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Clare Snyder Clare Snyder is offline
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Default Electrical Outlets Upside Down? Code?

On Wed, 09 Jan 2019 03:14:02 GMT, Brelvis
m wrote:

replying to hrhofmann, Brelvis wrote:
The reason is simple. SAFETY. Back in the day, the outlet covers were metal.
Id a plate happened to come lose, fall on the hot conductor of the cord, YOU
became the ground if it were to be touched. If it were to fall on the grounded
prong, no harm done. Read this explanation in an older text book back in the
80's.

Other than in commercial (and institutional) use metal plates were
replaced by plastic LONG before 3 wire grounded outlets became common.

There is no safety based reason for either orientation in normal use