I am a master electrician, and I ran into an inspector who insisted on ground-up installs, no exceptions. Had a 50-amp 3-phase industrial digital printing machine with a “flat” or 90-degree plug on it with the ground located at the bottom as almost all flat plugs are. Had to twist the cord into an unnatural configuration with a bend that strained the appropriate bend radius, and caused the plug to not sit properly in the receptacle. Until manufacturers are universally mandated to create flat plugs with the ground up. I will continue to install ground down to avoid this safety issue.
I am of the opinion that every device* should come with flat plugs. Make it easier, and safer, when the outlet is behind furniture. Also less hazardous when the outlet is not behind furniture as there is nothing sticking out, acting as a trip hazard. We have a lamp plugged into a switch and into the outlet making it stick out farther than it would if the switch was not present and the extra weight makes it prone to falling out. *Except for things that are ment to be moved around, like power tools, vacuum cleaners, etc.
Same. How long did he say he threw a knife at the wall and still had to give up and intentionally drop it in to create a short? Considering: 1. Most plugs don't have a ground pin anyway, so it literally does not matter because if any of the incredibly unrealistic scenarios the ground uppers warn about happen, a short will still occur 2. None of my receptacles have a bunch of loose thin metal objects above them just waiting to fall 3. I plug in all my plugs fully 4. Ground up is a pain for any plug that was designed with an angle, and all angled plugs assume ground down I will always be a ground pin down guy, unless a code change forces otherwise. The ground up crowd does not have any arguments that are capable of convincing me anymore. They've all been debunked.
@@mjc0961Agreed, ground-up people are tiresome. When battery backups, enterprise equipment, refrigerators, microwaves, etc, etc come with ground-up right angle plugs, then I’ll make some changes. But currently, every single piece of professional or high-powered equipment requires ground-down. Sanity.
As a journeyman electrician, I personally install receptacles with ground facing down, except under two conditions. 1) The building blueprints or AHJ specify ground up, hospitals and doctor / dentist offices are the areas that come to mind. 2) I'm installing a half switched duplex receptacle, to make it easy for the homeowner to identify, and I configure it to have the switched portion on top such that a table lamp can be plugged in and used in lieu of a permanently installed luminaire, and a wall wart aka AC adapter can be constant power and hang down. Wall warts do not have polarized plugs, not that I'm aware of anyway. I dislike the ground up for a couple of reasons. First and most important are right angle plugs with grounding type or polarized plugs, night lights and air freshers. They all assume the ground down / neutral slot on the left. Secondly, if ever there was an open ground AND a metal picture frame or similar object fell and rests on the ground and hot prongs. instead of tripping the breaker it would energize the chassis of a metal cased lamp or appliance posing a serious shock hazard.
I do have some wall warts that are polarized (1 normal prong, 1 large prong). And they way they are set up would be for ground down. Because if the ground is up, then the bulk of the wart would be above the plug and cause it to lean out away from the wall.
@@tay13666 thanks for sharing, I never seen a wall wart with a polarized plug. Your situation is the big reason for my distaste for ground up receptacles.
@@Sparky-ww5re I only remember running into a couple. I think both were computer related. Either a printer, or a scanner. I only remember from trying to orient things on the power strip.
Not sure about my doctor's office, but I know my dentist's office has the receptacles either ground down or horizontal. I've also come across some reverse right angle plugs (with the cord coming out on "top," and many night lights have a rotatable plug, but I'd still 99% of the time prefer the ground down over ground up (I'd prefer the ground to be to the left over all, though)
If you're worried about dropping a thin metallic object so perfectly that it shorts out a protruding plug you should probably consider having your outlets modified to a horizontal position with neutral facing up.
If weight were applied on the plug while inserted into the outlet, it would destroy the plug that way. Both the hot and ground would be broken off. Not saying it's common but the way it is now the ground snaps off. if upside down, nothing breaks off. Also it's safer should you actually fall on the receptacle/plug (not likely but still possible).
Good point. Two more possible solutions for a situation where that may actually be a concern would be to cover the last 1/8th to 1/16th inch of the prongs with electrical tape, thin adhesive lined heat shrink tubing, etc or install the receptacle in some type of protected box such as a covered weather resistant box.
Good point but in a bonded ground system (North American standard), would a safer configuration be a tilted install with the ground up and the neutral prong at the same elevation shielding the live prong. A canopy of “safe”-to-drop-metal-bombs-across so called iron dome? A slant configuration would also help slightly the right angle plug situation if you place all items to the right of the outlet. Better yet have all connections attached with WAGO connectors to avoid any possibility of metal object arcing. Yes, that would be best I am sure if a bit inconvenient to call an electrically qualified individual to unplug a lamp.
I love how you mention that the manufactures instructions must be followed but don't bother to read any instructions that may have come with the device.
What I was trying to say is that he did not read the instructions to us or show us an image of the instructions so we can't tell if the instructions say anything about the orientation of the device. But he did mention that the instructions should be followed. I was just wondering exactly what the instructions said.@@TwilightxKnight13
A few years ago while on an inspection (I'm now a retired electrical inspector and licensed master electrician), the relator that owned the house told me the ground should face up because a home home inspector told her so, so there you have it.
All right angle plugs I have ever seen (where the wire does not come straight out but straight down towards the floor), the ground is always on the bottom. This tells me the manufacturers expect the receptacle to be in the ground down configuration. Think of other heavy duty plugs as well, ovens, clothes dryers, RV conversion plugs, they are all in the ground down position... So, my preference is ground down, unless there is a specific need for ground up, or horizontal.
Lately I purchased flat angled short extensions cords and when plugged in with ground at bottom the cord is pointed to the 2 o'clock position telling me they expected the plug to be ground up so cord would point towards the floor
@@parexc07 and on Friday I was working with cords that had it at the 5:00 position. and I know they make them so the connection swivels, so you can have it at any orientation. the standard for residential is ground down, unless there are special considerations, like a switched outlet, or a special appliance.
@@kenbrown2808 For dryers, yes. However, for ranges, typically the receptacle is so low to the ground that you want the cord to be pointing up (unless you have a drop-in, like us, which has no receptacle, and makes replacing it a massive pain), which will position the ground pin at the bottom.
@@xHadesStamps I should have said, 4 wire range and dryer cords have the cord coming out opposite the ground pin. best practice for "generic" electric ranges is to put the receptacle horizontal near floor level. of course, fancy ranges have specific locations for the receptacle.
European, French type plug and sockets seem the best. The socket is recessed from the wall surface and the plug pins are insulated until the very ends which will not be energized until they are pushed inside and hid by the socket plastic material.
I like split outlet ALWAYS HOT to be on top. Reason being the SWITCHED cord will be on the bottom, hanging down. Easy access for homeowners to TOP PORTION. comment please
Funny that 3 and 4 prong 203-250V cords are wired with the neutral/ground downwards and installing the receptacle incorrectly causes a weak connection on the plug that also puts undue strain on the cord itself.
I always thought it was determined by code of the area, now I've been educated. I know is certain parts of the country the outlets are even installed sideways. I learn something every time from your videos, thanks!
I replaced all the outlets in my home, and switched to ground up. Much of the reasoning was that I wanted to have a visible cue to indicate which ones I have already replaced. The motivation of the project was to use tamper-resistant receptacles (we're foster parents, so kid safety was a priority and we hate the plastic plugs). I also did it at our vacation condo to eliminate all the back-stab wiring.
I've never, ever heard of someone shorting a ground down outlet in the manner shown in your video. Ever! It's an issue that doesn't need a solution. Of course, I don't wrap myself in bubble wrap and hide in a closet.
I did it once. I had a metal tin sign sitting on top of a trash compactor. I knocked it and it fell and slid down the back and did exactly like in the video. Sparks, a bit of a bang, breaker tripped and sign was ruined on the edge that had blackened and a bit of metal vaporized and therefore missing.
While it is not "never," it is exceedingly rare. So, yes, it is not something that people should be concerned with. Besides, a ground up plug can also short if the metallic object dropped on it, slides down the side with the hot terminal.
My workplace has some ground-up recepticals. Since the ground prong is longest on plugs, it's slightly easier to get the it started with it being more visible on top.
Personally I do not care what orientation is used however I have many devices like surge protectors, air fresheners, night lights, ups's etc that have some sort of right angle type plug or are just designed to be used with ground down so that is how I install them in my own home. If the ground up/down really mattered for safety that much they would push to move on to another type of receptacle that has a recessed plug face and metal conductor on the pins only on half of the pin like is used in some other countries. Until more devices are designed to be used with ground up receptacles I will continue to install them in my home ground down even if the instructions say otherwise.
N. American plugs are the oldest in the world. The 2 prong goes back to 1912, and the 3 prong is from the 1920s, before a lot of our codes were written. NEMA didn't even exist until the 1930s. Many other country's plugs are from the 1940s, when a lot more was understood about the dangers of electricity. Also, many of those countries are running 230V, which packs a larger wallop.
