# HVL -100 doesn't level anymore



## endo_alley_revisited (Aug 9, 2016)

I have a couple of PLS HVL -100 lasers. One of them seems to have stopped self leveling. The units are out of the 3 year warranty. PLS says to chuck it and buy a new one. I am just checking if anybody knows of a shop that repairs them? Or is this something that has a hack to get it going again. The HVL -100 has a little motor (assisted I think by a gyro) that keeps the beams plumb and level. Some of the other lasers are gravity plumbed like a plumb bob, but not this unit.


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## MrWillys (Mar 10, 2014)

They always gave me a credit for sending in the old one that went towards the new. I haven't bought one in over 5 years so may've changed. I used PLS-180's.


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## keke (Mar 7, 2012)

I had one the same with the same problem and PLS said it can't be repaired. If you want to buy a similar one look at BOSCH or...... DEWALT green beam which comes with 10.8 v battery ( worth the money)


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## endo_alley_revisited (Aug 9, 2016)

There is a lot about the PLS -HVL 100 that I like. But with the last few PLS products I have bought, (PLS 1, 2, 5 180, HVL 100...) they seem to last about 6 months past the warranty period. PLS and a few other manufacturers (Spectra Physics in the past) used to repair and recalibrate their tools. Now they want you to just use them for 3 years and toss them. As far as the PLS -HVL 100 in question, I can hear the leveling motor trying to level out the beam. It is probably some small component that is out of whack. Seems stupid to have to throw away an $800.00 tool for some small part or adjustment. I will take it apart and see if there isn't an easy fix. Probably there isn't without some technical knowledge of the tool.


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## keke (Mar 7, 2012)

http://www.bosch-pt.com.au/au/en/line-laser-gll-8-40-e-131496-0601063hb0.html


this is the bosch I was talking about ..... looks tougher then pls


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## Aussiecontractor (Oct 6, 2014)

Why don't you go a full rotation laser I'm not a fan of these types of lasers take to long to set up and not as accurate 


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## gazman (Apr 29, 2011)

I have had one of these for over 10 years, AWESOME laser.

http://www.spectralasers.com/en/hv301-interior-laser.html#.WX8Ov7ZLfIU


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## endo_alley_revisited (Aug 9, 2016)

Aussiecontractor said:


> Why don't you go a full rotation laser I'm not a fan of these types of lasers take to long to set up and not as accurate
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


I have a few rotating lasers. None of the guys like to use them. The HVL-100 seems pretty accurate. And projects a level horizontal line, plumb vertical line, and a square vertical line. With 360 degree lines. And it sets well on an 11' tripod that I have. So it is good for acoustic ceiling layout and wall layout. The problem is, they just don't seem to last much longer than the warranty. For $ 800 apiece, I would like them to last a little longer.


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## Aussiecontractor (Oct 6, 2014)

Really? What about when setting out walls they take ages to square up to your marks, well the ones I have used any way.
With rotation laser I set it on the 1st mark walk to the other side with the remote and adjust the beam so it's over the line perfect . With the other laser it's a 2 man job while one adjusts the laser the other is telling what way it needs to go and you piss fart around for ages until the beam finally lays on your mark 


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## keke (Mar 7, 2012)

Aussiecontractor said:


> With the other laser it's a 2 man job while one adjusts the laser the other is telling what way it needs to go and you piss fart around for ages until the beam finally lays on your mark


it's one man job if you use the receiver and they have fine adjustment too ..... but this is the best on the market now and for me has just one issue ..... no green beam :furious:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itWobO2kOLE


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## Aussiecontractor (Oct 6, 2014)

Leica are a good brand I had a lecia rugby was a good laser till someone knocked of the wall 
Now we use hilti pr 36 green beam awsome laser 


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## endo_alley_revisited (Aug 9, 2016)

Aussiecontractor said:


> Really? What about when setting out walls they take ages to square up to your marks, well the ones I have used any way.
> With rotation laser I set it on the 1st mark walk to the other side with the remote and adjust the beam so it's over the line perfect . With the other laser it's a 2 man job while one adjusts the laser the other is telling what way it needs to go and you piss fart around for ages until the beam finally lays on your mark
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Doesn't seem so hard. If you have a chalk line on the floor, you just set the plumb point over the line. Then rotate until the vertical line centers on the chalk line. You can then square off that point quite easily.


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## Aussiecontractor (Oct 6, 2014)

Yeah true. But if your doing a lot of walls that's a lot of pinging lines 


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## keke (Mar 7, 2012)

Aussiecontractor said:


> Yeah true. But if your doing a lot of walls that's a lot of pinging lines
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


never seen that as a problem... we always chalk 2 lines.... to be 100 % there's no mistakes .... and there are days when we do just this and the line will be there the next day too ... no need for laser setup again


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## endo_alley_revisited (Aug 9, 2016)

Aussiecontractor said:


> Yeah true. But if your doing a lot of walls that's a lot of pinging lines
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


The chalk lines are a way of saving your layout so that you can layout one day and come back later to install the track. A laser just works as a tool to help you establish the lines quickly and accurately. The exception being drop ceilings ad acoustic ceilings. You can set the laser up horizontally and bend your wires immediately. And come back later to install the mains.


