Not this again!
Ok for the record there is nothing in the electrical code that dictates the ground must be up or down, so it is 100% A MATTER OF PERSONAL PREFERENCE!
Some people claim they want ground up because if a piece of metal falls on the plug and magically falls between the plug and the receptacle it will hit the ground plug and then fall off to the side. If the ground was down, in theory it could connect the hot and neutral leads and result in a short which could in turn result in sparks or a fire or the world coming to an end apparently.
However, in the real world - when is the last time someone actually heard of this happening? Yea there some stories being told, but what is the actualy chance? You would have better luck of winning the Powerball while being struck by lightning while Marissa Miller was asking you to apply sunscreen to her **** body.
In short... not gonna happen.
Agreeded 100% +
In my house, the outlets are sideways. I have a log house. In this particular type of log construction, it is easy to install the boxes sideways. All ground pins are to the left. When I moved in, it drove me crazy, some were one way, some the other, just random. I replaced all receptacles ((they were the 59 cent variety (price stickers on some of them) and nothing would stay plugged in)) and put all the grounds to the left. I have nylon face plates, it doesn't matter, but the ground to the left just happens to put the neutral blade up.
In the shop, I put all receptacles with the ground down. They are secured with three screws each into industrial type 4" box dual receptacle faces. Receptacles grip so tight, they are not about to pull 1/2 out and let something fall on them, it just isn't going to happen.
Now having ground down does also have some advantages. Specifically if you plug in any type of transformer you will note the cord always is oriented so it comes out of the bottom assuming the ground pin is on the bottom. this means if you installed the receptacle with the ground hole up, you would need to install the transformer upside down which would then have the tendency to pull away from the wall due to the stress and weight upon the cord.
I should note most residential installations have ground down because of the orientation of most cords and transformers whereas most commercial installations have ground up - but not always, and it isn't due to code reasons.
I like ground down, because three pin plugs are easier for me to plug in, and I know that two pin plugs will need the wide blade to the left as I reach to plug them in.
I'm yet to see a three pin transformer. An examination of the transformer bricks and similar chargers in the house (cable modem brick, cordless phone brick, cell ph charger, camera batt charger, stinger flashlight charger, bricks for various computer accessories) showed that all were two prong, all had equal width blades, and could be plugged in either way. I have one, probably in the shop, that has unequal width blades and will only plug in one way. I didn't find it in my search.
At the end of the day each person needs to do what they want to do. Install them ground up, install them ground down, install them sideways or install them on a 45 degree angle if you really have the desire - it really doesn't matter.
Agree 101%
Charles