As a DIY homeowner, I tend to do things for me that make more sense or convenience but still safe. I install outlets so that cords on molded right angle plugs hang down. Personally, I'd like to see outlets evolve to a horizontal mounting orientation with the individual outlets still vertical. that way someone could plug in two right angle plugs, say behind a dresser, and the cords wouldn't be bunched up. And while we're at it, modernize the outlets to accommodate transformer plugs too.
I like 90 degree male plugs for that reason, but ir's expensive to replace them. Good job for appliance manufacturers that put them on refridgerators and washing machines.
Commercial electrician here. Our crews always went ground down, except at a new school project where it was specified ground up. Our crew decided this was seen as a protection against something thin accidentally dropping and sliding behind a plug, which could cause a short in a very rare instance. That was the only reasoning we could come up with anyway.
Great video master electrician here in three states for over 40 years. It’s always been a topic of discussion. My preference is ground up It will act as a strain relief. Also ground up was preferred for switched outlets.
Can you explain to me this ground up theory on switched receptacles. Still an apprentice electrician but I have logged over 10,000 hours and have done residential, commercial, and industrial.
@@AdamS-lh2ug When someone has an extension cord plugged into a ground outlet with the ground up and they pull on the cord at an angle it will act as a strain relief
I’ve owned several homes with switched outlets. All of them had one switch and one power alway on. Built between 1995 and 2021. In 4 different states. Each one had all outlets done as ground down.
Unfortunately, some breakers (Federal come to mind) has high chances of not even tripping. But really, if you're having a metallic object conveniently fall directly on the a 3-prongs plug that wasn't properly connected, you should go buy yourself a lottery ticket.
usually, but not always. Many/most breakers function on heating effects, not current. That increase in heat is not instantaneous. Now, while we are talking about very short times, like milliseconds, it is still possible that the overcurrent condition could be so brief as to not reach the tripping point of the breaker. Course if it occurs that quickly, the chances of you getting injured in the process are astronomically small.
I have noticed recently outlets at a Walmart, outlets installed side by side, one with ground up and one with ground down, in a duplexed 4 outlet junction box, where the outlets were used for recharging electric shopping carts for the disabled.
I understand the idea of ground up however anytime you buy an appliance or powerbar with a 90 degree plug it is always designed for ground down otherwise it will hang over in a u shape.
My standard is this. If the plug does not stay in and backs out of the outlet, replace it! Ground down for all hot outlets, and ground up for switch controlled outlets.
For those outlets that are packaged with ground up, does the package have a notice that the outlet must be installed ground up? If not, then the packaging is just packaging and not direction.
I agree, also that box he showed said it was a commercial receptacle, I'm not sure if they make a commercial and residential receptacle but they seem to want to identify that receptacle as a commercial for some reason.
@@cblanton42 Much more robust construction - and the receptacle will last for many decades in normal use. I've seen too many cheaper residential receptacles start to not hold the plug tightly after 15-20 years. I always use commercial receptacles unless the end customer insists... after I explain the difference.
That's exactly what I thought. It doesn't matter how thing is packaged or what the photo shows...if that's what they want they have to say so specifically in the instructions.
No. Packaging has nothing to do with orientation and to my knowledge, as a professional electrician, no manufacturer of receptacles indicates a preference for orientation in their installation instructions. The outlet itself is not the determining factor for orientation. Demands of the local inspector + usage + aesthetics determine the orientation of your receptacles.
Man, this topic is really grinding me down. I mean I feel like I’ve been ground up. It’s like the discussion of whether toilet paper should be wound over to the front or wound over to the back of the roll.😊
There's a military adage that applies here: "Order, counter-order, disorder." As numerous commenters have point out, the "order" has been for ground to be down except for switched outlets. That makes it easier for someone using an outlet in a difficult-to-reach place to know how it will go. Changing that would create more trouble than it is worth.
Quite a few 3 prong appliance cords are oriented such that with the ground down the cord hangs straight down. With the ground up, these cords are oriented with the cord up and is then bent over to hang down. It would seem that this changes the stress point on the cord.
Worked in a lab using small diameter stainless steel tubing. We put the ground up so if a piece of tubing dropped between the plug and the wall or the side of the hood, it would not hit the hot.
I'll have to check the box on some Eatons i got recently. I was on the fence so what ended up making my decision is when looking closely at the outlet, the name Eaton was stamped into the metal frame to where ground faced up to read it. I'm in the manufacturing world and usually details like this aren't an accident or a careless decision. So i opted to go with what the manufacturer seemed to want. But again I'll double check the box to see if there's a specification there.
I agree with your position. Although the code permits both I prefer ground up because it is easier to insert a heavy power cord in the receptacle with the ground up. In engineering we always place the label out or up as the case may be. I think most people use ground down because of the happy face which is not at all a reason.
@@danmidtdal4358 i will say though I've noticed several power cords we have that have the plastic brick of a plug have the ground facing the same direction as the cord coming out. So if ground is down the ground nice hangs straight down to the floor. But if ground it up the cord now comes out the top and then gets a tight bend in it as gravity naturally pulls the cord down to the ground. So thats not really ideal for the cord itself. Further proof the industry doesn't really know or care.
Someone who owned my home before I bought it had about half the receptacles one way and the other half opposite. The biggest issue I have/had with this is many devices that plug in are designed with ground down in mind. This includes 2 prong devices with wide/narrow blades. Things like remote timer with a digital readout that would have to be upside down on a ground up prong.
Retired IBEW 701. Piped houses for over 20 years. I can solve this problem for you. Pipe your house, pull real wire, install the ring horizontally, trim outlet hot side up. and switch the right side when called for. Easy as that.
As a kid, I accidentally dropped a metal ruler behind my desk and it fell perfectly on the wall plug. It caused a very bright short and burned two contact areas on the ruler. I learned a good lesson about electricity that day.
We have to gfci and arc fault just about everything these days. They didn’t do that back in your days. In modern code it would have instantly tripped the breaker.
I agree and if the top or bottom is not indicated on the receptacle that picture or orientation in the box means nothing. I've worked maintenance in a couple of hospitals that had the requirement of ground up. Of course nobody knew who wrote the requirement.
@@johnharrold6359 that was definitely a thing. The idea was that it would protect life saving equipment. Hospital grade receptacles are made way better, and we have to double ground them. They didn’t want something happening to them to trip them out and turn off their life saving devices.
Also if you want to have some fun, let’s go through island receptacles. 3 code cycles (2017) ago we had to put receptacles on the edge of islands. 2020, we had to add addition receptacles if the island was longer than 8 feet. Now 2023 code has removed all of that because they determined that it was unsafe for children so now they have to be a pop up or surface mounted.
There are recessed outlets available that negate the shorting issue. They work the same and can be installed in either orientation. The problem is when you want to plug in a wall-wart transformer for electronics, then you'd have to plug in a power strip first. I'll leave it to you to decide if that negates the purpose of the recessed outlets. Overall, I've been bit a couple of times by the American design that leaves the metal prongs electrified until fully removed from the outlet. Even that is rare, but more of a concern than possibly dropping a metal thing across a plug. Going with recessed would help negate both.
As a licensed electrician, I have always chuckled at the notion that ground up protects you better from a short. The metallic object you drop on the loose plug has to fall flat, such that it contacts both terminals at the same time. In practice, it will bounce away more often than falling perfectly across the stabs to short the circuit. The same thing can be said of the grounded plug as well. It is still possible for the falling object to hit the ground terminal and slide into the hot stab on its way to the floor and create a short circuit. The speed at which the breaker/OCPD trips is the same either way and you still have essentially the same chance of getting a shock. There are ONLY three actual reasons to chose one arrangement over the other: (1) blueprints/AHJ, (2) usage, and/or (3) aesthetics. Sometimes the AHJ/blueprints/inspector will have a preference for the orientation, in which case, you follow the directive. Under those circumstances, you and the install, generally do not have the authority to do what you want. You must do what the inspector or the building plans instruct you to do. As far as usage, if the appliances you insert into the receptacle have 90-degree or angled/flat cords, you may want to orient your receptacles so the cords lay towards the floor or perhaps behind furniture. Installing the ground up (or horizontal orientation) can often cause the cord to travel up the wall before it falls which is generally considered "ugly" and may create strain on the cord/plug connection and cause it to weaken and fail over time.
Photos on websites or boxes is not "a recommendation" by a company. If it's not in words it will not stand up in court. If the company wants that as a recommendation, their lawyers would have been all over it to show in written instructions and photos.
You're right. Often when a company does something stupid, its lawyers are to blame. In this case its to better fight a hypothetical "but the ground was shown down" lawsuit.