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## MrWillys (Mar 10, 2014)

endo_alley_revisited said:


> The chalk lines are a way of saving your layout so that you can layout one day and come back later to install the track. A laser just works as a tool to help you establish the lines quickly and accurately. The exception being drop ceilings ad acoustic ceilings. You can set the laser up horizontally and bend your wires immediately. And come back later to install the mains.


I tried that once 35 years ago and what a waste of time. First, establish a longitudinal line either off center of column or exterior shell. Glaziers are far better than Ironworkers so guess who I used. Drive concrete nails ( Hilti 1 1/2" pins) into the mud and pull a jet line taught. Then mark it out every 25' or so snapping the line to assure it is straight. Then pick a point as open as possible and choose any multiple of 3, 4, 5. In a highrise I would swing 30, 40, 50 in opposite directions and when you draw a string across it it should land on your starting point. As you progress up the tower transfer your own lines to the next floor and never trust a surveyor or you'll have offsets in your shafts.
Lasers have their place but establishing control lines is not one of them if you're a layout man. The laser will transfer your line up to the next floor. My back bag was always red and still is. Blue chalk for tenant work and red for shell work or mortar dye is the ultimate. I use white when setting interior finishes.








From a lesson I gave as an Instructor.


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## Aussiecontractor (Oct 6, 2014)

Ok I do ping lines for the floor tracks I'll ping out a whole job with black permanent chalk 

but the marks we put down for the laser are just that 2 marks 50-100mm out from the wall
If I had lines pinged everywhere floor tracks would be put in the wrong places because some employees don't think and that can become costly if I wasn't in site one day to pick it up


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## MrWillys (Mar 10, 2014)

That's why I snap both side and paint intersections. I also lock down blue chalk with paint. Any building that has carpet in the hallway gets blue chalk so it doesn't get tracked on the carpet.


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## Aussiecontractor (Oct 6, 2014)

MrWillys said:


> That's why I snap both side and paint intersections. I also lock down blue chalk with paint. Any building that has carpet in the hallway gets blue chalk so it doesn't get tracked on the carpet.




We are contract not on hourly if I could afford to do this we would

I ping one line put an x on the side the track is to be laid 
Mark a laser reference point and move on 
Once wall tracks are laid we use the laser reference points to line up laser build wall plumb move on to next wall 
Easy and fast especially when we are doing night works in shopping centres with strict deadlines and we need to finish a section every night because they trade during the day 



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## keke (Mar 7, 2012)

Timber panels ceiling with different angles and shapes ...... mark everything on the floor - photo is just a corner of the ceiling -and after start build the ceiling 




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## MrWillys (Mar 10, 2014)

Aussiecontractor said:


> Ok I do ping lines for the floor tracks I'll ping out a whole job with black permanent chalk
> 
> but the marks we put down for the laser are just that 2 marks 50-100mm out from the wall
> If I had lines pinged everywhere floor tracks would be put in the wrong places because some employees don't think and that can become costly if I wasn't in site one day to pick it up


 After you move 100 lf of wall you realize you can't afford not to. How much onger does it really take while you're already there?


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## endo_alley_revisited (Aug 9, 2016)

MrWillys said:


> I tried that once 35 years ago and what a waste of time. First, establish a longitudinal line either off center of column or exterior shell. Glaziers are far better than Ironworkers so guess who I used. Drive concrete nails ( Hilti 1 1/2" pins) into the mud and pull a jet line taught. Then mark it out every 25' or so snapping the line to assure it is straight. Then pick a point as open as possible and choose any multiple of 3, 4, 5. In a highrise I would swing 30, 40, 50 in opposite directions and when you draw a string across it it should land on your starting point. As you progress up the tower transfer your own lines to the next floor and never trust a surveyor or you'll have offsets in your shafts.
> Lasers have their place but establishing control lines is not one of them if you're a layout man. The laser will transfer your line up to the next floor. My back bag was always red and still is. Blue chalk for tenant work and red for shell work or mortar dye is the ultimate. I use white when setting interior finishes.
> 
> 
> ...


Control lines are one thing. And an important thing. But after that, there is general wall layout. If you are working in a tenant finish space for example, you often must make something out of previously framed demising walls, soffits, stairways, elevator shafts, existing plumbing layout, etc.. And they can be in conflict with grid lines. Often walls must be framed which are neither parallel nor square to control lines. Yet parallel or square to other existing walls. And then there is transferring floor layout on to grid ceilings. Sometimes a building is slightly racked. So that one or more exterior walls are neither square nor parallel to control lines. And you must reason whether a particular wall should be framed square off the grid lines (perfect world) or off the existing wall as it sits. (real world). 345 triangles are always the best tool for checking square. But a laser is a necessary tool also.


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## endo_alley_revisited (Aug 9, 2016)

MrWillys said:


> That's why I snap both side and paint intersections. I also lock down blue chalk with paint. Any building that has carpet in the hallway gets blue chalk so it doesn't get tracked on the carpet.


Do you lock your lines in with clear lacquer or shellac if the track is not immediately being shot in?


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## MrWillys (Mar 10, 2014)

endo_alley_revisited said:


> Do you lock your lines in with clear lacquer or shellac if the track is not immediately being shot in?


I used yellow to lock my lines down as it was easier to find afterwards. 
I did a highrise once where the exterior glazing was 2" skewed to the column lines so I understand about making field adjustments. For me mistakes are to common place when both sides are not snapped.
Using mortar dye the day after the slab was placed was always best.


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