| Author |
Message |
Randy Davidson
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 2:16 am: | |
When wiring a grounded three-prong plug is it becoming popular (or law) to install the receptacle with the ground prong in the upper most position?
All the homes I've owned always had the ground in the down position. But, the new plugs I purchased for the bus have printing on them (e.g. the company name) that is readable when the ground is UP. What's the latest on this? |
John MC9
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 9:34 am: | |
Probably made for dyslextricians? |
Cory Dane
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 10:49 am: | |
Now the outlets in my home are not top to bottom but side to side, so is it law to have the ground on the left or the right???
As I recall, the only mention was 12" above the floor for the entire outlet, now this is a home, not a vehicle, and every 9 feet apart. I think, its been a long time.
Place the ground plug in a position that looks best to you. I think down is the favorite since most "L" shaped cords have the cord direction going down with the ground term on the bottom of the outlet.
cd |
Ed Jewett (Kristinsgrandpa)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 11:36 am: | |
I couldn't find any thing in the NEC about positioning except that the receptacle needs to extend at least .015" from a metal faceplate.
The preferred position is to have the grounding hole on top. The reasoning behind this is to prevent a loosened metal cover from dropping onto a partially inserted extension cord prongs and causing a short circuit.
If you have proper overcurrent protection all it will do is trip a breaker/blow a fuse. It would probably ruin the cord and receptacle.
I've read a couple of posts on here where the owners hooked their A/C or other circuits directly to the buss (unfused) to keep the breaker from continually tripping.
That would mean the receptacle would be fused for a lot highter amperage (possibly 200 amps).
This is a no-no according to the code and all safe wiring practices. I made a mental note of the 2 posts and just won't camp next to their coaches. Firetruck and ambulance sirens hurt my ears.
One of the big things to remember is to not put receptacles in a horizontal surface like a countertop or work bench. (I guess if you drank real good coffee a half a cup wouldn't short it out but I wouldn't chance it)
Floor receptacles are permitted but require a special box. The only ones I ever installed had a screw on cover with a gasket.
Any other questions? I'll try to help.
Ed. |
Chuck Newman (Chuck_newman)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 2:15 pm: | |
Randy,
Ground pin on top was either required or going to be required in NEC several years ago. The idea was abandoned, at least for residential installations.
Several moulded plug/cord combinations are such that they will not conveniently work in an outlet with the ground conductor on top.
Take a trip to Lowes or Home Depot and check out the plugs and receptacles. They all will be designed for ground down. That said, their is nothing in the Code that says you cannot mount the ground pin up if you feel safer that way.
Chuck Newman
Oroville, CA |
t gojenola
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 3:29 pm: | |
I did a fairly large remodel on my home quite a few years ago, and in the process I asked this same question of the electrical contractor. In all the bedrooms they had been originally installed with ground lug up. But they had been split, bottom outlets hot, top outlets controlled by the wall switch. His reply was that this was how they were done in those days to indicate switched outlets. He installed new outlets throughout the house and the bedrooms ones are up - as before, all others down.
The inspector said he was surprised anybody still did it that way.
tg |
Dale Fleener (Dale_mc8)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 10:10 pm: | |
About 15 years ago I was working at the Quality Assurance Lab in Burbank CA when Cal OSHA was voted back into power. One of the actions taken at the lab was to replace all the outlets on the lab benches with GFI's. Only one GFI was installed per pedestal and a 'normal' outlet was installed in parallel with it. The ground contact was installed in the up location. I asked the electrician why and was told it was LA County code for industrial use. The reason I was given was that if the plug was not inserted completely and something fell on the prongs, it would not short across live wires. Just what I was told, I haven't looked it up. |
Tim Hoskinson (Tdh37514151)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 10:54 pm: | |
I worked 18 years in a local hospital. Started out in the bio medical or electronic repair shop and ended up as maintenance manager. During that time it became required in a hospital to mount all 120 volt 20 amp outlets ground up. The reason was as stated above if the steel outlet cover came loose and fell down on the ground pin no fire hazard would be present. If the phase conductor and neutral was up of course there would be a direct short. A flash if only until the breaker kicked could be a real danger with outlets mounted on the head wall around and just above the patients bed. That said there were other conserns about mounting outlets ground down that under heavy loads (FOR A 15 OR 20 AMP OUTLET) the outlet heated as it did the tension of the clasps would reduce. With the ground down the plug would tend to swing down and pull part of the phase conductor blade as well as the neutral blade out of the outlet clasp thus limiting surface contact and increasing temperature. Under normal use I personally don't think you will have a problem either way especially with the use of plastic covers. However if you are in the habit of using electirc space heaters that tend to pull a good bit of current I personally would install that outlet ground up. Best of luck Tim |
Eric David
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 03, 2006 - 12:59 pm: | |
Ground up or down has been a discussion ever since the sixties when the u-ground receptacle first saw the light of day. I always installed them in such a vertical position that the information on the yoke was readable, but that was my "workman like" method. As noted in the previous message in hospitals the ground up is the method. In addition to a metal plate falling on the hot and neutral pins, something else used may fall across the pins. This hazard can also be compensated for with arc fault circuit breakers. |