As a result of our recent kitchen re-do, I'm going to be replacing some beige electrical outlets with new white ones. I've noticed that throughout the house the outlets appear (to me) to be "upside down". And even the electrician, when he upgraded and added a couple of new outlets in the kitchen, also installed them the same orientation. Is it just me or is there a right and wrong way to orient an outlet? My instincts tell me the pic below shows the right way, but even online, I see several instructional sites showing them upside down. Why the disparity? Or is it all a matter of personal preference (or the installers laziness)?

BTW, as I'm writing this I'm remembering the old thread about someone worrying about whether the outlet cover screw heads were aligned properly, so I guess I may not be as anal as I thought.

Traditional is ground down. However, there is no right or wrong way to install it - sometimes upside down is better for the way a cord will hang, specifically flush fitting plugs, like a microwave would have on them - then upside down, so the cord will fit flush to the wall, is proper.

And make sure you get that screw head straight up and down or left to right, otherwise nothing will work and the earth will stop rotating on it's axis properly. I mean, come on, that's just common sense!

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Good Luck!
Jamie Dresser
Other World Computing

Found some interesting stuff via google
[www.askmehelpdesk.com]
[www.selfhelpforums.com]

I even found one page talking about installing them sideways.

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are they 3 phase 480v?

This was just a topic covered in Fine Homebuilding magazine (aka pron for builders)
and here was the explanation given.

If it is an outlet where a grounded (3 prong) appliance is used then it is installed as you show
with the ground down because these appliances (normally fridge, washer, dryer) have a
90° offset plug installed so this way puts less stress on the cord and keeps it from pulling out.
FWIW - I have one in my office I installed that way because the surge protector has that 90° off st.

Now for general installation the author (an electrician) said the ground is installed up because
if the plug was partially out and something thin and metal fell it would deflect off the exposed ground pin
and that would keep from shorting the circuit, wheich would happen if the hot and neutral
were crossed with said falling thin metal object.

For that same reason if the receptacle is installed in the horizontal position the the ground pin
would be installed facing left, which would put the neutral blade at the top of the receptacle
to once again to protect the circuit from being shorted by all of these thin metal falling objects.

Personally - I prefer the ground down except for the noted circuits with dedicated 90° plugs
but I have been in many commercial buildings under construction and see them ground up.

Guess it's a personal preference.

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I was told to install them ground up, so that if a wire or other thin object should fall across a loose plug at the point where it enters the socket, it will be blocked by the ground and not come into direct contact with the hot blade.

I notice that heavy duty plugs on appliances like washers often come with molded plugs such that the ground is at the "top" of the plug.

Ditto on what lafinfil says; that's how I always heard it.

Lately, I've been using these in certain spots; seems to negate most of these issues:



[www.cyberguys.com]

You can leave it "face forward" for those down-angle plugs or rotate for other needs. Has worked great behind the printer stand, washing machine, etc.

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in my house (less than 5 years old) -- they are upside down when being controled by a switch

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Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.

That's a nice little device Ralph - thanks

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a pivoting 6 outlet power block. how cool is that!

You can always install these:

rotating outlets:

[360electrical.com]

Town electrical inspector here wants them ground up.
His theory , kids and coins and toys.

He's so anal about it he won't sign off if they are ground down.


Use screwless snap on covers.

Just ordered a copy of the Cyberguys catalog, looks like it will have lots of neat stuff in it. Thanks for the tip, Zoidberg!

[www.cyberguys.com]

now, THAT is cool. I nominate it for the "why the h*** didn't I think of that" award.

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Hurts like a bastid...

This is great...and very informative. Thanks. I'm actually pleased to know there is a method to the madness. I guess I'll try to match the other visible outlets.

I can't believe you noticed.

Now that you brought it to my attention:
I just went and looked around, and it seems the majority are ground down, tho there are at least two ground up, one is one of two outlets behind the kitchen counter, where appliances would be plugged.

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And we should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once.
—Friedrich Nietzsche
Western Massachusetts

wurm-
Also, from my recent dishwasher fire experience, think about an Arc Fault breaker for your kitchen appliances.
billb-
Is it legal for the inspector to do that ? I mean, if the orientation isn't in the code, then he's not allowed to do that.

I think that the ground up orientation is an old IBEW training idea, which has migrated into inspection and whatnot. National Fire Protection Code doesn't care about orientation, just type and height above ground.

Ground down in almost every where I have been.

Ground up looks wrong and is annoying - even if there is a tiny bit of practical sense behind it.

Everyone knows electricity (electron flow) only flows left to right (except in Israel). Negative to Positive. Big lead to small lead for polarized house wiring.

However, since it's AC, it doesn't matter.

Electrons flow faster downhill.
Your electricity will be more efficient if the ground prong hole is at the bottom of the outlet.

In my high school basic electricity course, we were taught ground down. The reason was that if the plug started to pull out, the ground would be the last connection to break. This was before double insulated tools were the norm.

I don't think that the electrical inspector would have a leg to stand on with his position. If it's not in the National Electric Code (which it isn't) and isn't in the local building code - he can't really enforce it.

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lafinfil
For that same reason if the receptacle is installed in the horizontal position the the ground pin would be installed facing left, which would put the neutral blade at the top of the receptacle to once again to protect the circuit from being shorted by all of these thin metal falling objects.

Pennies from heaven, perhaps?

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It is what it is.

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MikeF
Everyone knows electricity (electron flow) only flows left to right (except in Israel). Negative to Positive. Big lead to small lead for polarized house wiring.

However, since it's AC, it doesn't matter.

Actually, the hot lead is the small one, the neutral is larger... And it does matter how they're wired for double insulated tools, and for switched appliances/lights without separate grounds. The idea is to have the switch cut off the power before the appliance/tool/light etc., not to have the entire item energized with the the neutral switched.

Cary

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billb
Town electrical inspector here wants them ground up.
His theory , kids and coins and toys.

He's so anal about it he won't sign off if they are ground down.


Use screwless snap on covers.

code be damned, the inspector is the person you need to please.

A friend couldn't get the electricals signed of on his new garage unless he had the primed siding painted, and 2 smoke detectors on each floor of his house. Neither were something that the electrical inspector was charged with inspecting with respect to the permit for the garage, but he had to be pleased, or no matter how the garage was wired, he wouldn't sign off on it.

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Zoidberg
Ditto on what lafinfil says; that's how I always heard it.

Lately, I've been using these in certain spots; seems to negate most of these issues:



[www.cyberguys.com]

You can leave it "face forward" for those down-angle plugs or rotate for other needs. Has worked great behind the printer stand, washing machine, etc.

Costco is selling a pack with 2 of these and a straight strip for $23.49.

I believe the NEC still does not require a specific position re: the ground prong. Back in 1999 during a Trade Electric class I was taking, the class text recommended that the ground prong be installed up or to the left for the reasons stated earlier (I remember it as "Down, Right, Dangerous" when looking at the ground prong). A senior electrician I was talking with, was espousing ground down, mainly because of appliance plugs. I walked over to the nearby fridge, looked at the plug and, the cord would have hung with the least amount of strain if the ground prong was up. Times change ;) .

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macphanatic
In my high school basic electricity course, we were taught ground down. The reason was that if the plug started to pull out, the ground would be the last connection to break.

Except the ground pin is commonly longer than both hot and neutral pins, so regardless of the orientation or how the plug might fall out, the ground pin would be the first in and last one out. FILO.