Water meter service installation

A water meter service installation including both a water meter and a backflow protection device, both utilizing the same water meter box. The present installation can be retrofitted to existing meter boxes in the field as an elongated tubular extension is detachably connected to the water meter box in alignment with an opening therein, the extension extending therefrom and being capable of housing a cartridge insert member telescopingly positioned therein, the cartridge insert member having a pair of check valves in series to prevent backflow of water through the meter. By utilizing the tubular extension bolted to the exterior of the meter box, very little, if any area is taken up within the meter box and, thus, an existing meter box can still accommodate the conventional water meter while being provided with a backflow protection device in the form of a double valve cartridge insert.

1. A water meter service installation comprising:

a water meter through which water from a water inlet line flows to a water outlet line;

a meter box enclosing said water meter, said meter box including a bottom tray section having side walls, end walls with oppositely disposed openings therein and an upwardly facing mouth, and an upper section having side walls, end walls and a downwardly facing mouth for mating with the upper facing mouth of said bottom try section in a common plane;

a first meter support fitting means carried by said bottom tray section in alignment with one of said openings and having a passage therethrough, said first meter support fitting means also having an outer end portion arranged to be connected to the water inlet line and inner end portion for sealingly supporting said water meter;

a second meter support fitting means carried by said bottom tray section in alignment with the other of said openings, said second meter support fitting means being arranged to be connected to the water outlet line, said second meter support fitting means including an elongated tubular extension member carried by said bottom tray section and having a major portion of the same extending outwardly of the bottom tray in alignment with the other of said openings, said elongated tubular extension member having an outer end arranged to be connected to the water outlet line, and a cartridge insert member telescopically extending into said tubular extension member and having an end portion positioned within said bottom tray section for sealingly supporting said water meter, said cartridge insert member having a passage therethrough with a pair of check valves in series therein to prevent backflow from said water outlet line through said water meter to said water inlet line, a major portion of said cartridge insert member and said check valves being positioned in said major portion of said tubular extension member outside of said meter box;

sealing means between said tubular extension member and said cartridge insert member;

and means for retaining said cartridge insert member against axial movement relative to said tubular extension member, said last mentioned means permitting removal of said cartridge insert member from said tubular extension member after said meter has been removed without removal of said tubular extension.

2. A water meter service installation as claimed in claim 1 in which said means for detachably supporting said tubular extension member on said bottom tray section includes a pair of oppositely disposed lugs extending outwardly of said tubular extension member for abutting against an exterior of said bottom tray section, said lugs having apertures extending therethrough, said bottom tray section having holes extending through the one of said end walls adjacent the other of said openings for aligning with said apertures in said lugs, and threaded bolts extending inwardly of said meter box through said apertures in said lugs and through said holes, and nuts threaded onto said bolts from within said bottom tray section.

3. A water meter service installation as claimed in claim 2 in which said means for retaining said cartridge insert member against axial movement relative to said tubular extension member includes a pair of oppositely disposed lugs extending outwardly of the end portion of said cartridge insert member positioned within said bottom tray section, said lugs abutting an interior surface of said bottom tray section and having slots therein for receiving ends of said bolts outwardly of said nuts, and a second pair of nuts threaded onto said bolts and abutting against said pair of lugs on said cartridge insert member for retaining the same against axial movement relative to said tubular extension member.

4. A water meter service installation as claimed in claim 1 in which said means for retaining said cartridge insert member against axial movement relative to said tubular extension member includes providing an axially extending finger on an end of said tubular extension member, said finger extending through said other opening into said bottom tray section, said finger having a radially extending threaded aperture therethrough, said cartridge insert member having a radially inwardly extending hole in the end portion of the same positioned within said bottom tray section, said last mentioned hole being aligned with said threaded aperture of said tubular extension member when said cartridge insert member is telescopingly received in said tubular extension member, and a set screw threaded into said threaded aperture in said tubular extension member and having its end received in the hole in said cartridge insert member.

5. A water meter service installation as claimed in claim 4 in which said set screw has a bolt head thereon for reception of a wrench.

6. A water meter service installation as claimed in any one of claims 1, 4 or 5 in which said means for detachably supporting said tubular extension member on said bottom tray section includes a pair of oppositely disposed lugs extending outwardly of said tubular extension member for abutting against the one of said end walls of said bottom tray section adjacent the other of said openings, said lugs having threaded apertures therethrough, holes extending through the one of said end walls adjacent the other of said openings for aligning with said threaded apertures in said lugs, and threaded bolts extending from the interior of said meter box through said holes and threaded into said threaded apertures.

