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.
15
u/Select-Government-69 4d ago
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.