[GreenKeys] Switch polarity

Tue May 30 00:21:44 EDT 2017

I've had first a "City License" for Journeyman Electrician, followed by a State of Michigan License
for the past 48 years.  In one class I took for NEC Code update, we were told that there is no NEC
requirement for 'ground contact up' or 'ground contact down'.  We were told that there  IS  an ANSI
code statement that says it should be UP.  This all goes by the wayside when a receptacle is 
installed in a horizontal position.  Ground left?  Ground right?  Then, there is also WIREMOLD, a
device with a number of receptacles per six foot length.  These are mostly installed horizontally,
so that the ground pin will be to the left or right.

I have seen molded 3-wire cords with the ground pin each way, as well as 'left' and 'right', when
plugged into a receptacle which is horizontal.  When Michigan Bell Telephone Co. did their part of
the wiring in the Ford Plant where I worked, they wanted two receptacles in each of the telephone
closets in the Admin building.  THEY must have had a supply of molded cords in all of the possible
configurations, since when the smoke cleared away and they finished all of the PBX wiring for several
hundred office phones, all of their power cords for the boxes that held the plug-in cards for area
phones were flat against the back wall, held by plastic 'clamps' and screws, about six inches from
the receptacle.  Some cords went to the left, some to the right, and none were bent or skewed in any
manner.

We've had appliances with molded cords in both configurations in our home, and I've 'flipped' a few
receptacles in my day, to have the cord lie flat without a bend.  98% of my wiring experience involved
wiring #8 and larger.  I worked as an Industrial Electrician and later as a High Voltage Switchman,
and connected and terminated lots of cables up to 500MCM in size.  The little home wiring I've done
has been in basements, a bit in kitchens and one 'family room addition' for a neighbor.

I've been required to take NEC Code Update classes every three years to maintain my State of Michigan
Electrician's License.  The 'ground up/ground down' subject seems to come up every time!  Until the
NEC gets into the act and might possibly be able to dictate to manufacturers of electrical equipment,
there will continue to be the 'non-standard' cord/plug situation, and debates about which is best
or correct.

73,

Ralph - W8ROI

- - - - - - - -

On May 29, 2017, at 8:23 PM, PJ Bennett wrote:

> I do my fair share of home wiring and always wondered what the proper orientation of the wall outlet was supposed to be.  I just followed the other outlets originally in the house (ground pin down).  But, this is interesting that the ground should be up.
>  
> I just checked our Kenmore washer and the power cord is indeed a right angle cord, but with the ground pin down (for the cord wire to properly route down to the washer).  I guess Sears decided for all of us that ground should be down.
>  
> Of course, all my 33’s have straight cords so no issues there! 
>  
> _____________________________________
> PJ Bennett, BSEE
> 918.704.7055 | pj at pjbennett.com | pjbennett.com
> <image002.jpg>
>  
> From: GreenKeys [mailto:greenkeys-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Michael O'Day
> Sent: Monday, May 29, 2017 2:01 PM
> To: greenkeys at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: Re: [GreenKeys] Switch polarity
>  
> Scott,
>  That would explain why I have had to "flip" a few outlets when plugging in heavier appliances that use a right angle plug like my refrigerator and dryer. I always cringe when I see a cord with that 180 degree bend. Odd that they would pass inspection installed like that.
> 
> Mike O'Day
> N9ODM
>  
> On Mon, May 29, 2017 at 12:20 PM, Scott Johnson <scottjohnson1 at cox.net> wrote:
> Convention in the commonwealth seems to be up for off, everywhere else seems to be opposite.  In aerospace, up is on, for a vertical panel, forward is on, for an overhead panel, and outward is “on” for a side panel.  BTW, in north America, the grounding terminal on a NEMA 15  is SUPPOSED to be up, even the writing on the outlet bears this out, but I think design folks liked the “face” look, so down is common.  In some locales, and in Canada I believe, ground up is enforced.  The rationale is it is first to make, last to break, and you should be able to visually align the plug with the receptacle using the ground pin.
>  
> Scott V. Johnson W7SVJ
> 5111 E. Sharon Dr.
> Scottsdale, AZ 85254-3636
> H (602) 953-5779
> C (480) 550-2358
> scottjohnson1 at cox.net
> scott.johnson at ieee.org
>  
> From: GreenKeys [mailto:greenkeys-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of drlegendre .
> Sent: Saturday, May 27, 2017 8:34 PM
> To: WA5CAB at cs.com
> Cc: Green Keys <greenkeys at mailman.qth.net>
> Subject: Re: [GreenKeys] Switch polarity
>  
> Pretty sure that "up for off" convention is a result of the Commonwealth.. IIRC, many of the 3-pin Euro mains plugs expect the 3rd terminal to be up vs. down as in American systems. 
>  
> The one that always gets me, is the reverse standard for valving on locomotives. In most any case, a ball valve is open when the lever is parallel to the line (makes sense). But I was told this is the direct opposite of the railways, where the valve is open when the lever is perpendicular to the line. 
>  
> Confirm, deny, excoriate? 
>  
> On Sat, May 27, 2017 at 10:08 PM, WA5CAB--- via GreenKeys <greenkeys at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
> Because they are in the northern hemisphere?  :-)
> 
> In a message dated 05/27/2017 21:30:46 PM Central Daylight Time, dave at horsfall.org writes:
> 
> One thing that's been bothering me when watching old American films; why 
> are their switches always upside-down i.e. flip it up for "on"?
> 
> -- 
> Dave Horsfall DTM (VK2KFU)  "Those who don't understand security will suffer."
> 
> 
> Robert & Susan Downs - Houston
> wa5cab dot com (Web Store)
> MVPA 9480
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