How to Use an Optical Transit

Every yard has a grade. That is to say, every yard should slope downward from the house to the street. This allows water to run away from a house and prevents damage to the foundation. When grading a yard, you use an optical transit. An optical transit looks similar to a telescope but it allows you to determine how far the land between two given objects falls.

Instructions

- 1
  Snap the optical transit onto the tripod and spread the tripod legs out as far as they will go. It is important that all of the tripod legs rest firmly on the ground. Adjust the legs up or down until the spirit level, which is a small glass tube with a bubble in it indicates the transit is level. You must position the transit across the street so you can view the foundation wall and the curb though the eye of the transit.
- 2
  Place the numbered stick provided with the transit against the foundation wall in a vertical position. Write down the number located in the cross hairs of transit lens.
- 3
  Move the transit stick to the curb and hold it in a vertical position. Write down the number that displays in the cross hairs of the transit lens.
- 4
  Subtract the second number for the first to determine the grade or slope of the yard.

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