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Upside down electrical outlets?

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cowboyjosh

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Mar 11, 2010
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Alright, I don't know if anyone brought this up yet.

When I wire a house, its ground down, UNLESS the outlet is a half hot controlled by a switch, then the outlet is mounted ground up, that way the homeowners know that is the outlet / outlets controlled by a switch. In Colorado and Arizona I find this to be the case in many newer homes, some local AHJ's now require this type of install to be able to identify the switched outlet.
 
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Rickster55

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Jun 22, 2009
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Okay, according to my electrical code (the one I just made up), you MUST install outlets ground side down (sorry, I like smiley faces) and you MUST use electrical tape to wrap all contact points. Oh, and by the way, (before anybody asks) the tape should be wrapped clockwise. :beer:
 
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Torque1st

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Rickster55 said:
Okay, according to my electrical code (the one I just made up), you MUST install outlets ground side down (sorry, I like smiley faces) and you MUST use electrical tape to wrap all contact points. Oh, and by the way, (before anybody asks) the tape should be wrapped clockwise. :beer:
Click to expand...

Yeah, -but what COLOR tape should you use? RED since it is covering HOT connections? Or alternating RED/WHITE tape also known as PINK since one side of the outlet has HOT screws and the other side has NEUTRAL? Another option would be alternating BLACK/WHITE tape also known as GRAY since the BLACK wire is usually the HOT connection? Or should we be required to carry both types so that whatever color wire is used to supply the HOT terminals we have the proper tape to apply? What do we do with outlets that are wired one end from a switch and the other side always HOT? Would we need to carry TRI-COLOR tape? Would we need to carry RED/BLACK/WHITE tape as well as BLACK/RED/WHITE tape since we always have to wrap clockwise? Alternating color tape would have to be wrapped so that the proper color was on the proper SIDE/TERMINAL of the outlet. If we must use alternating color tape do they make it in different stripe lengths to cover different outlet sizes? Or are we just supposed to stretch the tape to length for the particular outlet used?
 
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BioHazard

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I think rather than WRAPPING the entire outlet in tape, you should use red tape on the hot side, white tape on the neutral side, and some blue tape on top and bottom just to give it a patriotic feel. (and cover up the part where it says made in Mexico)
 
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Poncho Villa

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Oklahoma City, OK USA
BioHazard said:
I think rather than WRAPPING the entire outlet in tape, you should use red tape on the hot side, white tape on the neutral side, and some blue tape on top and bottom just to give it a patriotic feel. (and cover up the part where it says made in Mexico)
Click to expand...

Torque1st said:
Blue tape would not match the green ground screws tho... :lol_hitti
Click to expand...

Using Red, White, & Green tape colors you not only take care of matching the ground but you also do not need to cover up "Hecho En Mexico". :lol_hitti
mexico-flag.gif
 
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PassnThru

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Torque1st said:
Yeah, -but what COLOR tape should you use? RED since it is covering HOT connections? Or alternating RED/WHITE tape also known as PINK since one side of the outlet has HOT screws and the other side has NEUTRAL? Another option would be alternating BLACK/WHITE tape also known as GRAY since the BLACK wire is usually the HOT connection? Or should we be required to carry both types so that whatever color wire is used to supply the HOT terminals we have the proper tape to apply? What do we do with outlets that are wired one end from a switch and the other side always HOT? Would we need to carry TRI-COLOR tape? Would we need to carry RED/BLACK/WHITE tape as well as BLACK/RED/WHITE tape since we always have to wrap clockwise? Alternating color tape would have to be wrapped so that the proper color was on the proper SIDE/TERMINAL of the outlet. If we must use alternating color tape do they make it in different stripe lengths to cover different outlet sizes? Or are we just supposed to stretch the tape to length for the particular outlet used?
Click to expand...
Clear tape must be used to allow weekly inspections :thumbup:
 
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JamieK

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Winston-Salem, NC
Umm, heres a simple solution. Just always use two prong outlets like these

istockphoto_3662773-two-prong-


and just cut the ground prongs off any electrical cords. :thumbup:
repair-unsafe-extension-cord-200X200.jpg
Couldn't get much simpler than that.
 
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PassnThru

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Not so simple. Now the argument about the neutral being on the left or the right will commence. No solution is so simple that it cannot be over-analyzed :)
 
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BioHazard

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PassnThru said:
Not so simple. Now the argument about the neutral being on the left or the right will commence. No solution is so simple that it cannot be over-analyzed :)
Click to expand...
Cut the hot slot a little longer. Now it's got dual polarization. :thumbup:
 
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ddawg16

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S. California
Problem solved.....any quesitons?

IMG00122.jpg



And on a semi-related note.......you can never have enough outlets.....I don't run everything at once....and the pic is during a 'low use' day.....I just don't like having to plug and unplug stuff.....besides, keeping cords plugged in keeps the saw dust out....

So....for anyone planning their electrical....LOTS of outlets....it doesn't use any more electricity if they are not used.....

IMG00123.jpg
 
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babzog

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Eastern Ontario, Canada
Torque1st said:
Old cords and appliances like refrigerators were made with the ground pin up to lay flat against the wall. Newer cords are made for "happy face" outlets and the ground pin is down. If I am wiring for an appliance I wire the outlet so the cord lays right.
Click to expand...

Does anyone make a welding plug with the ground at the cord end of the connector rather than the far end? Unless I raise the box and force those #6 cables to bend more, I'm forced to plug the welder in with the cord approaching from the top which puts stress on the cord/connector junction.
 
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