Fought with a concrete pour for 8 hours because of a bad laser level

I spent an entire Saturday fixing a slab that was off by 3/8 inch because I trusted a laser level that hadn't been calibrated in 2 years. Do you guys send yours out yearly or just wing it until something goes wrong?

2 comments

2 Comments

johnb952d ago

Funny you mention it, but the laser is usually not the problem. It's the tripod or the mount that gets knocked out of whack... people overlook that part. I've seen guys spend hours blaming the laser when really the bracket got bumped or the legs settled on soft ground. You ever check that? Also, concrete itself moves during the pour if you don't keep an eye on it... the mix can slump or push forms if it's too wet. 3/8 inch might not even be the laser, could be the crew or the base prep. Just something to think about next time.

reese_patel2d ago

Had a buddy who was tearing his hair out on a slab pour last spring, blamed his laser for a full day. Turns out one of his crew had set a cooler down right on the tripod leg during lunch and nobody noticed it shift. @johnb95 is spot on about the ground too, we were on fill that wasn't compacted great and the legs sank a little by afternoon. He finally checked the bracket and found a hairline crack in the plastic joint holding the laser head, something you'd never see if you were just looking at the beam. Now he marks his tripod spots with spray paint and checks the mount before he even turns the thing on.