OK — here’s the question for today. Are the electrical outlets in your house installed upside down? Take a look — is the ground hole (the round hole, above or below, the two slots) on the top or bottom?
Just so you know, there is an age-old debate about whether an electrical outlet should be mounted with the ground pin up or down.
Like most subjects, there are a lot of theories about the orientation of an outlet — for example:
• The outlet should be mounted with the ground pin up because if the plug comes slightly loose and a metal object were to fall from above, the ground plug, which usually does not carry current would deflect the object so it would not hit “live” prongs.
• The outlet should be oriented with the ground pin down because a person grabbing the outlet will have their index finger at the bottom side of the plug and the index finger sticks out further than the thumb. Having the ground down will keep a person’s index finger from touching the live pins.
• The outlet should be oriented with the ground pin up because this pin is longer and the plastic around the plug is meatier, so it will help to keep the plug inserted into the outlet.
• The outlet should be oriented with the ground pin down because many common household items such as nightlight, timers, and battery chargers are oriented with the ground pin down. And — GFCI outlets, which have text on the test and text buttons, are oriented with the ground pin down (and the text is readable.)
If you’re like me and got nothing better to do, check any source you can find, including the Internet, and you’ll discover that all these theories can be easily debunked.
Here’s the answer — it doesn’t matter, technically, if you install an outlet with the ground hole up or down. The National Electrical Code (NEC) doesn’t require a certain direction. the NEC allows outlets to be installed with the ground plug hole facing up, down or sideways. It’s up to you — there is no standard electric outlet orientation. So the answer to my first question is no — your outlets are not installed upside down.
Now how about if the receptacle is installed horizontally? Again, it’s up to you — typically, horizontal outlets are installed with the grounding hole to the left, and the wide neutral slot on top, but if for some reason it makes more sense to place the grounding hole on the right, that’s ok.
The bottom line is that there is no code-required orientation for electrical outlets and in some instances there may be a good reason for both orientations.
So it’s your choice — don’t worry, up or down, the outlet police won’t come.
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