# GFCI Orientation



## JakAHearts (Apr 20, 2010)

What is the current thought on the orientation of GFCI outlets. Should they be "upside down"? Ive seen them installed both ways.

Shane


----------



## Yoyizit (Jul 11, 2008)

Good practice for all outlets is ground pin up. . .?


----------



## Jim Port (Sep 21, 2007)

This is a matter of personal preference. If using a right angle cord, just turn the receptacle cord falls down to avoid strain on the cord.


----------



## darren (Nov 25, 2005)

Depends on your defination of upside down


----------



## HooKooDooKu (Jan 7, 2008)

If one orientation provided some actual measure of protection over the other, then I think the NEC would have likely codified which way to orient the recepticals.

Since they don't, I doubt either way really matters.

Now in the majority of residential applications in the U.S., the ground pin is below the hot and neutral. But when the typical citizen is faced with an outlet oriented opposite from the way they are used to, they usually manage to figure out how to use it anyway.


----------



## Yoyizit (Jul 11, 2008)

Ray C. Mullin wanted the G pin up so if you drop something conductive next to the wall it hits the ground pin instead of making a connection between H and N.


----------



## JakAHearts (Apr 20, 2010)

Yoyizit said:


> Ray C. Mullin wanted the G pin up so if you drop something conductive next to the wall it hits the ground pin instead of making a connection between H and N.


Who? Ive heard that before, about dropping things on the prongs, but that seems like a rather extreme situation.


----------



## Yoyizit (Jul 11, 2008)

JakAHearts said:


> Who? Ive heard that before, about dropping things on the prongs, but that seems like a rather extreme situation.


http://www.amazon.com/Electrical-Wiring-Residential-Ray-Mullin/dp/1418050954

If there's no penalty for ground being up, sounds OK to me.


----------



## darren (Nov 25, 2005)

JakAHearts said:


> Who? Ive heard that before, about dropping things on the prongs, but that seems like a rather extreme situation.


I have seen it happen. We were working on a building and was pulling some wire in to a pipe. Something was plugged into an outlet(the outlet was old and used and there for reno only) and that plug slipped out a little due to being old. As I was pulling the fishtape out it landed perfectly on the hot and neutral, made a spark and left a nice indent on the fishtape.


----------



## HooKooDooKu (Jan 7, 2008)

JakAHearts said:


> Who? Ive heard that before, about dropping things on the prongs, but that seems like a rather extreme situation.


Hence the reason why I suspect the NEC doesn't bother to address the issue. 

After all, I figured that if the NEC is going to go to the extreams to making us use AFCI breakers (something that costs about 8x standard breakers), install tamper resistant recepticals (EVERYWHERE, including places no child's hand could ever reach) specifies what color the wires have to be, and even makes you install switches "right side up", then if there were a clear improvement in safety by simply changing the orientaion of a receptical, the NEC would force us to install them ground-pin up.


----------



## JakAHearts (Apr 20, 2010)

darren said:


> I have seen it happen. We were working on a building and was pulling some wire in to a pipe. Something was plugged into an outlet(the outlet was old and used and there for reno only) and that plug slipped out a little due to being old. As I was pulling the fishtape out it landed perfectly on the hot and neutral, made a spark and left a nice indent on the fishtape.


Ah, we would all be safer wearing motorcycle helmets in our cars too but I dont see anyone doing it.

Shane


----------



## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

Yoyizit said:


> Ray C. Mullin wanted the G pin up so if you drop something conductive next to the wall it hits the ground pin instead of making a connection between H and N.


Except that most used devices in a GFCI the hair dryer or curling iron is only two prong.
Always ground down for me on all receptacles. Most angle cords sit properly with that orientation/.


----------



## brich (Feb 25, 2010)

Tons of stories on this subject... just ask around.

I've heard the one about a lady with a long necklace plugging something in, necklace hooks on the H and zap!

Then there was a situation here in TX where prison inmates years ago were (allegedly) taking lead from wooden pencils, laying them across a partially inserted plug H & N and using the glowing lead filament to light cigarettes.

No idea if that last one is true but it's a good story...


----------



## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

In my kitchen, we have ground pin up on the GCFI, in the bathroom and garage, ground pin down. I personally like to see my outlets smiling at me, to remind me to spend money with the POCO.


----------



## tdeg807 (May 29, 2010)

*The story I heard...*



gregzoll said:


> ... I personally like to see my outlets smiling at me...


