how to buy/make new connections to water meter

[teatreeposter]

Our house has the main water line (3/4" copper) coming into the basement about 18" off the ground, then immediately turns vertical (almost flat against the wall) and goes up to the ceiling. In just the first 18" of that vertical section, there's a valve, then a spigot, then a valve, then the water meter on a loop that juts out horizontally, then another valve, then the check valve, then finally back to copper tube.

Since we bought the house, this stack of crusty, corroded old valves has had a slow leak or two. The house came with a bucket underneath the stack to catch the drips, which we empty once a month or so. I replaced all the copper tubing in the house with PEX, except for this initial section and the part from here to the water heater and just after it.

Well tonight, a new, faster leak showed up, I think coming from the check valve. I've tried previously to tighten the threaded connections between the various valves/loops/etc, but I always feel like the whole thing could crumble if I torque it too much, or just look at it the wrong way. So given the urgency of the new leak, and the fact that I couldn't get a plumber to come out on New Year's Eve, I figured I'd bite the bullet and cut out the whole mess and replace it with PEX.

The bottom-most valve *almost* closes fully, and after that and the spigot there's a decent ~6" length of copper tubing, so that's where I cut. Everything went fine until it came to putting the water meter back inline (Sensus SR II). It has threaded connectors, but they're not tapered; they're compression fittings. And the meter says "5/8" in a few places, including right next to the ports, but that's actually the ID of the inlet/outlet; the OD (thread diameter) is 1.25".

Here's the problem: I've been searching all over (Home Depot, Lowe's, SupplyHouse) and can't for the life of me find any kind of adapter/connector with 1.25" compression fittings. The meter was previously installed on a copper tube loop, where the ends of the tube were flanged out (like a tailpiece? I think that's the term...) into a flat surface, so a washer could be compressed between them and the flat ports on the meter. The previous nuts and washers all seem fine, so even if I could just find a 5/8" copper tube with a flanged end (a copper tailpiece?) that would be great, but I haven't been able to find one. I feel like I must be missing something here...

Thanks for any advice on this.

 

[BMWpowere36m3]

You referring to the horn:

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Cwhyu2]

You need what is called a meter tail piece connects to meter with the flanged side the other end is iron pipe size. miss read thread.

 

[hj]

1. I cannot imagine ANY water company allowing a "spigot ahead of the meter", because that would either be "free water", or "stolen water", depending on whether the company was feeling magnanimous.
2. the "loop" should be a meter mounting device and you connect to the ends of it.
3. IF you do not use the meter bracket, then you need "meter coupling tailpieces, nuts, and washers" to connect to it.
4. In most areas you are not allowed to work on the meter or any piping before it, (refer to #1 for the reason), and here it could be a $10,000.00 fine if you did it.

 

[teatreeposter]

Yes, the horn! That's what the meter was connected to before. I was hoping to replace it with something more streamlined and inline, and something PEX-based or at least PEX-friendly.

HJ:
1. That makes sense. Well, the spigot is definitely before the meter, but it's also non-functional (except for dripping which it does) -- the handle seems to have been removed, or broken? Been that way since we bought the place a few years ago, and our home inspector (who was also a plumber and seemed very competent) didn't bat an eye at it. The local water co is actually the township in our very small town, and from what I read in the local monthly meeting minutes, they don't seem terribly competent at anything.

4. Darn. That's frustrating. Would that mean that I'd have to hire a plumber, or that only the water co/township itself is allowed to work on it? And in that case, best to put it all back the way it was?

Thanks for all your help.

 

[hj]

Usually it means that only the utility is allowed to work on it and a plumber won't touch it. There should be no reason to work on the city side of the meter, anyway.

 

[teatreeposter]

Talked to some local plumbers; they say they regularly work on meters here, and on stuff between the street and the house, and the township people are fine with it. My meter didn't have any of the security wires or anything either, so I feel OK with proceeding.

But I still can't find any meter coupling tailpieces in the right size. Lowe's apparently doesn't carry them; Home Depot has only 3:

http://www.homedepot.com/b/N-5yc1v/Ntk-Extended/Ntt-meter+coupling+tailpiece?NCNI-5&browsestoreoption=2

But none of them seem to match the sizes of my threads. I'll attach a couple pics. Notice that the threads are much larger than the borehole, which actually is 5/8".

 

[BMWpowere36m3]

Can't you reuse the original horn with a couple threaded pex adapters.

 

[teatreeposter]

I could do that, but one of my goals (besides fixing what was leaking) is to move the meter to an inline position on this vertical section of pipe, rather than jutting off to the side horizontally, because in that horizontal position, it's blocking something else I'm working on in the basement.

But as I mentioned earlier, I *could* re-use the nuts and washers from the horn, if I could only find a couple of straight copper tailpieces in the right size...

 

[hj]

The threads are usually 1" pipe size, but they are not tapered so you need a meter tailpiece with a gasket. It is NOT a normal DIY item which is why the big box stores do not have them. You may find them at a plumbing wholesaler, if they will sell them to you, but if the utility only uses a meter yoke, there would not be much demand for them, in which case they won't have them.

 

[Reach4]

Maybe the water department would give you the needed connector, or at least identify a source.

 

[teatreeposter]

"The threads are usually 1" pipe size..."

But mine are exactly 1.25" (see photo above). Is this a nominal size vs. actual size thing, so that "1-inch pipe size" is really what I've got?

 

[Cwhyu2]

The meter threads are not ( I.P.S.) and you need the meter tailpeice to connect any type of pipe to your meter. You have a 5/8s meter need 5/8 tail peice with either 1/2 or 3/4 (M I.P.S) threads on one end like in the picture.

 

[Reach4]

Your thread on the meter and the mating part of the tailpiece would be NPSM 3/4-14 which is normal for a "5/8" meter.

NPSM - American Standard Straight Mechanical Pipe Thread

See table 5 of http://www.jaredzone.info/2012/03/american-pipe-threads.html

The thread OD (major diameter) is closet to 1 inch.

 

[teatreeposter]

Well I'll be darned. The one-incher does fit. I bought 2 of these:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Watts-1-in-x-3-4-in-Brass-FPT-x-MPT-Water-Meter-Adapter-LF-A907/202254986

1 in. x 3/4 in. Brass FPT x MPT Water Meter Adapter

...and 2 of these:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/SharkBit...-x-Female-Threaded-Adapter-UC088LFA/202270590

3/4 in. Brass PEX Barb x Female Threaded Adapter

That should do it. Thanks everyone for all the help.

 

[Mark Beatty]

Maybe the water department would give you the needed connector, or at least identify a source.

My company is a source:

https://www.utility.biz/products/3-...-lead-free-brass-swivel-nut-x-pex-tubing-barb