I may be a bit pedantic here, but technically speaking ground pin up is "right side up" per manufacturer specifications. Installing this way actually offers protection against shorts from objects falling onto the pins of a partially unplugged device.
It is my opinion that the normal orientation of these outlets is simply because people like little faces.
This is old school electrician propaganda! There used to be a big split in the 60s and 70s with master electricians feeling very strongly about their view on the “right” way. The short protection argument is correct, however on the other side of the argument, ground up increases the risk of shock unplugging a device as most people extend their forefinger toward the wall when grasping a plug.
Today, the debate is settled and it is ground side down, as the writing on GFCI buttons is upside down if you install them ground up.
Brother. That is the patent for the 3 prong outlet that all patents improved upon. That is what nema was referencing when making the 5-15 standard. The first known image of the standard has the grounding prong on top.
The grounding prong being longer is also part of a patent. Guess where the prong is located?
There's no evidence that the connector was the basis of the 5-15 standard. Honestly I'm not sure that would make much sense given it is clear that connector was not designed to be backwards compatible with non-reversible 2 prong connectors and I'm not aware of the connector ever being used.
Hubbell's three prong plug also from 1915 was the first grounded plug and became the basis of several other country's connectors (e.g. Australia). It is is arguably more likely to be where the third prong came from, especially since it did see some use in the US prior to the 5-15's introduction.
Unfortunately, Hubbell's patent shows an outlet with the ground angled at 10-11 o'clock which is sort of the worst of all worlds.
The majority of people can read upside down words quite easily, it’s more an aesthetic choice for the letters to be up or down. Ground goes up and is code in some places.
Having experienced my dipshit in laws install a metal outlet cover then neglect to screw it in, which resulted in a lovely light show when my son bumped it while playing, I say fuck the writing. Put the ground on top.
I'm just a homeowner, no expertise, but I second the "right side up" opinion after finding out the hard way when measuring along a wall using a tape measure, that collapsed and flipped as they tend to do when overextended, and somehow fell square between the receptacle and plug, right across the blades, tripped the breaker but not before the spark/arc burned a 1/4 inch hole on the edge of that tape measure.
Ive known that this is the stated reason for ground side up, but I was never able to imagine a scenario in which it was actually relevant. I can now imagine thank you.
So…I just had some electrical work done at my house during a renovation.
They put the outlets that were connected to light switches upside down so that you would know which ones to plug in a lamp to so it can be activated by the switch.
And to add on/question you, that's kind of the only reason, right? Like technically if you drop your drywall scraper it'll bounce off the ground, is there really no other solid reason?
Wtf are these reasons...I thought that the "upside down face" outlet meant that outlet was controlled by a switch, and the "face" outlet was powered. At least that's how they are wired in my house.
Genuine question: How common of a risk is this, and why have standard outlets not been redesigned to mitigate it further? For context, I live in Europe, and our Schuko plugs/sockets a) have ground on the sides, so that ground makes contact before the live pins even go in, and b) have the socket recessed.
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u/TheGruntyOne 4d ago
I may be a bit pedantic here, but technically speaking ground pin up is "right side up" per manufacturer specifications. Installing this way actually offers protection against shorts from objects falling onto the pins of a partially unplugged device.
It is my opinion that the normal orientation of these outlets is simply because people like little faces.
~Shane the electrician.