Maybe somebody is mentioned this, but years ago I vaguely remember some discussion of putting ground up on ungrounded outlets to indicate something is amiss. In my previous house I gradually replaced all the old outlets and installed three-prong. After I did a couple of bedrooms and discovered what a pain it was to have upside down outlets, I stopped the practice and went with putting ground down. When I sold it, I was worried that the buyers inspector would complain but I never heard a peep.
I don't consider pictures on the box or text on the yoke to be the manufacturer specifying any direction (except for text on GFCI or switches where it needs to read the correct way up). Now if the manufacturer specifically calls it out on the receptical or box that might be a different story but for the most part it seems they keep it ambiguous because it doesn't really matter.
The outlet I plug my prius in was ground up and the weight of the cord with the attached electronics broke the ground prong on the plug. Rather than replace the (maybe $1k cord) It has since operated without a ground .
Electrical engineer AND electrician here. Plus IT pro. And farm boy (decades ago). I prefer and almost always use ground down. When I first heard of ground up, I thought it through, and concluded: Ground up? Technically safer if something falls on it. I have NEVER seen that happen. BUT THE FIRST OF THE THREE PRONGS TO LOSE CONTACT WITH THE OUTLET IS THE GROUND. YOU DO NOT WANT THAT TO HAPPEN, since the device plugged in will be un-grounded. ====== Ground down and the plug is partly pulled out Yes, Like shown, you could drop something on it and get a short. Again, I have NEVER seen that happen. More likely, is that you loose power on the cord. And importantly, you do not loose the ground connection.. Probably, you are NOT there are the outlet, you are AWAY using something that pulled on the cord a bit AND YOU NEED THE GROUND CONNECTION WORKING. This is the best option, ground DOWN, for how the outlet is BEING USED.
If you look closely at the interface between the plug and outlet (as an engineer might), gravity is always pulling the cord down which is pulling on the plug, downward. The plug will have a tendency to rotate around the lower part with the upper pulled outward. It's that outward tug that needs the best connection and having two points of contact, the two prongs, resisting seems better to me. But I'm trained as an architect so what do I know. 😉 Great channel, subscribed!
Unless you have really old or cheap outlets, the force of the connection should be much larger than any moment created by the weight of the plug. I have only had this issue with old, cheap outlets that have been worn down and feel loose
My house constructed in Florida 2002 has several outlets with one half live and one half switched - these are all installed ground side up to identify that they are different
Manufacturers may show ground up on their website, and even put their name on the receptacle which reads correctly with ground up, but that is not a recommendation which needs to be followed. I recently purchased a new clothes washer. In anticipation, I installed a new receptacle for it, and decided to mount it ground up, thinking the cord might be better supported that way. As it happens, the cord has a right-angled plug, and the cord is oriented at 45°, angled toward the ground pin. I had to turn the receptacle back to ground down to reduce stress on the cord.
My 1976 house was wired entirely with ground facing up. When I had to replace a receptacle, I installed the new one ground up, but not without difficulty. (They are also backstabbed with 4 more wires, tightly encased in the box without any room to maneuver). I prefer ground down because most of my plugs are oriented that way and must be twisted in order to insert them ground up.
Years ago, I installed a GFI in my bathroom. Also one of those small Arvin heaters that plugs directly in and hangs from the outlet. If the ground was up, the heater would be constantly tipping away from the wall!
I’ve been in home construction literally majority of my life, being my Dad was a contractor and brought me up in the trade as well. Now in the good old days a contractor did pretty much everything from plumbing, electrical, flooring, and the list goes on. So I was taught pretty much everything in the construction industry. I’m not a licensed electrician, but every plug in I have ever seen in homes has always had the ground down including if the plug in was connected to a switch! Only warning I would mention is not to use the holes on the back of plug ins that’s made for an easy connection. Those holes have thin pieces of metal that grab the wire and there’s very little surface contact. Little surface contact causes more heat and the more power you use on those plugs using the holes will fail and I have seen some come close to catching fire! Always wrap the wire properly around the screws on the side of your plug!
As an electrician by trade, you can have ground up or down. But you should be consistent. If grounds in your location are facing up then any new outlets you put in should be facing up. Where I work all grounds are facing down. The exception is with a window air conditioner. This is where the ground facing up is helpful. Since the cord on the ac unit has to go up to the window. Unless you have an outlet above the window which is rare.
I, for one, can't believe this is even debatable. I've actually been in friends' homes that had all their outlets ground up, and I'm sorry it's just weird. I honestly think people just do this so they can be different or obstinate.
NEC 210-7 Just states it is to be install to manufacturers recommendations. And that only specifies the wire locations not the orientation. Specialty devices may actually specify which end must be in the "UP" or "TOP" direction. Most smart devices require a specific orientation.
As a retired electrical inspector, I would tell you to read the NEC or governing local code on this matter. Thousands of hours go into what is written there. If you still have questions, send a question, send it to the code comittiee, include your licenses for reference.
One problem with ground up is that if the plug is partially dragged out by the weight of the cord it is the earth that is disconnected while the power is still applied. This is potentially dangerous. Our specifications require that under any circumstances the active connection must be broken before the earth pin disconnects. As far as your tool drop is concerned all of our plugs have the first 5 to 7 mm covered in plastic. So that before any metal is exposed the pins are already separated from the supply and hence there is no risk.
I've never lived in a house with ground up receptacles and i am past retirement age and have lived in 4 different states. For my current home with 1 half-switched duplex receptacle I bought one that has manufacturer marking on which is switched.
One major thing you can do, is make sure nothing falls on or near that plug. You almost have to purposely make it happen so that something flat slides down the side of the wall and hits both prongs in the plug.
Always a good video topic Scott - Thank You! Personally I think that a decades old debate based on an improbable set of circumstances and dependent on a faulty plug and/or outlet allowing the situation to occur, is a bit of a waste.There could just as easily be a scenario where a small child with a thin object slides it between the hot and ground of a ground-up outlet, and is just as absurd. I think the argument is that if you have a plug that hangs out of an outlet, regardless of the orientation of the outlet, just get it fixed.
I actually had the thin metal short happen in real life. I have a large framed picture with a wire hanger across the back of the picture. The picture fell down behind a couch and POW! it shorted a lamp plug exactly as in your demo. The circuit breaker tripped and the socket was left with a small skid mark. Reset the breaker, re-hung the picture and we were none worse for the experience. This was a GROUND UP socket with a two prong lamp cord plugged into it. Ground up was NOT protective in this situation but the circuit breaker certainly was. I have polarized timers, night lights and extension cords all plugged in upside down thanks to an electrician who was a GROUND UP-PER. I turn the sockets to GROUND DOWN as I replace the sockets.
The only thing I didn't hear mentioned is safety to a person removing a 3 prong plug. I had see reports that based on how people will grab the cords to remove them (or plug them in) that they are more likely to receive a shock from Ground up by accidently crossing the Hot and neutral with a finger. I personally started using Ground up in kitchens where utensils may fall and cross the 2 prongs, but everywhere else I keep to Ground down
In 1980, my folks bought a house built in 1964, which I inherited.. ALL the original outlets are 'ground-up', and I hate 'em! Not only do I have problems with all 'wall-hugger' plugs & cords, but wall-warts as well. Plus the original outlets are those crappy Slater backwire-only type. I've been replacing them bit by bit, with modern screw-terminal outlets, and, of course, the ground DOWN!
The first time I ever saw an "upside down" outlet was in a hospital when I was younger. When I asked about it they told me that it was too force a faster breaker trip in event of flooding.
I've had the chain from dogtags fall off the back of a dresser and short a loose plug. Fell at about 2am i thought we had a grenade go off 😅 huge flash and bang
I have a 2004 house in CA. In bedrooms where light switch is tied to an outlet, the ground was up, while other outlets in same room had outlets down Makes it easy to know which outlet in bedroom is controlled by switch. Not sure if this is code or not.
Here's what I've notice here in Canada, commercial buildings have the ground up and residential buildings have the ground down. Ground up always made more sense to me from a safety stand point so that is how I install them in my house when I replace them.
Funny that 3 and 4 prong 203-250V cords are wired with the neutral/ground downwards and installing the receptacle incorrectly causes a weak connection on the plug that also puts undue strain on the cord itself.
Scott, to simply answer your question at the end of your video, in most cases receptacles should be installed always ground down! The only 3 circumstances are: 1. A dedicated 15A or 20A single or duplex appliance receptacle with the manufacturer’s plug oriented with ground up but, cord oriented to be hanging down like many Refrigerator’s and some clothes Washer’s & Dryer’s. 2. As you implied only a single dedicated receptacle on a single yoke, this should be ground up for appliances or switched devices like large lamps. 3. Obviously, any 20A, 30A, 50A or larger receptacle with the manufacturer’s plug specifically oriented in the ground up position like Welder’s, Lathe’s, Mill’s, Heavy Duty Pedestal Grinders, Plainer’s, Bandsaw’s, Air Compressors, other Metal or Wood working Shop Tools and Pneumatically Operated Shop Tools. All other receptacles in the home or garage should be installed with the ground in down position unless the manufacturer states otherwise! Only unless it conflicts with any of the above listed circumstances should a receptacle be installed with the ground in the up position!
