Looking after, storing and carrying a laser level

The habit that counts most

Almost every self-levelling laser level works from a suspended pendulum. With the instrument switched off, that pendulum is mechanically locked; switched on, it hangs free and finds the horizontal. All the routine care there is comes down to that one difference, and to the switch that makes it.

Carrying an instrument switched on, with the pendulum free, means letting a suspended part knock against its stops at every bump. It is the first cause of a level going out, and it is entirely avoidable: switch off before packing away, always, even to cross the room.

How do you clean the optics?

The exit window is an optical surface: a scratch scatters the beam and thickens the line for good. Blow the dust off before touching anything, then wipe with a dry microfibre cloth in a single pass. No solvent, no household alcohol, no glass cleaner.

1. Blow the dust off first, without rubbing — site dust carries abrasive grit.
2. Wipe with a dry, clean microfibre cloth, in one pass.
3. For a greasy mark, damp the cloth slightly, never the instrument.
4. Never use solvent, household alcohol or glass cleaner, unless the instructions say otherwise.

And the body?

A damp cloth is enough. An instrument stated at IP54, like our 16-line, stands up to dust and splashing water — not to immersion, and not to a jet. IP54 does not allow cleaning with a hose. After a dusty day, wipe the body before the case closes.

How do you store it?

Four situations, four answers: at the end of the day switch off, wipe and put it back in the case; a night in the van is best avoided, since cold cuts battery capacity; for long storage, within the stated range and with the battery part-charged; after a fall, check the accuracy.

Ranges for storage and for use are two different things: our 16-line states use from -10 °C to 50 °C; where no storage range is published, the line does not appear on the page. Store the instrument dry, in its case, away from frost and out of direct sun.

When should you check the accuracy?

Four moments: on delivery, before the first job; after any fall, even without a visible mark; before work where an error would be costly, such as a screed, a large floor or a setting-out; and once a year in regular use. The test itself takes five minutes.

• On receipt, before the first job.
• After any fall, even with no visible mark.
• Before work where the error would cost dear: a screed, a large area, setting out.
• Once a year for regular use.

The procedure takes five minutes and needs only a wall and a pencil: the reversal test.

The accessories need looking after too

The threads on a tripod seize up with plaster dust: a pass with a brush before screwing on saves damaging the thread. Lever locks are cleaned dry. A detector's battery comes out for long storage, or it leaks and ruins the compartment.

The rest of the section is under accessories.