3 ms·
Your explanation was likely wrong then, because there's no good reason to install your receptacles that way, unless your faceplates are metal. If they're plast
by magduf 7y ago
Your explanation was likely wrong then, because there's no good reason to install your receptacles that way, unless your faceplates are metal. If they're plastic, then there's no reason for it.
- shawnz 7y agoHuh? I thought the reason for putting ground facing up was to prevent metal things from falling in from above and shorting the live and neutral together. What does that have to do with the material of the faceplate?
- jethro_tell 7y agoBecause a metal face-plate is the most likely item to fall in there. Especially in industrial places like warehouses and hospitals where there's a lot of stuff rolling around and everything is high traffic.
- pixl97 7y agoReally I've found flat materials falling off the back ofdesks to be a pretty common method of shorting said prongs. Even upside down it is still a problem with ungrounded devices like phone chargers.
- count 7y agoThe reason for putting it ground up is that the vast majority of plug insertions occurs from above, with the plug angled down into the socket. This assures that the ground connector goes in first, as it's at the top, so you get the safety ground before any of the connections are made. It's also a nice benefit that if something were to fall between the plug and the faceplate that it'd hit the ground and not short things (or short to the plate itself if it were metal).
- shawnz 7y agoThis doesn't seem right to me. Given how the contacts are positioned deep in the socket, they wouldn't be reached if the plug isn't being inserted straight. Plus the ground pin is already slightly longer to mitigate this issue. Do you have a source for this explanation?