Switched/split outlet. I like the switched portion on the BOTTOM (operated by the switch on the wall) this way the CORD that is permanently there will HANG DOWN. Homeowner uses Top Portion (easy access) always hot FROM TIME TO TIME. Put in vacuum cleaner or other device. comment please
Ground facing up for switched outlets is how my house is wired. The thing about shorting with ground facing down is a "the sky is falling" fear. In the 75 years I've been on this earth, I've never had an instance where this has ever come close to happening. If it has happened, some human failed some safety protocol (like maybe removing a metal face plate from a live outlet with a plug half out of the socket).
I've never seen a statics free body diagram showing better or worse moment on the plug; I think ground-down would be more stable due to two prongs (higher friction force) about the fulcrum.
If the receptacles were all recessed would eliminate 99% of that problem. I think in Europe most are recessed. Also a European style plug (I think they have fuses as well) same design but 110V would eliminate the plug from coming off the receptacle. With the recessed box they could be double gang size to accommodate space for more wires around the sides.
Ground down the ground should be the last thing to lose connection. Then there is little risk of electrocution from a failed appliance. If a plug comes lose and gets contacted by something falling on the exposed plug prongs no harm no foul other than a tripped breaker. But lose the ground from ground up and if you end up with an appliance housing that becomes electrified that could lead to death instead of a tripped breaker or tripped GFCI....
Yes I agree with you and have heard of this too. If the cord is getting pulled out due to weight, the hot side will pull out before loosing the ground. So you will always have contact with the ground to also protect the person using the appliance if there was a short in the appliance.
DIYer here. I like ground down because the finger you can't see while you're plugging it in or out can only contact ground. Grounded plugs can be a stiff. You might re-grip in the middle of the process. Better with no shock opportunity on the bottom.
If a range receptacle is to be installed for a range; the electrical box should be installed near the floor to accommodate the ground facing left or right. If a duplex receptacle is installed horizontal it should be installed with the ground facing right -- so if the cord is stepped on the hot will pull out first. Duplex sockets should be between 15' and 48' from floor but better yet if it is above 22' to clear end tables and night tables but below 26 to clear bottom rim of work tables. Mount microwave receptacles to the rights a few inches up from shelf for angled drop-cord plugs. Fridge receptacles should be near the floor but accommodate a drop cord plug. Work bench plugs might be better be mounted ground facing up since those cords will not be stepped on.
I see it this way.... Heat rises so I put the hot on top, and the ground is the floor so I put the ground down. Makes sense right? J/k. In commercial setting I put ground up and residential I put ground down except on switched outlets because that's just what people are used to
I worked as an electronics installer for a government agency before I retired. During that time, we became aware of the ground up or down debate. Most of us were satisfied that ground down was fine but just to be sure we didn't get any flack for doing it wrong, we would ask the local technicians how they wanted it done and that is how we did them. But I noticed when commercial electricians wired the buildings they always wired ground down. I think this debate came about because all hospitals have ground up and electricians took note of this. I understand the theory about ground up but unless you are wiring something that is especially sensitive or critical I think it is way overblown. We wired radar, air ground radios, and other critical equipment ground down and never had any problems.
Every switched outlet I have seen was outside ground down with the upper being switched. I have undone all mine. It is an outdated method, I replaced everything with smart devices and a local only hub. I have 2 smart bulbs in the master bedroom instead.
as an attorney, i would offer this thought on "manufacturer's recommendations" on "ground up" or "ground down." "If" there is actual language in the National Electric Code or "any" electric code that "specifically" states: "installation must follow the manufacturer's recommendations" - then that phrase "requires" those recommendations to be followed. HOWEVER, a manufacturer's "recommendations" are construed to be "more than just a picture on the packaging." if electrical outlet manufacturer's now expect their outlet to be installed "ground up" - THAT "specific language" MUST be found inside the packaging written somewhere on the enclosed "installation instructions." just showing an outlet with the ground pole pointing "up" on the outside of the packaging WOULD NOT be enough to be recognized as the "legal recommendation of installation."
So glad this critical issue is being addressed. The neighborhood kids keep coming over to my house to have "blade races" - dropping knives and folded foil along the wall, just to see who gets the most sparks. Turns out all their houses have ground up receps, so they have to come to our house for these contests.
Of course kids being kids: they figure out ways to drop their blades and sheet metal pieces so they hit the hot prong even with group up receps. They call this "pro league" blade racing!
In the past it seemed, if you looked at the print stamped on outlet's metal mounts, the lettering on Levitons were ground down and Eagle were ground up. Don't know if that is still the case. I go with ground down because 1) that how how it is most common and the orientation users expect when they plug in an outlet and 2) most flat plug cords tend have their cord exit in the direction of ground, which almost always should be down. Lastly, if a tool falls on the prongs with ground up, it still has a 50/50 chance of shorting hot to ground, which is still a short.
My understanding was Ground Up for 20 amp and shop or tool uses and Ground Down for inside the house and regular 15 amp. And that was related to the shorting thing in a shop environment. Didn't inside outlets used to be 2 wire only??? I think so.
I only install ground up if a particular piece of equipment has a cord requiring it. They are rare. When I run into this, I switch an existing outlet to match. In another comment, someone pointed out that a metal object falling onto a ground up and then connecting with the hot side instead of the neutral side won't trip the breaker. This is correct. So if you want to depend on your 200 Amp main breaker tripping, don't. Running 150 Amps will melt the insulation in the walls! Arc faults like this (sparks that don't quit) start many fires. They now have circuit breakers to sense that, since it's so dangerous. There is also another thing that can be done if things falling are a real concern. Install an outdoor covered plate designed for things ALWAYS plugged in. Helps keep toddlers safer, too. Anybody here that didn't stick something metal into something electrical when little? I doubt it. Please always change your outlets when plugs fall out because the outlet is worn out. Call an electrician if you can't do it safely yourself. On that topic, if you use a window AC unit. Change the outlet to a single plug only. Buy a commercial grade one. Those cheap outlets are garbage. AC units don't usually cool well enough to put out fires. Dark humor, serious truth.
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I am a master electrician, and I ran into an inspector who insisted on ground-up installs, no exceptions. Had a 50-amp 3-phase industrial digital printing machine with a “flat” or 90-degree plug on it with the ground located at the bottom as almost all flat plugs are. Had to twist the cord into an unnatural configuration with a bend that strained the appropriate bend radius, and caused the plug to not sit properly in the receptacle. Until manufacturers are universally mandated to create flat plugs with the ground up. I will continue to install ground down to avoid this safety issue.
I have an outlet strip with a flat plug that rotates, so it can work in any configuration.
I am of the opinion that every device* should come with flat plugs. Make it easier, and safer, when the outlet is behind furniture. Also less hazardous when the outlet is not behind furniture as there is nothing sticking out, acting as a trip hazard. We have a lamp plugged into a switch and into the outlet making it stick out farther than it would if the switch was not present and the extra weight makes it prone to falling out.
*Except for things that are ment to be moved around, like power tools, vacuum cleaners, etc.
Most of the refrigerators I have in my six summer cottages want the ground down to avoid the loop over!
Tell the inspector to show you the code that indicates that. Show him what complying to his dictatorship looks like.
@@AlanTheBeast100 I did. He pointed to 90.4.
I’m with technology connections. Right angle plugs are the best/safest and most require Ground down
Same. How long did he say he threw a knife at the wall and still had to give up and intentionally drop it in to create a short?
Considering:
1. Most plugs don't have a ground pin anyway, so it literally does not matter because if any of the incredibly unrealistic scenarios the ground uppers warn about happen, a short will still occur
2. None of my receptacles have a bunch of loose thin metal objects above them just waiting to fall
3. I plug in all my plugs fully
4. Ground up is a pain for any plug that was designed with an angle, and all angled plugs assume ground down
I will always be a ground pin down guy, unless a code change forces otherwise. The ground up crowd does not have any arguments that are capable of convincing me anymore. They've all been debunked.
@@mjc0961Agreed, ground-up people are tiresome. When battery backups, enterprise equipment, refrigerators, microwaves, etc, etc come with ground-up right angle plugs, then I’ll make some changes. But currently, every single piece of professional or high-powered equipment requires ground-down. Sanity.
I know someone who was shocked holding a penny while unplugging a vacuum
@@jk_22 I don’t think ground up would have fixed that.
Funny thing is, most of those outlets around his area have the HOT upwards.
