tubing.

3. Tack the tubing to a reference stick (we'll say a 2x4 for our example)

4. Set your 2x4 and bucket together in an area that you KNOW is level, mark reference points on tubing as to where "level" is.

5. place your bucket in the "control" area for your grading.

6. to check level, hold your 2x4 in an area and view the water level in the tubing relative to your reference mark. If the water is below your reference mark, keep digging. If the water is above your reference mark, you're too low and need to add dirt.

7. Repeat this process in enough places throughout your work site to be confident that the entire site is level.

Is this correct?

[sevver]

I don't really know what the bucket is for, I think it is just to siphon through/out of. All you need is a tube full of water, then tape or attatch one end to a board that is beat into the ground (with a reference point on it), and then you could maybe attach the other end to another board, hold it next to the stationary one and transfer the mark accross both boards. Then tape or secure the other end of the hose to the new board. With this done you would essentially have two boards with hoses taped onto them where the water level in each hose is equal to the line. If you wanted to get really creative you should screw a small plywood stand to the bottom of the mobile board. If I were going to do this that is probably how I would do it anyhow, then you could hand the other person a shovel.


This is sort of what I am talking about. Notice my 31337 Paint Skillz.

Carl seems to have a handle on this, and there may be another method for it. But this seems like the easiest way to go about it from where I stand. If you were determined to do it this way...

[matt4x4]

The bucket is supposed to give more accuracy if you change the length of your tube and also make getting your accurate starting point a lot easier without removing/adding a couple of drops of water to get to the right height in the tube.

The way I do it is:

Set up one permanent post to which you mount your bucket with the water level at the same height as what your top of the wall will be - this is your reference/starting point and will be the the exact height of the top of the wall, so make sure it's correct. Tape/fasten the far end of the open ended tube to a second post at least 6" taller than your wall - you can give this post a 1.5x1.5 foot plywood board base or a tripod style base so it's self standing to make life easy on yourself. If you have a tall enough camera tripod, it will work too, but get dirty in the process.
This saves you from pounding it that post you were complaining about over and over...
Set it immediately beside the bucket post and mark off the bucket level on teh tube or the post (water in tube should also be at this mark).
This mark is what your level point will be, as you move your tripod post around the site, the water in the tube will be either:
at the mark - meaning you're exactly at grade
Below the mark - meaning grade is too high by the difference
Above the mark - meaning grade is too low by the difference and you'll need to backfill some dirt.

Hope this makes your water levelling a littel easier.

[badutahboy]

The bucket is supposed to give more accuracy if you change the length of your tube and also make getting your accurate starting point a lot easier without removing/adding a couple of drops of water to get to the right height in the tube.

The way I do it is:

Set up one permanent post to which you mount your bucket with the water level at the same height as what your top of the wall will be - this is your reference/starting point and will be the the exact height of the top of the wall, so make sure it's correct. Tape/fasten the far end of the open ended tube to a second post at least 6" taller than your wall - you can give this post a 1.5x1.5 foot plywood board base or a tripod style base so it's self standing to make life easy on yourself. If you have a tall enough camera tripod, it will work too, but get dirty in the process.
This saves you from pounding it that post you were complaining about over and over...
Set it immediately beside the bucket post and mark off the bucket level on teh tube or the post (water in tube should also be at this mark).
This mark is what your level point will be, as you move your tripod post around the site, the water in the tube will be either:
at the mark - meaning you're exactly at grade
Below the mark - meaning grade is too high by the difference
Above the mark - meaning grade is too low by the difference and you'll need to backfill some dirt.

Hope this makes your water levelling a littel easier.

Got postponed for a few days by rain.... so I haven't started yet.. which is good, your idea to elevate the bucket to the level of the top of the rail is brilliant.

I have 2 questions though...

1. is there anything wrong with cutting a 2x4 to, say, 60" (my rails are 54" high... attaching the tubing to the 2x4, and then must moving it plac to place, and leaning it against a wall while I work? That'll achieve the same thing as the tripod... just wanting ot make sure I'm not missing some obvious reason why that'd be stupid (other than the possibility that the 2x4 will get kicked, losing water and forcing me to refill/adjust the level for accuracy).

2. Everyone agrees that the pool needs to be within 1" of level everywhere... Does that mean that as long as my reading is within 1" or level, I should move on to the next location? I had planned on getting it damn near level everywhere, but it doesn't make a difference, as long as it's within 1", that'd save me a TON of time.

Does my 2nd question make sense? I feel like it's vague but not sure how to phrase it correctly.

[hrsdennis]

Hi, I can answer question number 2. The 1 inch applies to an overall slope from one side to the other. This could happen due to ground settling. You are best off starting as level as you can possibly get. The wall will install and stay in the bottom rail so much easier, you would not believe the difference. Take three bottom plates, the outer two the same level and the center down a quarter of an inch. You will notice this when installing the wall. You may get past it but it will be noticeable. If the center post is down a full inch you will not get past it without the wall falling over. Take as much time as you need to make the bottom rail and footplates as level as you can possibly get them. The rest of the install will go so much smoother and the pool will look so much better. Worth every minute, day or week.

Best of luck, Dennis

[hrsdennis]

Here another thread that might help.

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=4169

[badutahboy]

Hi, I can answer question number 2. The 1 inch applies to an overall slope from one side to the other. This could happen due to ground settling. You are best off starting as level as you can possibly get. The wall will install and stay in the bottom rail so much easier, you would not believe the difference. Take three bottom plates, the outer two the same level and the center down a quarter of an inch. You will notice this when installing the wall. You may get past it but it will be noticeable. If the center post is down a full inch you will not get past it without the wall falling over. Take as much time as you need to make the bottom rail and footplates as level as you can possibly get them. The rest of the install will go so much smoother and the pool will look so much better. Worth every minute, day or week.

Best of luck, Dennis

That's exactly what I thought, but I didn't know the details of WHY it needs to be so perfectly level, other than aesthetic appearance.

Thanks for the info. Work begins tomorrow, if the ground has dried out some.

[matt4x4]

Just an FYI - I would go with the self standing post only because your thread seems to imply your wall is allready set up ("leaning the 2x6 against a wall") - unless you meant the house wall.....which just means a lot of back and forth walking in my opinion..(far side being 24+ feet to the 2x6, 24+ feet back to wall to rest it again - those numbers add up too quickly)
Do NOT set your base rail and wall up before the ground is levelled, you'll just make it three times as hard on yourself.

Another reason I'd use a plated or tripod bottom is that the 2x6 can easily sink 1/2 inch into loose soil in a particular spot but right next to it may be dead on level where the tripod or plate method somewhat averages over a larger area eliminating the measuring in the aforesaid soft spot which could be a mis-reading.

about a year ago I wrote up an extensive thread on an AG pool install, where I mentioned that I used 2-3" compacted Screenings (crusher run) where my wall sits - this stuff is ideal for getting a nice perfectly level wall base and beats setup on dirt any day - of course, you have to go deeper at first, then bring the base level back up for your wall to sit on - if going that route, make sure you calculate that into your equation.
It does make levelling easier since excavation is done to a rough level and brought back to level using screenings which are WAY easier to work with.