Electrical outlets in the shop

I mentioned this information in a Yahoo discussion group and thought it might be useful to include it here.

The original question was why are outlets in hospitals mounted with the ground lug up?

When I worked in industry, this was a recommended practice so that if a plug came partially out, a piece of equipment or metal falling on it would contact the ground first.

The other way, with the hot leads up, a piece of equipment (or swarf) falling on it might be electrically hot and thus an electricution hazard.

I mounted the wall outlets in the shop this way although most of the 140+ outlets are in the ceiling. The ones in the house are with the ground lug down because most people expect to find them that way. Most wal-warts have plugs oriented to hang with the wire down with the usual orientation.

Earle Rich Mont Vernon, NH

The other reason is, the "Hubbell" logo on the receptacle reads right-side-up if you put the ground pin at the top.

Jim

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I believe Canadian electrical code calls for this orientation.

We do not as of yet, but I agree that it is good practice.

I remember tripping the main breaker as a kid because I pulled my nightlight halfway out and then dropped a nickel across the contacts to see what would happen...

Jeff Dantzler

Ah, memories... A piece of tinsel (the old kind with lead (?) in it) from the Christmas tree dropped over the contacts of the tree lights plug would make a nice pop and flash. Mom and Dad put the stop to that real quick. I think the burn marks are still on the outlet plate 30 years later. ;^) Jim

That's what they keep saying, but I won't do it that way in a residence unless I ask the customer first - "It looks odd."

The conversion to reversed receptacles everywhere is going to go over about as well as US metrification did. It will happen eventually but not quickly, and with a lot of moaning and hand-wringing. ;-)

If all the receptacles in your residence are in the normal orientation except for a few that are "upside-down", that is a flag for you - they are switched or split (1/2 switched) receptacles.

Don't plug your alarm clock in there, if someone turns off the switch on you you'll be oversleeping.

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Boy, talk about overreacting to a low probability event. I.e., the plug has to come out some, BUT not enough to disconnect AND then something conductive AND small enough to fit in that space has to fall in that space AND contact just the hot leg.

I don't think that I'll be switching any of my outlets anytime soon.

Bob

Nah, NEC doesn't care.

2002 NEC Handbook, Article 406.4 Receptacle Mounting has a comment stating "The NEC does not specify the position (Blades up or blades down) of a common vertically mounted 15- or 20-ampere duplex receptacle. Although many drawings within this handbook show the slots for the blades up such as Exhibit 406.1, the receptacle may be installed with the slots for blades down."

Nate

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After reading some of the posts - and thinking and remembering stuff I've heard over the years..... my take on it is this...

1. If the ground prong is down, and if the plug is partially tilted out of the receptacle, the GROUND connection will be the last connection broken (which I believe was NEC's original thought on this)
2. If something fall across the blades of a partially pulled plug - it'll throw fire.
3. If the ground prong is UP, and something falls down around the prongs (like a bunch of swarf) it'll STILL throw fire.
4. I would much rather mount the receptacle with the ground down and prevent all the cords (flat type) from getting kinked as they are bent over to accomodate ground prong up orientation.
5. You could mount them all horizontal - then the argument would be ground LEFT or ground RIGHT :-) Ken.

Hey, wasn't it Tim Allen to said real men just cut that ground connector off of most cords anyway?

:-)

Buy the Woodhead type right angle plugs. They can be configured either way.

Jim

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Heh. I think everyone has this same story here.

For me it was my mom's phi beta kappa key that was inserted into the light switch. Left a big smudge on the wall, and a small lump of gold. And a scared three year old.

My wife says that this must have been particularly poignient for my mom, having a demonstrable event where childbearing destroyed her academic career....

Jim

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Not much to argue about there. The relevant concern in that case is hot up or neutral up, with neutral up being the preferred orientation. That would put the ground to the LEFT.

I've never been able to figure out how Tim Allen was too incompetent to install a dishwasher yet accomplished expert restorations on hotrods in his spare time, in his small garage.

I recently rewired our new to us old house on Vancouver Island, which had only a 60 amp fuse box and a single outlet in each room.

The British Columbia Code, which I believe follows Canadian National code, says 'vertical or horizontal', with no reference to up, down right or left - unless that has changed within the last 6 months or so.

There was one significant change fairly recently - don't recall exactly - might have involved GFI Breakers being required instead of GFI outlets in some situations but it went through after I'd taken out my permit and didn't effect me in any case.

In my shop I installed all outlets (120V & 240V) at about 48 in. above floor level so they'd be above and convenient to workbench tops & more nearly at machine height. If this also means it's less likely that something will fall on a cord, so much the better.

Mickey

My current house, as well as several rental apartments that I've lived in over the years, have the outlets installed sideways. The idea, as I understand it, is if something like a metal picture frame falls, dislodges the plug and then comes into contact with one of the prongs, you won't get a short. This makes reasonable sense. But for whatever reason, the outlets were installed with the ground pin on the right. In other words, the hot pin is on top. Why wouldn't they install it the other way, with the neutral pin on top?

Any time I see one of those I either refuse to accept it for use, or cut the plug off and install a new one. Gerry :-)} London, Canada