As a journeyman electrician, I personally install receptacles with ground facing down, except under two conditions. 1) The building blueprints or AHJ specify ground up, hospitals and doctor / dentist offices are the areas that come to mind. 2) I'm installing a half switched duplex receptacle, to make it easy for the homeowner to identify, and I configure it to have the switched portion on top such that a table lamp can be plugged in and used in lieu of a permanently installed luminaire, and a wall wart aka AC adapter can be constant power and hang down. Wall warts do not have polarized plugs, not that I'm aware of anyway.
I dislike the ground up for a couple of reasons. First and most important are right angle plugs with grounding type or polarized plugs, night lights and air freshers. They all assume the ground down / neutral slot on the left. Secondly, if ever there was an open ground AND a metal picture frame or similar object fell and rests on the ground and hot prongs. instead of tripping the breaker it would energize the chassis of a metal cased lamp or appliance posing a serious shock hazard.
I do have some wall warts that are polarized (1 normal prong, 1 large prong). And they way they are set up would be for ground down. Because if the ground is up, then the bulk of the wart would be above the plug and cause it to lean out away from the wall.
@@tay13666 thanks for sharing, I never seen a wall wart with a polarized plug. Your situation is the big reason for my distaste for ground up receptacles.
@@Sparky-ww5re I only remember running into a couple. I think both were computer related. Either a printer, or a scanner. I only remember from trying to orient things on the power strip.
I think newer wallwarts are polarized.
Not sure about my doctor's office, but I know my dentist's office has the receptacles either ground down or horizontal. I've also come across some reverse right angle plugs (with the cord coming out on "top," and many night lights have a rotatable plug, but I'd still 99% of the time prefer the ground down over ground up (I'd prefer the ground to be to the left over all, though)
If you're worried about dropping a thin metallic object so perfectly that it shorts out a protruding plug you should probably consider having your outlets modified to a horizontal position with neutral facing up.
If weight were applied on the plug while inserted into the outlet, it would destroy the plug that way. Both the hot and ground would be broken off. Not saying it's common but the way it is now the ground snaps off. if upside down, nothing breaks off. Also it's safer should you actually fall on the receptacle/plug (not likely but still possible).
A plug recessed into the wall in a specialized housing would prevent any these shorting out incidents from occurring.
If they are in horizontal position, the ground should be to the left ,that way the neutral side of the receptacle is facing up ,
Good point. Two more possible solutions for a situation where that may actually be a concern would be to cover the last 1/8th to 1/16th inch of the prongs with electrical tape, thin adhesive lined heat shrink tubing, etc or install the receptacle in some type of protected box such as a covered weather resistant box.
Good point but in a bonded ground system (North American standard), would a safer configuration be a tilted install with the ground up and the neutral prong at the same elevation shielding the live prong. A canopy of “safe”-to-drop-metal-bombs-across so called iron dome? A slant configuration would also help slightly the right angle plug situation if you place all items to the right of the outlet. Better yet have all connections attached with WAGO connectors to avoid any possibility of metal object arcing. Yes, that would be best I am sure if a bit inconvenient to call an electrically qualified individual to unplug a lamp.
I love how you mention that the manufactures instructions must be followed but don't bother to read any instructions that may have come with the device.
Why would you assume that he hasn't read the instructions? No manufacturer I am aware of indicates a preference for orientation in their instructions.
What I was trying to say is that he did not read the instructions to us or show us an image of the instructions so we can't tell if the instructions say anything about the orientation of the device. But he did mention that the instructions should be followed. I was just wondering exactly what the instructions said.@@TwilightxKnight13
A few years ago while on an inspection (I'm now a retired electrical inspector and licensed master electrician), the relator that owned the house told me the ground should face up because a home home inspector told her so, so there you have it.
All right angle plugs I have ever seen (where the wire does not come straight out but straight down towards the floor), the ground is always on the bottom. This tells me the manufacturers expect the receptacle to be in the ground down configuration. Think of other heavy duty plugs as well, ovens, clothes dryers, RV conversion plugs, they are all in the ground down position... So, my preference is ground down, unless there is a specific need for ground up, or horizontal.
range and dryer (4 wire) plugs are made for the ground to be up.
Lately I purchased flat angled short extensions cords and when plugged in with ground at bottom the cord is pointed to the 2 o'clock position telling me they expected the plug to be ground up so cord would point towards the floor
@@parexc07 and on Friday I was working with cords that had it at the 5:00 position. and I know they make them so the connection swivels, so you can have it at any orientation. the standard for residential is ground down, unless there are special considerations, like a switched outlet, or a special appliance.
@@kenbrown2808 For dryers, yes. However, for ranges, typically the receptacle is so low to the ground that you want the cord to be pointing up (unless you have a drop-in, like us, which has no receptacle, and makes replacing it a massive pain), which will position the ground pin at the bottom.
@@xHadesStamps I should have said, 4 wire range and dryer cords have the cord coming out opposite the ground pin. best practice for "generic" electric ranges is to put the receptacle horizontal near floor level. of course, fancy ranges have specific locations for the receptacle.
European, French type plug and sockets seem the best. The socket is recessed from the wall surface and the plug pins are insulated until the very ends which will not be energized until they are pushed inside and hid by the socket plastic material.
I like the idea of ground up for switched receptacles, I'm going to use that in the future.
This doesn’t make any since to me. You break the the little connection clip on the receptacle. Why does the ground need to be up?
@@AdamS-lh2ugto signal this is a split outlet.
I like split outlet ALWAYS HOT to be on top. Reason being the SWITCHED cord will be on the bottom, hanging down.
Easy access for homeowners to TOP PORTION. comment please
Funny that 3 and 4 prong 203-250V cords are wired with the neutral/ground downwards and installing the receptacle incorrectly causes a weak connection on the plug that also puts undue strain on the cord itself.
I always thought it was determined by code of the area, now I've been educated. I know is certain parts of the country the outlets are even installed sideways. I learn something every time from your videos, thanks!
Depending on the power strip, some of the cords on them are designed for ground down not up.
Showing that UL/CSA approvals don't consider them contrary to code.
I replaced all the outlets in my home, and switched to ground up. Much of the reasoning was that I wanted to have a visible cue to indicate which ones I have already replaced. The motivation of the project was to use tamper-resistant receptacles (we're foster parents, so kid safety was a priority and we hate the plastic plugs). I also did it at our vacation condo to eliminate all the back-stab wiring.
I've never, ever heard of someone shorting a ground down outlet in the manner shown in your video. Ever! It's an issue that doesn't need a solution. Of course, I don't wrap myself in bubble wrap and hide in a closet.
I did it once. I had a metal tin sign sitting on top of a trash compactor. I knocked it and it fell and slid down the back and did exactly like in the video. Sparks, a bit of a bang, breaker tripped and sign was ruined on the edge that had blackened and a bit of metal vaporized and therefore missing.
While it is not "never," it is exceedingly rare. So, yes, it is not something that people should be concerned with. Besides, a ground up plug can also short if the metallic object dropped on it, slides down the side with the hot terminal.
I won't consider ground up the manufacturer's recommendation until it's expressly written somewhere. A picture on the box is just a picture
My workplace has some ground-up recepticals. Since the ground prong is longest on plugs, it's slightly easier to get the it started with it being more visible on top.
Personally I do not care what orientation is used however I have many devices like surge protectors, air fresheners, night lights, ups's etc that have some sort of right angle type plug or are just designed to be used with ground down so that is how I install them in my own home. If the ground up/down really mattered for safety that much they would push to move on to another type of receptacle that has a recessed plug face and metal conductor on the pins only on half of the pin like is used in some other countries. Until more devices are designed to be used with ground up receptacles I will continue to install them in my home ground down even if the instructions say otherwise.
N. American plugs are the oldest in the world. The 2 prong goes back to 1912, and the 3 prong is from the 1920s, before a lot of our codes were written. NEMA didn't even exist until the 1930s. Many other country's plugs are from the 1940s, when a lot more was understood about the dangers of electricity. Also, many of those countries are running 230V, which packs a larger wallop.
As a DIY homeowner, I tend to do things for me that make more sense or convenience but still safe. I install outlets so that cords on molded right angle plugs hang down.
Personally, I'd like to see outlets evolve to a horizontal mounting orientation with the individual outlets still vertical. that way someone could plug in two right angle plugs, say behind a dresser, and the cords wouldn't be bunched up. And while we're at it, modernize the outlets to accommodate transformer plugs too.
I like 90 degree male plugs for that reason, but ir's expensive to replace them. Good job for appliance manufacturers that put them on refridgerators and washing machines.
Eaton makes the horizontal receptacle you desire. There is also one where each plug turns.
Commercial electrician here. Our crews always went ground down, except at a new school project where it was specified ground up. Our crew decided this was seen as a protection against something thin accidentally dropping and sliding behind a plug, which could cause a short in a very rare instance. That was the only reasoning we could come up with anyway.
