Required Materials:

Transparent tubing 1/2” dia or larger.

Length depends on size of garden i.e. if the garden is large, more tubing is better. The length we use is about 70 feet.

Yardsticks (2) or measuring tapes mounted on 1x2” wood 6ft long (2)

If the elevation differences in your garden are minor you’ll be OK with 2 yardsticks. If they are considerable, you’re better off with 2 measuring tapes mounted on  pieces of wood.

Transparent packing tape

Water and a drop of food colouring

Construction:

Attach tubing with transparent packing tape to yard sticks. If you use the measuring tapes, attach measuring tapes with two small screws (one at bottom, one at the top) to 1x2” pieces. Next attach the tubing to the “measuring stick”. Make sure you let the tubing curve away from the stick at the bottom (no kinks!).

Charging the system:

Using a small funnel and a small cup start filling the tube with the slightly coloured water. The colour will assist reading the level, clear water in bright sunshine is sometimes hard to see. The two “measuring sticks” are best set side by side (upright!) while doing this and the tubing should be more or less all at the same level as the bottom of the measuring sticks..

Depending on the size of the tubing it will take some time to fill! It is easy to see the progress of the water through the tubing. As soon as you see the water approach the bottom of the second stick stop filling and let the level equalize. It will take some time for all the air to find its way out! But there is no rush!!

With both of the “measuring sticks” in as perpendicular position as possible, carefully fill to an even reference mark i.e. 12” or 15”. When the water is equalized both should read the same value, provided the sticks are side by side on a level surface!!  Please note that larger diameter tubing is easier and quicker to equalize. On the other hand; the larger the tubing, the more cumbersome the handling, especially if there are many feet of it!

side by side comparison

Testing:

Take a concrete block and measure the three dimensions relative to the reference face.

Using a bucket filled with aggregate, to clamp the one yardstick to, allows for  one man operation of the waterlevel.