Electric receptacles: Ground up or ground down?

Richard S. wrote: grounds on top because it's code.

I"m a show me type of guy.....so show me! I'll bet fifty cents it's not in writing. Unless this is very new, I don't think code makes a mandate either way. All of my GFI sockets read both ways.
I was taught the ground should be down because if the plug gets loose, the last prong to lose contact is the ground. If the ground is on top and the plug comes loose you now have an energized appliance with no ground which I was taught is much more dangerous than something falling in and shorting out the plug & blowing a breaker. That is, what would you rather have, a spark followed by a blown circuit breaker, or an energized appliance surface that is not grounded?

I always face them down. Here is one I haven't gotten to yet that is bugging me...good thing I rarely use it.

ground down...
although the current NEMA site shows all them up when using the reference photos....ground down for me unless the device plugging in it dictates differently if it will be a long term plug in...

When I remodled my garage into a living room, my buddy put them in ground up and I put some in ground down. So now I have a variety of outlets in here lol. Personally, I like the ground down. It just looks right

I install ground up. My electrical instructor in college preferred up. NEC has no reference to this. Up to your own preference.

I was told ground UP, it was because if the plug came loose and something metal fell against the prongs, it wouldn't short out. I noticed in our new building (2 years old) at work all the Ground plugs are UP.

Maybe a commercial vs. residential thing or area of the country?

I guess it's personal preference. I think either are acceptable, just be consistent.

This is the "proper" way to do it.

Here's the link. Slightly NSFW for those with sensitive eyes.

down on the ground...like a dog

jpete wrote:This is the "proper" way to do it.

Here's the link. Slightly NSFW for those with sensitive eyes.

LMAO!!!!

When I built my garage in '07, I installed all my receptalcles with the ground up......I find that whatever I plug in stays in better.

Happy Easter everyone!

sterling40man wrote:When I built my garage in '07, I installed all my receptalcles with the ground up......I find that whatever I plug in stays in better.

How would you know the plugs stay better? Since they are all the same way, you have nothing to compare to.
Sorry, just being a wize azz tonight.

hospitals ground up...
http://archtoolbox.com/materials-systems/electrical/33-groundorientation.html

Think about how you pull out a plug, thumb and index finger, thumb on top and index on the bottom, being (MOST) peoples index fingers are longer than their thumb, it would seem that would be more prone to going past the insulation, so ground down. I don't have any proof of this ,just my opinion, anyway, recptacles look better ground DOWN, more like a smily face

I cut off the ground prong on all my stuff so it fits my extension cords. So it doesn't matter to me.

I cut off the ground prong on all my stuff so it fits my extension cords. So it doesn't matter to me

LMAO!!! I suppose you run them under the rugs to?!! Fun thread for sure. I run them ground down and my wife hates it. Thinks they are little faces looking at her. And good one Jpete! I agree with the theory that it depends which way the wire needs to run away from the outlet.

Kevin