Great video master electrician here in three states for over 40 years. It’s always been a topic of discussion. My preference is ground up It will act as a strain relief. Also ground up was preferred for switched outlets.
Can you explain to me this ground up theory on switched receptacles. Still an apprentice electrician but I have logged over 10,000 hours and have done residential, commercial, and industrial.
@@AdamS-lh2ug When someone has an extension cord plugged into a ground outlet with the ground up and they pull on the cord at an angle it will act as a strain relief
I’ve owned several homes with switched outlets. All of them had one switch and one power alway on. Built between 1995 and 2021. In 4 different states.
Each one had all outlets done as ground down.
If your outlet and circuit are properly wired then the short should cause the breaker to trip.
Unfortunately, some breakers (Federal come to mind) has high chances of not even tripping. But really, if you're having a metallic object conveniently fall directly on the a 3-prongs plug that wasn't properly connected, you should go buy yourself a lottery ticket.
usually, but not always. Many/most breakers function on heating effects, not current. That increase in heat is not instantaneous. Now, while we are talking about very short times, like milliseconds, it is still possible that the overcurrent condition could be so brief as to not reach the tripping point of the breaker. Course if it occurs that quickly, the chances of you getting injured in the process are astronomically small.
I have noticed recently outlets at a Walmart, outlets installed side by side, one with ground up and one with ground down, in a duplexed 4 outlet junction box, where the outlets were used for recharging electric shopping carts for the disabled.
I understand the idea of ground up however anytime you buy an appliance or powerbar with a 90 degree plug it is always designed for ground down otherwise it will hang over in a u shape.
Or lead cable rotated out so cable clears next socket.
I've seen 90 degree plugs designed for the opposite configuration. Super rare, though
All of mine are ground down except for plugs that are connected to wall switches - those are ground up. Handy.
My standard is this. If the plug does not stay in and backs out of the outlet, replace it! Ground down for all hot outlets, and ground up for switch controlled outlets.
For those outlets that are packaged with ground up, does the package have a notice that the outlet must be installed ground up? If not, then the packaging is just packaging and not direction.
I agree, also that box he showed said it was a commercial receptacle, I'm not sure if they make a commercial and residential receptacle but they seem to want to identify that receptacle as a commercial for some reason.
@@cblanton42 Much more robust construction - and the receptacle will last for many decades in normal use. I've seen too many cheaper residential receptacles start to not hold the plug tightly after 15-20 years.
I always use commercial receptacles unless the end customer insists... after I explain the difference.
@@perryallan3524 I thought that might be the case but wasn't sure. Thanks for the info.
That's exactly what I thought. It doesn't matter how thing is packaged or what the photo shows...if that's what they want they have to say so specifically in the instructions.
No. Packaging has nothing to do with orientation and to my knowledge, as a professional electrician, no manufacturer of receptacles indicates a preference for orientation in their installation instructions. The outlet itself is not the determining factor for orientation. Demands of the local inspector + usage + aesthetics determine the orientation of your receptacles.
Man, this topic is really grinding me down. I mean I feel like I’ve been ground up. It’s like the discussion of whether toilet paper should be wound over to the front or wound over to the back of the roll.😊
Lol, I thought the toilet paper roll thing was a cat thing. So you have it roll under so if they play with it they don’t unravel the whole thing 😂
We now know the toilet paper as to come down in front of the roll.
@@AdamS-lh2ug You can't defeat cats..They are the masters of the universe
It doesn't matter! They can also be mounted sideways.
Legrand Lutron series has 1 up and 1 down on the same duplex outlet. Problem solved!
Wait for somebody to say ground left is much, much safer than ground right, thus kicking off years of discussion and controversy.
There's a military adage that applies here: "Order, counter-order, disorder." As numerous commenters have point out, the "order" has been for ground to be down except for switched outlets. That makes it easier for someone using an outlet in a difficult-to-reach place to know how it will go. Changing that would create more trouble than it is worth.
I like the idea for constant power to be ground down and switched outlets to be ground up - switch plugs will not be plugged/unplugged often.
Quite a few 3 prong appliance cords are oriented such that with the ground down the cord hangs straight down. With the ground up, these cords are oriented with the cord up and is then bent over to hang down. It would seem that this changes the stress point on the cord.
Worked in a lab using small diameter stainless steel tubing. We put the ground up so if a piece of tubing dropped between the plug and the wall or the side of the hood, it would not hit the hot.
If it’s wired correctly it will trip. This ground up argument is outdated.
This actually happened in the lab I worked at.
I'll have to check the box on some Eatons i got recently. I was on the fence so what ended up making my decision is when looking closely at the outlet, the name Eaton was stamped into the metal frame to where ground faced up to read it. I'm in the manufacturing world and usually details like this aren't an accident or a careless decision. So i opted to go with what the manufacturer seemed to want. But again I'll double check the box to see if there's a specification there.
I agree with your position. Although the code permits both I prefer ground up because it is easier to insert a heavy power cord in the receptacle with the ground up. In engineering we always place the label out or up as the case may be. I think most people use ground down because of the happy face which is not at all a reason.
@@danmidtdal4358 i will say though I've noticed several power cords we have that have the plastic brick of a plug have the ground facing the same direction as the cord coming out. So if ground is down the ground nice hangs straight down to the floor. But if ground it up the cord now comes out the top and then gets a tight bend in it as gravity naturally pulls the cord down to the ground. So thats not really ideal for the cord itself. Further proof the industry doesn't really know or care.
Someone who owned my home before I bought it had about half the receptacles one way and the other half opposite. The biggest issue I have/had with this is many devices that plug in are designed with ground down in mind. This includes 2 prong devices with wide/narrow blades. Things like remote timer with a digital readout that would have to be upside down on a ground up prong.
I have a timer like that and it’s definitely a problem.
My house has outlets in both orientations. It was built in the 70's and modified over the years.
Retired IBEW 701. Piped houses for over 20 years. I can solve this problem for you. Pipe your house, pull real wire, install the ring horizontally, trim outlet hot side up. and switch the right side when called for. Easy as that.
Usually when pulling the cord out your standing, so your ground will b the last part to touch the outlet when unplugging
As a kid, I accidentally dropped a metal ruler behind my desk and it fell perfectly on the wall plug. It caused a very bright short and burned two contact areas on the ruler. I learned a good lesson about electricity that day.
We have to gfci and arc fault just about everything these days. They didn’t do that back in your days. In modern code it would have instantly tripped the breaker.
I agree and if the top or bottom is not indicated on the receptacle that picture or orientation in the box means nothing. I've worked maintenance in a couple of hospitals that had the requirement of ground up. Of course nobody knew who wrote the requirement.
@@johnharrold6359 that was definitely a thing. The idea was that it would protect life saving equipment. Hospital grade receptacles are made way better, and we have to double ground them. They didn’t want something happening to them to trip them out and turn off their life saving devices.
A quick flip through the Black+Decker Complete Guide to Wiring 8th edition reveals a number of outlets with the ground down.
“Food for thought”, thanks much!
Also if you want to have some fun, let’s go through island receptacles. 3 code cycles (2017) ago we had to put receptacles on the edge of islands. 2020, we had to add addition receptacles if the island was longer than 8 feet. Now 2023 code has removed all of that because they determined that it was unsafe for children so now they have to be a pop up or surface mounted.
I always turn them ground down when replacing one because a lot of stuff that's asymmetric won't fit ground up.
Our house, built in 1977 TX, has ground up. I’d never seen that before and thought it odd.
It was. Odd, that is.
There are recessed outlets available that negate the shorting issue. They work the same and can be installed in either orientation. The problem is when you want to plug in a wall-wart transformer for electronics, then you'd have to plug in a power strip first. I'll leave it to you to decide if that negates the purpose of the recessed outlets. Overall, I've been bit a couple of times by the American design that leaves the metal prongs electrified until fully removed from the outlet. Even that is rare, but more of a concern than possibly dropping a metal thing across a plug. Going with recessed would help negate both.
If I remember the real purpose of those recessed outlets at to let the old fashioned clocks that ran on AC power so they could hang flush to the wall.
As a licensed electrician, I have always chuckled at the notion that ground up protects you better from a short. The metallic object you drop on the loose plug has to fall flat, such that it contacts both terminals at the same time. In practice, it will bounce away more often than falling perfectly across the stabs to short the circuit. The same thing can be said of the grounded plug as well. It is still possible for the falling object to hit the ground terminal and slide into the hot stab on its way to the floor and create a short circuit. The speed at which the breaker/OCPD trips is the same either way and you still have essentially the same chance of getting a shock.
There are ONLY three actual reasons to chose one arrangement over the other: (1) blueprints/AHJ, (2) usage, and/or (3) aesthetics.
Sometimes the AHJ/blueprints/inspector will have a preference for the orientation, in which case, you follow the directive. Under those circumstances, you and the install, generally do not have the authority to do what you want. You must do what the inspector or the building plans instruct you to do.
