Is this the safest way to install outlets

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threehands

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I saw this the other day. The guy showed that with the ground down, the two top prongs can cause a spark with something were to fall on it. I does kind of make sense and got me wondering if I should do the same.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmVH5En6x6o"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmVH5En6x6o[/ame]
 
Welcome to the site. I have owned 2 houses that were set up like that. It just looks wrong. I don't know if there is a code problem with it.
 
Yes, it does look ugly. That's one reason why I don't want the ground up but safety wise, I want it up. I guess, I'll decide tomorrow when I'm working on my house. Also I heard there's no code but just preference on the orientation of the outlet.
 
For safety, not sure you would get a shock even if you are touching the metal that shorts it out. I havn't seen a lot of problems. It will make the house look like it was done by an amateur.
 
Someone once said not to mount them like that because it looks like a smiley face to kids. Frankly, I don't know how many times that demonstration actually happens in real life. I suspect not very often. Even with the ground on top, something could just as easily short across the ground and hot rather than the hot and neutral.
The other issue is most 90 degree grounded cord caps, such as those on power strips, have the ground on the cord side. When it's plugged into a ground up receptacle, the cord loops up then down to the floor, rather than plugged in and neatly down toward the floor.
Maybe we should compromise and just mount them all horizontally, with the neutrals up.
 
Code has no say on the ground position. You can mount them up, down , sideways, at an angle. I always mount them down. I find that most all angle cords fit properly with the cord hanging down that way.
 
Many times in commercial and industrial settings you'll see the ground facing up, but not typically in residential. Anyway it faces, there's still 120 V to ground and a potential shock/arc hazard. I've been told that facing the ground up, however, reduces the risk of an arc. If there is an arc, it will more likely travel downward than upward, I suppose, reducing the risk of injury. That's my understanding at least.
 
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