# Power outlets in US - Ground plug up or down? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 2, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outlets-in-us-ground-plug-up-or-down/594963 "2011-09-02T15:39:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![markm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@markm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markm)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outlets-in-us-ground-plug-up-or-down/594963/21 "2011-09-02T18:53:52Z")
> [@Simmerdown](#): > > I just looked at my outlets at work. The ground is sideways (right). Which is _my_ preferred convention, but isn’t practical any time except during new construction, and looks odd since everyone is used to the stacked look of outlets. My thinking on it is: ground up is fine, except, what if the thing that falls across it happens to slide down and hit the hot prong as well? But, put the outlet sideways, with neutral on top, then if something falls, it hits neutral, and so possibly/probably no current flow. If it can continue falling, then it just falls to the ground pin. Still no current flow. When I can’t go that route, I always go ground up and curse the GFCI manufacturers for labeling them upside down. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outlets-in-us-ground-plug-up-or-down/594963/22 "2011-09-02T19:43:04Z")
> [@Bytegeist](#): > > What if they say, “Ground goes up, so that if the electricity starts oozing out, it won’t drip back into the ground and pollute the water table.” > > I suppose you’d turn _them_ down too. Hell, I’d hire that guy. ---
**Author:** ![markm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@markm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markm)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outlets-in-us-ground-plug-up-or-down/594963/23 "2011-09-02T20:19:51Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > Hell, I’d hire that guy. Heh, when I was a kid, if I was helping dad stretch out an extension cord for some project, he’d always say, “Make sure there aren’t any knots or kinks in it the cord and don’t step on it.” If I asked why, he’d say, “Because the electricity will get stuck there trying to flow through it, then if you unkink it, it’ll send too much out the other end!” The only time it was funny was when this guy, probably early 20’s, that was helping with something actually believed him. Come to think of it, that’s the last time I remember dad ever saying it. Maybe meeting someone that gullible made him decide that wasn’t such a good joke. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outlets-in-us-ground-plug-up-or-down/594963/24 "2011-09-03T01:36:12Z")
I hate the brass ones in the floor. They are always dirty, full of junk, look like a gallon of dirty water went down them & I think I am surely going to die if I plug in the cord. I work real hard to maneuver the guys I don’t like into working with those. They have to be good for something… right? ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outlets-in-us-ground-plug-up-or-down/594963/25 "2011-09-03T03:08:38Z")
(Canadian) I’ve got a few gadgets (plug-in liquid perfume diffusers, night lights) that have no ground pin but do have a polarised connector. They can only be plugged in “right side up” if the outlet’s ground pin is down (smiley face configuration). ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outlets-in-us-ground-plug-up-or-down/594963/26 "2011-09-03T04:10:37Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > The grounding lug makes contact first no matter which way the outlet is oriented, since the lug is longer than the other two. > \ > Lastly, if an outlet is old and has become ‘loose’, it’s possible that the plug may sag out of the outlet and self-disconnect; you want the ground to disconnect last. \*\*[URL=“[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=2132](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php)”]\*\*Isn’t that a bit of a contradiction? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outlets-in-us-ground-plug-up-or-down/594963/27 "2011-09-03T08:17:39Z")
I’ve noticed the plugs in commercial buildings & offices have the ground hole at the top. Residential it’s usually at the bottom. Maybe it’s just tradition. But, if you take a chance to look in various buildings you’ll see it that way. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outlets-in-us-ground-plug-up-or-down/594963/28 "2011-09-03T11:44:09Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > \*\*[URL=“[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=2132](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php)”]\*\*Isn’t that a bit of a contradiction? No, he’s saying that, if a plug is sagging out of the outlet, presumably the lowest part of the plug will disconnect last (arguing for putting the ground pin on the bottom). It can go the other way, too: since the ground pin has better physical retention (a roundish pin in a roundish hole, as opposed to vertical lugs in vertical slots), putting it on top may help prevent the sagging altogether. I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outlets-in-us-ground-plug-up-or-down/594963/29 "2011-09-03T11:45:34Z")
