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Ground up or down? Why?


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Ground up or down? Why?
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2010-01-14, 01:35

So here I am being a great loving father who doesn't want my outlets unusable because of safety plugs and wants to keep my wife happy. So there is also this little fact that I happen to not want my kids fried too.

Anyway, so I've gone through my house and replaced every receptacle in the house with one of these:


If you click the image it'll take you to the product page on it with more details of why it's so awesome. The condensed version is that you can't stick something in one side of the receptacle without also sticking something in the other. (ie, plugs only) This has been a long project too. I started it back in August shortly after moving in because most of the outlets were so worn that the plugs literally fell out of the receptacle.

So we got three boxes of these things and I went through getting all of them replaced. I completed the "kid" areas tonight finally. The other thing I did was split the outlets that were switch controlled too. So instead of the switch turning the whole outlet off it only controls power for the top terminal. This leaves the bottom terminal alone so we can plug normal devices in it without having to remember to leave the switch on when we need it to stay powered.

So as I did this I followed my normal pattern of putting the ground down. This makes the plug sit normal for most applications since they are molded with the ground down. If you look at this picture though, the ground is up. So I started looking around and most of the images show the ground being up now. Did I miss something? I Googled and all that I came up with it's a matter of choice.

So what's your choice and why?

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
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CitizenTony
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Dallas
 
2010-01-14, 01:52

Ground down. I'd constantly try to plug things in wrong if it were switched. I see their logo is set so that it looks correct (and incorrect) either way.

As an aside, it would drive me mad having a logo on every receptacle. But I'm a bit anal in that area. As I've painted each room, I've switched the cover plates with new ones so they all match. I've replaced scratched plugs. And every screw must be perfectly vertical.
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709
¡Damned!
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Purgatory
 
2010-01-14, 02:02

Ground down, because any plug with a ground has a flat spot on top that fits your thumb naturally, and because ground up is just plain weird.

Quote:
Originally Posted by CitizenTony View Post
I've switched the cover plates with new ones so they all match. ... And every screw must be perfectly vertical.
I totally do this too.

So it goes.
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Dave
Ninja Editor
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Bay Area, CA
 
2010-01-14, 02:16

I like ground up, so when the plugs get a little loose, the metal on top isn't carrying any current.
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Wyatt
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Near Indianapolis
 
2010-01-14, 07:37

I prefer ground to be down as well. In my house, they're all that way, except for the outlets that are on switches. That way, I can glance at any outlet and see if it's switched or always on.

Twitter: bwyatt | Xbox: @playsbadly | Instagram: @bw317
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Xaqtly
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2010-01-17, 00:58

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wyatt View Post
I prefer ground to be down as well. In my house, they're all that way, except for the outlets that are on switches. That way, I can glance at any outlet and see if it's switched or always on.
That's how my house is too.
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2010-01-17, 01:23

I like the idea of putting the switch controlled outlets upside-down but I've missed that window. Maybe if I ever make a change again I'll go through and do that. Then again I'll have to rewire them too so the switch controlled outlet is on the top still.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
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alcimedes
I shot the sherrif.
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2010-01-17, 04:30

The new method is ground up so that you can't accidentally drop something on a semi plugged in item and cause a short.
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alcimedes
I shot the sherrif.
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2010-01-17, 04:33

The new method is ground up so that you can't accidentally drop something on a semi plugged in item and cause a short.
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Dave
Ninja Editor
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Bay Area, CA
 
2010-01-17, 12:43

Quote:
Originally Posted by turtle2472 View Post
I like the idea of putting the switch controlled outlets upside-down but I've missed that window. Maybe if I ever make a change again I'll go through and do that. Then again I'll have to rewire them too so the switch controlled outlet is on the top still.
Alternately, changing the color of the faceplates on the switch-controlled outlets would let you see at a glance vs getting down and actually looking.
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2010-01-17, 18:38

That's a good idea too. Most of my covers don't match the new receptacles anyway.

On a side note, I've put the receptacles in my attic all with ground up.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
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Kickaha
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2010-01-17, 19:03

Quote:
Originally Posted by alcimedes View Post
The new method is ground up so that you can't accidentally drop something on a semi plugged in item and cause a short.
'Splain please.
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Dave
Ninja Editor
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Bay Area, CA
 
2010-01-17, 19:10

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kickaha View Post
'Splain please.
With the ground down, if something like an aluminum foil airplane (don't laugh! ok, you can laugh a little) were to fall onto a partially unplugged plug, it might short out the hot and neutral pins, potentially causing all kinds of godzilla-like mayhem. With the ground up, it would rest harmlessly on the ground pin, causing no mayhem, godzilla-like or otherwise. (Unless of course there was a fault it the appliance causing there to be voltage on the ground pin, but even then you'd still need second path to ground for there to be actual mayhem.)
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Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2010-01-17, 19:14

How the crap are people going around with plugs hanging halfway out of their sockets? Virtually every plug/socket I've ever used has a firm hold that requires a good tug to come loose.

