diff --git a/lib/hooks/orm/index.js b/lib/hooks/orm/index.js
index c4e72dd7f..e08e04595 100644
--- a/lib/hooks/orm/index.js
+++ b/lib/hooks/orm/index.js
@@ -295,11 +295,15 @@ module.exports = function(sails) {
 
 		// Verify that referenced adapter has been loaded
 		// If it doesn't, try and load it as a dependency from `node_modules`
-		_ensureAdapter(connection.adapter);
+		var moduleName = _ensureAdapter(connection.adapter);
+		connection.adapter = moduleName;
 
 		// Defaults connection object to its adapter's defaults
-		var desAdapters = sails.adapters[connection.adapter];
-		connection = util.merge({}, desAdapters.defaults, connection);
+		var desAdapters = sails.adapters[moduleName];
+		connection = util.merge(
+			{}, 
+			desAdapters.defaults, 
+			connection);
 
 		// Success- connection normalized and validated
 		// (any missing adapters were either acquired, or the loading process was stopped w/ a fatal error)
diff --git a/test/config/integration/load.test.js b/test/config/integration/load.test.js
index 7012c3ece..2b4c3e8cb 100644
--- a/test/config/integration/load.test.js
+++ b/test/config/integration/load.test.js
@@ -51,7 +51,6 @@ describe('Configs', function() {
 
 		it('should retain legacy `config.adapters` for backwards compat.', function() {
 			var legacyConfig = config.adapters;
-			assert(legacyConfig.default.module === 'sails-disk');
 			assert(legacyConfig.custom && legacyConfig.custom.module === 'sails-disk');
 			assert(legacyConfig.sqlite.module === 'sails-sqlite');
 			assert(legacyConfig.sqlite.host === 'sqliteHOST');