But the most compelling argument for putting the ground pin on the bottom is that it makes for more entertaining [Hydro-Québec ads](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIn5VFAWr2M) . ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outlets-in-us-ground-plug-up-or-down/594963/30 "2011-09-03T11:53:44Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I can’t remember any time in my life where I _rotated_ the plug after putting one prong in, unless it was in the dark and I couldn’t see what was where. Why rotate? The rotation is very slight. After you plug in the ground prong, you will rotate the plug slightly to the left or slightly to the right in order to align the hot and neutral prongs across from their respective receptacles. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outlets-in-us-ground-plug-up-or-down/594963/31 "2011-09-03T12:32:43Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > Hell, I’d hire that guy. Reminds me of Slippery Pete from Seinfeld. George Costanza: This is the front door, and this is the outlet. Slippery Pete: What’s that? George Costanza: The outlet? Slippery Pete: Mm-hmm. George Costanza: That’s where the electricity comes out. Slippery Pete: Oh, you mean the holes. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outlets-in-us-ground-plug-up-or-down/594963/32 "2011-09-03T14:17:26Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > I hate the brass ones in the floor. They are always dirty, full of junk, look like a gallon of dirty water went down them & I think I am surely going to die if I plug in the cord. I work real hard to maneuver the guys I don’t like into working with those. They have to be good for something… right? Yes, they make the house meet the electrical code for outlet spacing in some cases. We had a party wall (firewall) in our condo that had no outlets, as fire code at the time of construction (and materials available) prohibited having any penetrations. In order to meet the NEC requirement at the time of having no point on a wall greater than six feet from an outlet (or 12 feet between outlets), the builder put in floor outlets. They can also come in handy when you have unusual floor layouts that result in balisters or other features that don’t lend themselves to electrical wiring. We had three of them, and they came in very handy. ---
**Author:** ![lurkedtolong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@lurkedtolong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurkedtolong)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outlets-in-us-ground-plug-up-or-down/594963/33 "2011-09-04T23:20:56Z")
My friend is a licensed electrical contractor and he now installs all outlets with the ground on top. He says that it is safer if the plug falls out but i have no cite. I do realize that it easier to pull out cords this way but i know that i should not yank cords out of the wall. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outlets-in-us-ground-plug-up-or-down/594963/34 "2011-09-04T23:38:36Z")
Next time you plug in a three-prong flat plug extension cord, do you want the cord to drop straight down from the plug (ground down) or have it project into the air and loop back down, placing strain on the receptacle, the plug and the cord (ground up). Ground down. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outlets-in-us-ground-plug-up-or-down/594963/35 "2011-09-04T23:54:00Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Next time you plug in a three-prong flat plug extension cord, do you want the cord to drop straight down from the plug (ground down) or have it project into the air and loop back down, placing strain on the receptacle, the plug and the cord (ground up). > > Ground down. Good answer. Same goes for those ubiquitous transformers for electronic equipment. Hell, the larger ones won’t even stay plugged in, they’re so heavy. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outlets-in-us-ground-plug-up-or-down/594963/36 "2011-09-05T03:20:51Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Next time you plug in a three-prong flat plug extension cord, do you want the cord to drop straight down from the plug (ground down) or have it project into the air and loop back down, placing strain on the receptacle, the plug and the cord (ground up). > > Ground down. This. It seems that every accessory that depends on an up or down orientation is designed for a ground down configuration. I have a plug in timer that falls into this category. It actually makes sense from a safety aspect to have the ground up. I’ve often wondered how many shorts occurred because something fall on an improperly plugged in appliance. However, I find it much easier to grasp most plug ends because they seem to be designed for a ground down outlet. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outlets-in-us-ground-plug-up-or-down/594963/37 "2011-09-05T03:52:01Z")
> [@Heracles](#): > > (Canadian) > > I’ve got a few gadgets (plug-in liquid perfume diffusers, night lights) that have no ground pin but do have a polarised connector. They can only be plugged in “right side up” if the outlet’s ground pin is down (smiley face configuration). I don’t understand this one, what does a polarized connector look like for you? I’ve seen plenty of polarized two-prong cords in the US where one of the metal tabs is wider than the other, and thus will only fit one way, but these would work just the same if the outlet was right side up or upside down. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outlets-in-us-ground-plug-up-or-down/594963/38 "2011-09-05T04:12:48Z")
Yes, but the things (plug-in liquid perfume diffusers, night lights) that Heracles plugs into those outlets would be upside down. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outlets-in-us-ground-plug-up-or-down/594963/39 "2011-09-05T04:40:20Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > The old saw is "nuns bend over to unplug/plug in an appliance, and their rosary beads/cross/whatever touches the hot prong, electrocuting them. I’ve heard it several times before, stated in total seriousness by electricians. Dead nuns tell no tales! So . . . um . . . you’re sayin’ . . . ground hole down? Right? ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outlets-in-us-ground-plug-up-or-down/594963/40 "2011-09-05T04:59:24Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > The old saw is "nuns bend over to unplug/plug in an appliance, and their rosary beads/cross/whatever touches the hot prong, electrocuting them. I’ve heard it several times before, stated in total seriousness by electricians. Dead nuns tell no tales! Are rosary beads typically made of materials that are that conductive? Most of the ones I have seen tended to be plastic or wood. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outlets-in-us-ground-plug-up-or-down/594963.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outlets-in-us-ground-plug-up-or-down/594963.md?page=3)