A meter yoke is the rigid bracket that holds a water meter inside the meter box. It keeps the inlet and outlet pipes at a fixed spacing and braces them. This lets the utility set or pull a meter fast. It is also called a meter setter.
A meter yoke is the rigid bracket that holds a water meter in place inside the meter box. It keeps the meter's inlet and outlet pipes lined up and spaced correctly. Plumbers and utilities also call it a meter setter.
What the yoke does
The yoke does more than hold the meter. It braces the service piping and takes on stress from the pipe, so that force is not carried by the meter itself. A key feature is that it holds the two pipe ends at the right spacing and braces them even when no meter is installed. That lets a worker drop a new meter straight in without re-fitting the pipe.
Setting and pulling meters
The yoke is built so the utility can set or pull a meter fast. It is sized for common home meters, such as 5/8-inch, 3/4-inch, and 1-inch meters. Many yokes also keep electrical ground continuity across the gap, since a metal water line is sometimes used as part of a home's electrical ground. Some models add a built-in bypass or check valve.
Where it fits in the system
The meter yoke sits in the meter box, after water leaves the curb stop. Water travels from the city main through the corporation stop, down the service line, past the curb stop, and into the meter the yoke holds. If you want to check your meter for a hidden leak, see how to do a water meter leak test.