Upside down receptacle in Bedrooms

[David Nasser]

I inspected a house that was only two years old.
One three prong receptacle in every bedroom was upside down
and one plug test open ground.....What would be the reason or
was is it an installation mistake ?

David
PHI

[Marc D. Shunk]

Yeah, when they're installed upside down, all the electrons run to the bottom. Thus, the reason for the open ground.

[Larry D. Kage]

Originally Posted by Marc D. Shunk

Yeah, when they're installed upside down, all the electrons run to the bottom. Thus, the reason for the open ground.

Go ahead, Marc, tell him how to fill it up again once they're turned right side up. It seems lately that you're just telling part of the story.

[Jae Williams]

C'mon, Mark--I think David is serious.

There is no "upside-down" to a receptacle (and the electrons don't run out). The open ground was a mis-wire for a variety of reasons, but the installation was not a mistake--it's common to see them "inverted".

[mthomas2]

On my rehabs I have adjacent outlets in the same box installed in opposite direction - makes it easier to plug in multiple "wall-warts".

[cbuell]

If you have "one" in each room upside down it may designate the one that is switched. Some sparkies do it that way. And like Jay said----there isn't a "right" and "wrong" way----though some might argue otherwise

[David Nasser]

Thanks everbody so far....

David
P-H-I

[Marc D. Shunk]

Originally Posted by lkage

Go ahead, Marc, tell him how to fill it up again once they're turned right side up. It seems lately that you're just telling part of the story.

Sorry about that. Sometimes the entertainment value of a nonsense reply trumps the value of the real reply.

[Michael Peterson]

Most of all upside down receptacles that I have found are on a switch that way you dont have search for it. Although most people dont know this.

[Greg Fretwell]

Which way IS upside down?

<ducking for cover>

[Russel Ray]

Originally Posted by mpeterson

Most of all upside down receptacles that I have found are on a switch that way you dont have search for it. Although most people dont know this.

Which is why I always point it out to my Clients. They appreciated the knowledge, not to mention my obvious attention to the small details for them.

[gbeaumont]

Originally Posted by Marc D. Shunk

Yeah, when they're installed upside down, all the electrons run to the bottom. Thus, the reason for the open ground.

Very good Marc, that is funny

Regards

Gerry

[rshuey]

was David serious?

lol

[rshuey]

Well, in case he was, there is no right or wrong direction to mount a receptacle. The reasoning for mounting them with the ground up is in case the plug were falling from its receptacle and something metal was dropped on the plug. Instead of the foreign object hitting a "hot" wire, it would instead make contact on the ground wire.

[Joe Farsetta]

Russel,

Actually, on older 3-prong receptacles, there was a "top" indication.

Originally the ground plug was to be installed above the hot and neutral openings. The ides, back in the day of metallic covers, was that if the mounting screw fell out (with a 3-prong line cord plugged in), the plate would hit the ground, instead of shorting across the hot and neutral.

The designation disappeared years ago.