As far as usage, if the appliances you insert into the receptacle have 90-degree or angled/flat cords, you may want to orient your receptacles so the cords lay towards the floor or perhaps behind furniture. Installing the ground up (or horizontal orientation) can often cause the cord to travel up the wall before it falls which is generally considered "ugly" and may create strain on the cord/plug connection and cause it to weaken and fail over time.
Good stuff, thanks for the feedback!
Photos on websites or boxes is not "a recommendation" by a company. If it's not in words it will not stand up in court. If the company wants that as a recommendation, their lawyers would have been all over it to show in written instructions and photos.
You're right. Often when a company does something stupid, its lawyers are to blame. In this case its to better fight a hypothetical "but the ground was shown down" lawsuit.
Maybe somebody is mentioned this, but years ago I vaguely remember some discussion of putting ground up on ungrounded outlets to indicate something is amiss. In my previous house I gradually replaced all the old outlets and installed three-prong. After I did a couple of bedrooms and discovered what a pain it was to have upside down outlets, I stopped the practice and went with putting ground down. When I sold it, I was worried that the buyers inspector would complain but I never heard a peep.
I don't consider pictures on the box or text on the yoke to be the manufacturer specifying any direction (except for text on GFCI or switches where it needs to read the correct way up). Now if the manufacturer specifically calls it out on the receptical or box that might be a different story but for the most part it seems they keep it ambiguous because it doesn't really matter.
The outlet I plug my prius in was ground up and the weight of the cord with the attached electronics broke the ground prong on the plug. Rather than replace the (maybe $1k cord) It has since operated without a ground .
I always do ground up. That how was tought while working in a hospital. How ever depends on " homerun" appliance or equipment being plugged in
Leviton website shows about one third up, two-thirds down.
Electrical engineer AND electrician here. Plus IT pro. And farm boy (decades ago).
I prefer and almost always use ground down. When I first heard of ground up, I thought it through, and concluded:
Ground up? Technically safer if something falls on it. I have NEVER seen that happen.
BUT THE FIRST OF THE THREE PRONGS TO LOSE CONTACT WITH THE OUTLET IS THE GROUND.
YOU DO NOT WANT THAT TO HAPPEN, since the device plugged in will be un-grounded.
======
Ground down and the plug is partly pulled out
Yes, Like shown, you could drop something on it and get a short. Again, I have NEVER seen that happen. More likely, is that you loose power on the cord.
And importantly, you do not loose the ground connection..
Probably, you are NOT there are the outlet, you are AWAY using something that pulled on the cord a bit AND YOU NEED THE GROUND CONNECTION WORKING. This is the best option, ground DOWN, for how the outlet is BEING USED.
If you look closely at the interface between the plug and outlet (as an engineer might), gravity is always pulling the cord down which is pulling on the plug, downward. The plug will have a tendency to rotate around the lower part with the upper pulled outward. It's that outward tug that needs the best connection and having two points of contact, the two prongs, resisting seems better to me.
But I'm trained as an architect so what do I know. 😉
Great channel, subscribed!
Unless you have really old or cheap outlets, the force of the connection should be much larger than any moment created by the weight of the plug. I have only had this issue with old, cheap outlets that have been worn down and feel loose
How about horizontal? Left or right? Consider whether the hot blade should be positioned top or bottom.
My house constructed in Florida 2002 has several outlets with one half live and one half switched - these are all installed ground side up to identify that they are different
Manufacturers may show ground up on their website, and even put their name on the receptacle which reads correctly with ground up, but that is not a recommendation which needs to be followed.
I recently purchased a new clothes washer. In anticipation, I installed a new receptacle for it, and decided to mount it ground up, thinking the cord might be better supported that way. As it happens, the cord has a right-angled plug, and the cord is oriented at 45°, angled toward the ground pin. I had to turn the receptacle back to ground down to reduce stress on the cord.
My 1976 house was wired entirely with ground facing up. When I had to replace a receptacle, I installed the new one ground up, but not without difficulty. (They are also backstabbed with 4 more wires, tightly encased in the box without any room to maneuver). I prefer ground down because most of my plugs are oriented that way and must be twisted in order to insert them ground up.
I meant the new one was installed ground down!
Just had a bathroom remodeled and the electrician installed the GFI outlets with the ground facing down. Canada
Years ago, I installed a GFI in my bathroom. Also one of those small Arvin heaters that plugs directly in and hangs from the outlet. If the ground was up, the heater would be constantly tipping away from the wall!
Well, there's 8 minutes I'll never get back!
tldw, ground-down dorks, ground-up sigma chads
I’ve been in home construction literally majority of my life, being my Dad was a contractor and brought me up in the trade as well. Now in the good old days a contractor did pretty much everything from plumbing, electrical, flooring, and the list goes on.
So I was taught pretty much everything in the construction industry.
I’m not a licensed electrician, but every plug in I have ever seen in homes has always had the ground down including if the plug in was connected to a switch!
Only warning I would mention is not to use the holes on the back of plug ins that’s made for an easy connection. Those holes have thin pieces of metal that grab the wire and there’s very little surface contact. Little surface contact causes more heat and the more power you use on those plugs using the holes will fail and I have seen some come close to catching fire!
Always wrap the wire properly around the screws on the side of your plug!
As an electrician by trade, you can have ground up or down. But you should be consistent. If grounds in your location are facing up then any new outlets you put in should be facing up. Where I work all grounds are facing down. The exception is with a window air conditioner. This is where the ground facing up is helpful. Since the cord on the ac unit has to go up to the window. Unless you have an outlet above the window which is rare.
I, for one, can't believe this is even debatable. I've actually been in friends' homes that had all their outlets ground up, and I'm sorry it's just weird. I honestly think people just do this so they can be different or obstinate.
i have an outdoor receptacle with the ground located to the side. As if the receptacle was oriented horizontal instead of vertical.
NEC 210-7 Just states it is to be install to manufacturers recommendations. And that only specifies the wire locations not the orientation. Specialty devices may actually specify which end must be in the "UP" or "TOP" direction. Most smart devices require a specific orientation.
As a retired electrical inspector, I would tell you to read the NEC or governing local code on this matter. Thousands of hours go into what is written there. If you still have questions, send a question, send it to the code comittiee, include your licenses for reference.
One problem with ground up is that if the plug is partially dragged out by the weight of the cord it is the earth that is disconnected while the power is still applied. This is potentially dangerous. Our specifications require that under any circumstances the active connection must be broken before the earth pin disconnects. As far as your tool drop is concerned all of our plugs have the first 5 to 7 mm covered in plastic. So that before any metal is exposed the pins are already separated from the supply and hence there is no risk.
I've never lived in a house with ground up receptacles and i am past retirement age and have lived in 4 different states. For my current home with 1 half-switched duplex receptacle I bought one that has manufacturer marking on which is switched.
One major thing you can do, is make sure nothing falls on or near that plug. You almost have to purposely make it happen so that something flat slides down the side of the wall and hits both prongs in the plug.
Best solution!
Sideways with neutral up!
Always a good video topic Scott - Thank You! Personally I think that a decades old debate based on an improbable set of circumstances and dependent on a faulty plug and/or outlet allowing the situation to occur, is a bit of a waste.There could just as easily be a scenario where a small child with a thin object slides it between the hot and ground of a ground-up outlet, and is just as absurd. I think the argument is that if you have a plug that hangs out of an outlet, regardless of the orientation of the outlet, just get it fixed.
I actually had the thin metal short happen in real life. I have a large framed picture with a wire hanger across the back of the picture. The picture fell down behind a couch and POW! it shorted a lamp plug exactly as in your demo. The circuit breaker tripped and the socket was left with a small skid mark. Reset the breaker, re-hung the picture and we were none worse for the experience. This was a GROUND UP socket with a two prong lamp cord plugged into it. Ground up was NOT protective in this situation but the circuit breaker certainly was. I have polarized timers, night lights and extension cords all plugged in upside down thanks to an electrician who was a GROUND UP-PER. I turn the sockets to GROUND DOWN as I replace the sockets.
Thanks for the feedback and the real world example. I think the safety risk is there but like most things gets a bit oversold.
I am always dropping knives next to the wall, such a huge concern 🙄
The only thing I didn't hear mentioned is safety to a person removing a 3 prong plug. I had see reports that based on how people will grab the cords to remove them (or plug them in) that they are more likely to receive a shock from Ground up by accidently crossing the Hot and neutral with a finger.
I personally started using Ground up in kitchens where utensils may fall and cross the 2 prongs, but everywhere else I keep to Ground down
I don't think the illustration on the package constitutes manufacturers recommendation. However you mount them, be consititent throughout the project.
