newsreader wrote:

Don Fearn wrote:
Is there a "right" way for wall outlets to face?

Should they be

| |
O

| |
O

^That one is right side up.



or


O
| |

O
| |

^That one is upside down.


and why?

Darned if I know. There might be a written code somewhere?




The top way makes little faces and the ground pin is closer to the
ground, but it seems like the bottom way might be safer (something
metal would hit the ground pin first if it fell). Any other reasons to
prefer one way over the other? How about sideways (I won't attempt
ASCII art for sideways).

Seems to me that if you drop something metal on a plug, the plug will
probably just pull out of the socket?


-Don

I've personally seen a metal outlet cover plate where the screw fell out
and the plate fell across the plug that was in the outlet. It ended up
balanced on the wider neutral blade and dangling about 1/64" away from
shorting to the hot blade. Had to kill power to the circuit to fix it.

Pete C.