Can you build a house with curved walls, ceilings and floors? Of course, you can, somewhere in Africa, the natives do it. After all, wild tribes do not use the construction tools familiar to us, and even more so modern horizontal and vertical control devices. Yes, they don't need it. But an ordinary European person will not be able to live in a building with overhanging walls, skewed slopes and cracks in the doors - this is ugly, inconvenient and impractical. In addition, such a dwelling threatens to collapse on the head of its unlucky owner and forever hide “amazing house-building skills” from posterity.
To prevent this from happening, it is still worth adhering to the basic canons of construction and using such a useful tool as a level or plumb line. Moreover, they are not at all difficult to use and require only care and patience. Even if the construction is not expected, all the same, the level is indispensable in the household: hang a picture evenly, set a gas stove in the kitchen or a washing machine - it will help to do all this without any problems, saving time.
The modern construction industry produces levels of different configurations,technical equipment and purpose. The range is so wide that it is easy for a novice builder to get confused when choosing a tool for himself. In fact, there is nothing complicated here. There are three main types of building levels: water, bubble and laser. All the variety that we see on store shelves is represented by modifications of these basic models. The so-called magnetic levels are just an improved form of the usual bubble level.
What is a level: how it works
The building level is a device with which you can control the position of building elements relative to the vertical and horizontal lines and among themselves. It is also convenient to use it to set a certain angle of inclination, if the design requires it.
The principle of operation of this tool is based on the physical phenomenon of gravity and the property of a liquid to occupy an exact horizontal position in space in a calm state. This can be visually observed by filling a glass jar with water. No matter how we place the container in space, the water will tend to align horizontally.
Now let's take two transparent vessels, connect them with a flexible hose (according to the principle of communicating) and fill it with liquid - this is the hydraulic level. Let's fill a test tube for chemical experiments with water, leaving a small air bubble, plug it with a cork and put it horizontally - we get a bubble level.
Assignment of the main typeslevels
As described above, the main types are water, bubble, laser level indicators and a plumb line. All of them are used for specific types of construction work.
Plummet. With it, it is convenient to control the vertical, for example, when forcing a wall. A rope and a special weight are all the details of this device. The load is suspended on a rope, it is fixed at the top point of the finished wall and the rows of masonry are corrected if the line is littered with respect to the reference vertical. Plumb work requires a skilled builder's eye.
Laser type of level appeared relatively recently and gained wide popularity. It looks like a tripod with a floating head attached to it. The latter always occupies a horizontal position in space. The head is equipped with a laser emitting a colored beam. It is a reference horizontal or vertical line relative to which work is performed. The laser magnetic level is a slightly different design. Its base contains a magnet that is simply applied to vertically mounted metal posts or a wall.
Water level. It serves to draw a zero mark, relative to which this or that type of work will be carried out, for example, a screed device, hemming the ceiling, fastening the first row of tiles, etc. To work with such a device, two people are needed - one holds the original flask on the mark, the second exposes all other points. The level must be properly filled with water, avoiding the formation of airbubbles inside the tube.
Bubble type level detector. The so-called masonry level, which is used by masons when erecting walls. It is also widely used in the construction of any frames, in plastering and many other places. It is a hollow profile tube made of light metal, into which mini-flasks with liquid and an air bubble are inserted. This bubble is the level indicator. Usually there are three such flasks: for the horizontal direction, vertical and at an angle of 45º.
Magnetic levels: where they apply
A type of building level from a series of bubbles, where magnets are included in the design, was called "magnetic level indicator". This tool has been specially designed for the installation of metal frame building elements. It is convenient to use it when welding square pipes and fastening various metal profiles. Also, all construction operations where a conventional bubble level is used can be performed using this device.
Magnetic levels have the following characteristics:
- Do not require fixing by hand to a controlled metal surface.
- Highly accurate and versatile.
- Can be made as an electronic magnetic level or with a built-in laser emitter.
How to check the magnetic level for accuracy?
When purchasing a building magnetic level from a seller, it does not hurt to verify its accuracy. To do this, right in the store you need to choose a flathorizontal surface and place the tool on it. The middle of the position that the bubble has taken should be marked with a thin marker. Next, put the level in the same place in the same place, only turn it 180º. The bubble on a working instrument should be in the same position.
Similarly check the correctness of the vertical level indicator. Do not take a defective tool in the hope that you can slightly correct it. Indicators exhibited on special factory stands. At home, this cannot be repeated.
How to use the magnetic level?
When welding, use the magnetic level as follows:
- The metal part is applied to the installation site and tack welded so that it can be easily bent to the sides.
- Attach a magnetic level to the part and bend it until it reaches the desired position.
- Carefully fixed by welding.
Conclusion
Due to the fact that modern construction technologies often use frame metal structures of buildings, magnetic levels were developed just in time. Equipping them with backlit electronic indicators made it much easier to use this tool, significantly reducing the load on the human visual organs.