In 1980, my folks bought a house built in 1964, which I inherited.. ALL the original outlets are 'ground-up', and I hate 'em! Not only do I have problems with all 'wall-hugger' plugs & cords, but wall-warts as well. Plus the original outlets are those crappy Slater backwire-only type. I've been replacing them bit by bit, with modern screw-terminal outlets, and, of course, the ground DOWN!
The first time I ever saw an "upside down" outlet was in a hospital when I was younger. When I asked about it they told me that it was too force a faster breaker trip in event of flooding.
It's actually to make a breaker trip less likely to happen, as a lot of the equipment must remain running.
I've had the chain from dogtags fall off the back of a dresser and short a loose plug. Fell at about 2am i thought we had a grenade go off 😅 huge flash and bang
I have a 2004 house in CA. In bedrooms where light switch is tied to an outlet, the ground was up, while other outlets in same room had outlets down
Makes it easy to know which outlet in bedroom is controlled by switch. Not sure if this is code or not.
Here's what I've notice here in Canada, commercial buildings have the ground up and residential buildings have the ground down. Ground up always made more sense to me from a safety stand point so that is how I install them in my house when I replace them.
Funny that 3 and 4 prong 203-250V cords are wired with the neutral/ground downwards and installing the receptacle incorrectly causes a weak connection on the plug that also puts undue strain on the cord itself.
Scott, to simply answer your question at the end of your video, in most cases receptacles should be installed always ground down!
The only 3 circumstances are:
1. A dedicated 15A or 20A single or duplex appliance receptacle with the manufacturer’s plug oriented with ground up but, cord oriented to be hanging down like many Refrigerator’s and some clothes Washer’s & Dryer’s.
2. As you implied only a single dedicated receptacle on a single yoke, this should be ground up for appliances or switched devices like large lamps.
3. Obviously, any 20A, 30A, 50A or larger receptacle with the manufacturer’s plug specifically oriented in the ground up position like Welder’s, Lathe’s, Mill’s, Heavy Duty Pedestal Grinders, Plainer’s, Bandsaw’s, Air Compressors, other Metal or Wood working Shop Tools and Pneumatically Operated Shop Tools.
All other receptacles in the home or garage should be installed with the ground in down position unless the manufacturer states otherwise!
Only unless it conflicts with any of the above listed circumstances should a receptacle be installed with the ground in the up position!
Thanks so much for the feedback!
It's a very well explanation. Thanks
Switched/split outlet. I like the switched portion on the BOTTOM (operated by the switch on the wall) this way the CORD that is permanently there will HANG DOWN.
Homeowner uses Top Portion (easy access) always hot FROM TIME TO TIME. Put in vacuum cleaner or other device. comment please
Ground facing up for switched outlets is how my house is wired. The thing about shorting with ground facing down is a "the sky is falling" fear. In the 75 years I've been on this earth, I've never had an instance where this has ever come close to happening. If it has happened, some human failed some safety protocol (like maybe removing a metal face plate from a live outlet with a plug half out of the socket).
Sorry, but even in business situations, offices, etc, ground-down is required by high-powered equipment, particularly battery backups.
I've never seen a statics free body diagram showing better or worse moment on the plug; I think ground-down would be more stable due to two prongs (higher friction force) about the fulcrum.
If the receptacles were all recessed would eliminate 99% of that problem. I think in Europe most are recessed. Also a European style plug (I think they have fuses as well) same design but 110V would eliminate the plug from coming off the receptacle. With the recessed box they could be double gang size to accommodate space for more wires around the sides.
Ground down the ground should be the last thing to lose connection. Then there is little risk of electrocution from a failed appliance. If a plug comes lose and gets contacted by something falling on the exposed plug prongs no harm no foul other than a tripped breaker. But lose the ground from ground up and if you end up with an appliance housing that becomes electrified that could lead to death instead of a tripped breaker or tripped GFCI....
Yes I agree with you and have heard of this too. If the cord is getting pulled out due to weight, the hot side will pull out before loosing the ground. So you will always have contact with the ground to also protect the person using the appliance if there was a short in the appliance.
DIYer here. I like ground down because the finger you can't see while you're plugging it in or out can only contact ground. Grounded plugs can be a stiff. You might re-grip in the middle of the process. Better with no shock opportunity on the bottom.
If a range receptacle is to be installed for a range; the electrical box should be installed near the floor to accommodate the ground facing left or right. If a duplex receptacle is installed horizontal it should be installed with the ground facing right -- so if the cord is stepped on the hot will pull out first. Duplex sockets should be between 15' and 48' from floor but better yet if it is above 22' to clear end tables and night tables but below 26 to clear bottom rim of work tables. Mount microwave receptacles to the rights a few inches up from shelf for angled drop-cord plugs. Fridge receptacles should be near the floor but accommodate a drop cord plug. Work bench plugs might be better be mounted ground facing up since those cords will not be stepped on.
I do ground facing down unless this would cause the cord I plan to plug in would have a loop in it.
I see it this way.... Heat rises so I put the hot on top, and the ground is the floor so I put the ground down. Makes sense right? J/k. In commercial setting I put ground up and residential I put ground down except on switched outlets because that's just what people are used to
I worked as an electronics installer for a government agency before I retired. During that time, we became aware of the ground up or down debate. Most of us were satisfied that ground down was fine but just to be sure we didn't get any flack for doing it wrong, we would ask the local technicians how they wanted it done and that is how we did them. But I noticed when commercial electricians wired the buildings they always wired ground down. I think this debate came about because all hospitals have ground up and electricians took note of this. I understand the theory about ground up but unless you are wiring something that is especially sensitive or critical I think it is way overblown. We wired radar, air ground radios, and other critical equipment ground down and never had any problems.
Left or right? In the Chicagoland area, all outlets are mounted horizontally not vertically.
That is all I have ever seen in the Chicago area. That is why vertical always looks wrong to me.
Every switched outlet I have seen was outside ground down with the upper being switched. I have undone all mine. It is an outdated method, I replaced everything with smart devices and a local only hub. I have 2 smart bulbs in the master bedroom instead.
as an attorney, i would offer this thought on "manufacturer's recommendations" on "ground up" or "ground down." "If" there is actual language in the National Electric Code or "any" electric code that "specifically" states: "installation must follow the manufacturer's recommendations" - then that phrase "requires" those recommendations to be followed. HOWEVER, a manufacturer's "recommendations" are construed to be "more than just a picture on the packaging." if electrical outlet manufacturer's now expect their outlet to be installed "ground up" - THAT "specific language" MUST be found inside the packaging written somewhere on the enclosed "installation instructions." just showing an outlet with the ground pole pointing "up" on the outside of the packaging WOULD NOT be enough to be recognized as the "legal recommendation of installation."
So glad this critical issue is being addressed. The neighborhood kids keep coming over to my house to have "blade races" - dropping knives and folded foil along the wall, just to see who gets the most sparks.
Turns out all their houses have ground up receps, so they have to come to our house for these contests.
Of course kids being kids: they figure out ways to drop their blades and sheet metal pieces so they hit the hot prong even with group up receps.
They call this "pro league" blade racing!
In the past it seemed, if you looked at the print stamped on outlet's metal mounts, the lettering on Levitons were ground down and Eagle were ground up. Don't know if that is still the case. I go with ground down because 1) that how how it is most common and the orientation users expect when they plug in an outlet and 2) most flat plug cords tend have their cord exit in the direction of ground, which almost always should be down. Lastly, if a tool falls on the prongs with ground up, it still has a 50/50 chance of shorting hot to ground, which is still a short.
My understanding was Ground Up for 20 amp and shop or tool uses and Ground Down for inside the house and regular 15 amp. And that was related to the shorting thing in a shop environment. Didn't inside outlets used to be 2 wire only??? I think so.
Never heard of 20 amp ground up protocol and I have been in the trade over 40 years now.
I never stated it was a protocol it was just how it was explained to me. Have a nice day Billy.
I only install ground up if a particular piece of equipment has a cord requiring it. They are rare. When I run into this, I switch an existing outlet to match. In another comment, someone pointed out that a metal object falling onto a ground up and then connecting with the hot side instead of the neutral side won't trip the breaker. This is correct. So if you want to depend on your 200 Amp main breaker tripping, don't. Running 150 Amps will melt the insulation in the walls! Arc faults like this (sparks that don't quit) start many fires. They now have circuit breakers to sense that, since it's so dangerous.
There is also another thing that can be done if things falling are a real concern. Install an outdoor covered plate designed for things ALWAYS plugged in. Helps keep toddlers safer, too. Anybody here that didn't stick something metal into something electrical when little? I doubt it.
Please always change your outlets when plugs fall out because the outlet is worn out. Call an electrician if you can't do it safely yourself.
On that topic, if you use a window AC unit. Change the outlet to a single plug only. Buy a commercial grade one. Those cheap outlets are garbage. AC units don't usually cool well enough to put out fires. Dark humor, serious truth.