The quality of this board depends on the quality of the posts. The only way to guarantee thoughtful, informative discussion is to write thoughtful, informative posts. AppleNova is not a real-time chat forum. You have time to compose messages and edit them before and after posting.
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2010-01-17, 19:23

Well, I can almost see the plug not being snug since my last apartment and almost all the receptacles here in my new house were worn enough that the plugs barely held in on their own. I was tempted to bend my prongs just so they would hold into the receptacle. Thanks to me having kids and having been a fireman who's battled electrical fires I just couldn't bring myself to do this. I replaced the receptacles instead.

As for the up or down, there is still no law that says it has to be one way or the other, just a matter of preference. I can see it being made a law for new construction though. Logically it makes sense though the reasoning being it are much inline with the premise that mankind is dumb and must be coddled rather than allow them to remove themselves from the gene pool.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
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Kickaha
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2010-01-17, 23:11

No kidding, I mean, a toddler with a knife is going to be coming at it from *below*, man... won't someone THINK OF THE CHILDREN!?!?
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spotcatbug
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Clayton, NC
 
2010-01-18, 07:52

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kickaha View Post
No kidding, I mean, a toddler with a knife is going to be coming at it from *below*, man... won't someone THINK OF THE CHILDREN!?!?
That's why all mine go sideways. The kids haven't figured it out yet.
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Ebby
Subdued and Medicated
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Over Yander
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2010-01-18, 11:13

my dorm room had all the grounds up and it ticked me off so bad. I have a couple wall warts with the polarized plugs (don't get me started on that) and they fall out if they are upside down. I had to use an extension cord for computer speakers with loops of cable everywhere.

so annoying.


^^ One more quality post from the desk of Ebby. ^^
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CitizenTony
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Dallas
 
2010-01-18, 13:46

How would having ground up affect a two-prong plug? It wouldn't make any difference if something landed on it since there wouldn't be a ground post to stop it. I don't buy that reason.

Plus, like Ebby said, every time I have to plug a wall wart into a ground up socket, it tries to fall out. Even new, tight ones can't hold the big ones in all the way. So it's just causing he problem it's supposedly trying to defeat.
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zsummers
Avast!
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: New York?
 
2010-01-18, 15:49

Quote:
Originally Posted by CitizenTony View Post
Even new, tight ones can't hold the big ones in all the way. So it's just causing he problem it's supposedly trying to defeat.
That's what she said?
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alcimedes
I shot the sherrif.
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2010-01-18, 16:29

Quote:
Originally Posted by CitizenTony View Post
How would having ground up affect a two-prong plug? It wouldn't make any difference if something landed on it since there wouldn't be a ground post to stop it. I don't buy that reason.

Plus, like Ebby said, every time I have to plug a wall wart into a ground up socket, it tries to fall out. Even new, tight ones can't hold the big ones in all the way. So it's just causing he problem it's supposedly trying to defeat.
An ungrounded plug it wouldn't matter at all.

The point is that something is more likely to fall onto an outlet then to fly up into an outlet. If that item is metal and the plug isn't in all the way it can/will cause a short.

If the ground is up it won't, as the object would hit the ground and perhaps one plug, but not both at the same time.

Google is your frenemy.
Caveat Emptor - Latin for tough titty
I tend to interpret things in the way that's most hilarious to me
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2010-01-18, 16:34

Quote:
Originally Posted by CitizenTony View Post
How would having ground up affect a two-prong plug? It wouldn't make any difference if something landed on it since there wouldn't be a ground post to stop it. I don't buy that reason.

Plus, like Ebby said, every time I have to plug a wall wart into a ground up socket, it tries to fall out. Even new, tight ones can't hold the big ones in all the way. So it's just causing he problem it's supposedly trying to defeat.
It would matter because he said a polarized plug. Thus the neutral blade is wider than the hot blade. Neutral is always in the left when looking with the ground down. If the ground is up then this means he (and all of us too) have to flip the transformer over just to be able to plug it in. So when the socket is flipped with the ground up those devices have to go in upside down.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
  quote
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