7. A water meter service installation as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 in which said sealing means includes an O ring carried in a groove on the exterior of said cartridge insert member, said O ring abutting the interior of said tubular extension member to prevent water from entering into said meter box.

8. A water meter service installation as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 in which said sealing means includes an O ring carried in a groove in said tubular extension member, said O ring abutting the exterior of said cartridge insert member.

9. A water meter service installation as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein each of said pair of check valves in said cartridge insert member is spring urged towards closed position and opened by pressure of water flowing through said water meter.

10. A water meter service installation as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein said upper section of said water meter box includes a removable lid for reading said water meter and/or servicing said cartridge insert member.

11. A water meter service installation as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein said first meter support fitting means includes an off-on valve means for controlling flow of water into said meter.

The present invention relates to an improved water meter service installation which includes a water meter box which may be retrofitted with a backflow preventer device in combination with the water meter. More specifically, the water meter box, which is of generally conventional design includes a bottom tray section having side walls, end walls with oppositely disposed openings therein and an upper section having side walls and end walls and a downwardly facing mouth for mating with the upwardly facing mouth of the bottom tray section in a common plane. A first meter support fitting means with a passage therethrough is carried by the bottom tray section in alignment with one of the openings, the first meter support fitting means being connected on its outer end to a water inlet line. The inner end of the first meter support fitting means sealingly supports the inlet to the water meter. A second meter support fitting means is also carried by the bottom tray section in alignment with the other opening in the same, the second meter support fitting means being arranged to be connected to a water outlet or service line. The second meter support fitting means includes an elongated tubular extension member detachably carried by the bottom tray section and extending outwardly thereof. The tubular extension member is adapted to be attached to the outlet or service line and is in alignment with the other of the openings in the end wall of the bottom tray section. A cartridge insert member is telescopingly slid into the elongated tubular extension member from the interior of the water meter box, the cartridge insert member having an end portion positioned within the bottom tray section for sealingly supporting the water meter. A pair of in-line check valves are provided in the passage of the cartridge insert member to prevent backflow from the water outlet or service line through the water meter to the water inlet line and sealing means are provided between the elongated tubular extension member and the cartridge insert member to prevent water from leaking back into the inside of the meter box. Means are provided to prevent the cartridge insert member against axial movement relative to the tubular extension member when the meter is inserted or removed from the installation. This insures no possible leakage after complete assembly of the installation.

By such an arrangement as described above, the cartridge insert member may be serviced solely from within the meter box by being removed axially from within the tubular insert member for repair or replacement after the meter has been removed and, thus, the tubular insert member does not have to be disconnected from the outlet or service line. Additionally, by having the elongated tubular extension member with a major portion extending outwardly from the end wall of the meter box, the cartridge insert member with the backflow preventer valves therein can be inserted into position where a majority of the same is actually positioned outside of the periphery of the meter box and, thus, will not take up space in an existing meter service installation so retrofitted.

The means provided for preventing axial movement of the cartridge insert member relative to the tubular extension member when the same has been inserted into the tubular extension member directly detachably couples the two members together. In one modification, the same bolts used to attach the elongated tubular extension member to the bottom tray section are also used to attach the cartridge insert member operatively to the tubular extension member and meter box and, thus, the cartridge insert member can still be removed without removal of the elongated tubular extension member. Another modification utilizes a set screw threaded into a threaded aperture or hole in an axially inwardly extending lug or finger on the tubular extension member, the set screw having its inner end received in a hole in the outer surface of the cartridge insert member for retention of the same.

One advantage of the meter box installation retrofitted as above described is that existing meter boxes in the field can be modified at less expense to the customer as it will not require replacement of the meter box and will require less pipe joints. Another advantage of the present invention is that if new meter boxes are being installed, they can be modified to accommodate a backflow prevention device without the necessity for a larger meter box and/or extra couplings. Finally, once installation has been set up in the field, the servicing of the meter and/or the backflow preventer device can be accomplished from entirely within the meter box without the necessity of disconnecting either the inlet line or the outlet or service line.

Also, the backflow prevention device can be tested for leakage without being removed from the meter. For testing the backflow prevention device, the water meter is removed from the meter box and any leakage of the device would then be noted at the inner end of the cartridge insert member, the inner end being located in the inside of the meter box.