The old wives tale I've seen is that the only reason that it isn't code is that there would be too much outrage if people couldn't have their smiley faces. (It kinda makes sense, why do they allow Christmas lights. Inhereintly they are dangerous being as they are in the cold, usually attached to aluminum evestroughs, usually get wet, aren't grounded, have many many poor bulb connnections, etc).

Having the ground as the first point of contact for a falling metalic object makes sense to me. One website said that medical institutions and medical grade fixtures put the ground on top so that if one of the medical instruments (or IV line, etc) hit a partially pulled power cord it would hit ground first. Last time I was at the hospital here I checked and it wasn't the case.

That said I have a Leviton surge suppressor plug and for the writing to be the correct orientation, the ground plug must be up. The Leviton GFCI's I have need the ground down for the correct text orientation.


----------



## frenchelectrican (Apr 12, 2006)

tdeg807 said:


> That said I have a Leviton surge suppressor plug and for the writing to be the correct orientation, the ground plug must be up. The Leviton GFCI's I have need the ground down for the correct text orientation.


 For the Leviton RCD { GFCI } receptales I have see the text printed both ways so it will work either ground pin up or down so they are designed for both way.

Merci,Marc


----------



## Leah Frances (Jan 13, 2008)

HooKooDooKu said:


> If one orientation provided some actual measure of protection over the other, then I think the NEC would have likely codified which way to orient the recepticals.
> 
> Since they don't, I doubt either way really matters.
> 
> Now in the majority of residential applications in the U.S., the ground pin is below the hot and neutral. But when the typical citizen is faced with an outlet oriented opposite from the way they are used to, they usually manage to figure out how to use it anyway.


:laughing: _Usually_ :laughing:


----------



## Leah Frances (Jan 13, 2008)

JakAHearts said:


> Ah, we would all be safer wearing motorcycle helmets in our cars too but I dont see anyone doing it.
> 
> Shane


Only if you have a five point restraint, HANS, and a roll cage :wink:. And you sure get weird looks when you do it. :thumbsup:


----------



## bobelectric (Mar 3, 2007)

brich said:


> Tons of stories on this subject... just ask around.
> 
> I've heard the one about a lady with a long necklace plugging something in, necklace hooks on the H and zap!
> 
> ...


Heard on the INTERNET It"s ' Bull!


----------



## williswires (Jul 21, 2008)

Just install it either way that suits you, and get on with your project.

(Personally, when I see receptacles with the ground up, it think "handyman" or "electrician who listens to urban legends instead of reading the code book").


----------



## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

williswires said:


> (Personally, when I see receptacles with the ground up, it think "handyman" or "electrician who listens to urban legends instead of reading the code book").


There is nothing in the code book about the orientation of an outlet when installed


----------



## ovahimba (Dec 25, 2007)

I vote for ground pin up. Most of the GFCI outlets I work with are outside where I use long extension cords. When working with a weed eater for example, I occasionally reach the full length of the cord and give it a tug. The plug seems to drift out of the socket less with the ground pin up.


----------



## Jbmister (Feb 13, 2016)

There is a new invention for this issue that is patent pending called the Outlet Corrector.


----------



## darren (Nov 25, 2005)

Jbmister welcome to the forum. This thread is almost 6 years old, hopefully they have figured out which direction to put there GFI by now.


----------



## jreagan (Feb 20, 2015)

If you Google for Outlet Corrector, you'll find that he's shilling for his own crowd funding effort (looking for $50K) to make such a device. (Seems to have since taken it down). I did see the page yesterday. A plug-in GFCI and USB charger with the back pins "upside-down". $50K seems a little low to make such a device since getting it UL listed would probably take most of that budget.


----------



## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

I have an "outlet corrector". It's called a screwdriver. 3-5 minutes and I can correct any receptacle whether it is pin up or pin down. A no cost solution.

There are also adapters already on the market that have rotatable receptacles in them, that he would be competing against. He will be going into what I believe will be a very small segment of the market, and he is not the first one in.

I also saw his product on the fund me site. In the 2 days it had been up, no one contributed to it. Hot ideas get the first contributions within hours.


----------



## Gmack (Jan 21, 2021)

frenchelectrican said:


> For the Leviton RCD { GFCI } receptales I have see the text printed both ways so it will work either ground pin up or down so they are designed for both way.
> 
> Merci,Marc


I just mis wired a GFCI because I just glanced at the instructions to recheck load and line. Didn't notice that they drew the outlet upside down. And I know, read the molded on he back. But I am over 2 and there is no way I can read that itty Bitty sanscrit


----------

