A.Y. McDonald Meter Adapters

A.Y. McDonald Meter Adapters: Simplifying Water Meter Installations

Measuring and recording water usage with a meter is essential to the function of a water service lateral. These devices sit between the main supply line and the structure, measuring usage accurately. This is so, when the homeowner gets the bill, it's based on what they’ve used with no guesswork. In addition, water meters help catch leaks early and give a heads-up if something's off, contributing to water conservation.

Water meters often connect to the water service lateral via a coupling, valve, setter, fitting, box, or pit. Smaller water meters (5/8”, 5/8” x 3/4”, 3/4”, and 1”) include threads located on both the inlet and outlet so that the device can join onto a meter connection. The end of larger meters (1 1/2” and 2”) use bolts through holes rather than threads to attach the meter, which is called a flange connection. Below is a table that shows the standard meter dimensions:

With multiple meter sizes and connections in the industry, a utility or municipality may not carry all the options available. In this instance, time and money can be saved by investing in meter adapters. Meter adapters are necessary when the size of the water meter and the size of the meter connection don’t match. The meter adapter simply converts the meter size and/or lay length.

A.Y. McDonald offers a variety of meter adapter options for both flange and threaded meter applications. Thread meter adapters include the 710J13, 710J14, 710J23, 710J24, and 710J34. Flange meter adapters include the 710J46, 710J47, 710J67, and the 710J67DHX2. For example, A.Y. McDonald’s 710347 meter adapter is used to adapter a 3/4” threaded meter to fit a 1” meter. See below for a visual of this scenario.

Meter adapters allow the user to find value, savings, and convenience if they can standardize their buying by warehousing less meter connection sizes. In the grand scheme of water infrastructure, these small yet vital components play a significant role. Their importance might often go unnoticed, but their impact on efficient water management is undeniable.

Learn more about water meter adapters by taking the ’Common Meter Thread Connections and Adapters’ and ‘Common Flange Meter Connections and Adapters’ AYU courses, calling our customer service department at 1-800-277-2737, or filling out a Contact Us form on aymcdonald.com.