Comments by "GH1618" (@GH-oi2jf) on "Power outlets are topsy turvy - but does it matter?" video.

  1. I put a receptacle in with the ground at the top prior to the delivery of a new clothes washer. It happened to have a plug like that, so the cord had a severe bend in it as shown here. I turned the receptacle over to the conventional orientation. You don’t want to put that much strain on a power cord.
    4
  2. That’s a complex subject beyond the scope of this video. In the North American split-phase system, the neutral is connected to ground only at the point of first disconnect, which is usually the main breaker panel.
    2
  3. So do I. My electrician said he had to use them when he was working on my kitchen, so I bought some cheap ones until we passed final inspection, then threw them away and installed the ones I wanted. There are no children in my home, and if any visit they won’t be crawling on my kitchen counter. Besides, those outlets have ground fault protection.
    2
  4. If the receptacle is grounded, then the metal faceplate will be.
    2
  5. I’ve used them. I’m not impressed. It seemed to me that the receptacle did not grip the plug. I think flat blades work better than round pins. In the USA, Hubbell initially designed a plug with round pins, but he soon switched to flat blades which we still use today.
    1
  6. They are not unsafe. Electric shocks normally come from someone working on electric wiring without following proper safety procedures. I was shocked once in my life working on a piece of home-built equipment (definitely not to code). I have never been shocked just by using a plug, nor have I heard of anyone being shocked that way. Anyway, the modern solution to the problem is to put a ground fault circuit interrupter on any circuit with receptacles. In a household with children, you also want any receptacle within reach of a child to have safety doors.
    1
  7. There a lot of authoritarians in online forums.
    1
  8. Recessing would be a big nuisance. They would need to redesign both the receptacle and the box, even if the plug were compatible. Manufacturers would have to make both types. Right angle plugs would not work in the recessed receptacle.
    1
  9. You have strange devices, because my Eaton and Hubbell receptacles (premium brands) read correctly only with the ground pin at the top.
    1
  10. It would be better to have a receptacle without a ground connection, but it may not be possible to buy them anymore.
    1
  11. That’s a useful convention. I think a better convention is to separate the outlets and put the upper outlets on a switched circuit and the lower outlets on an unswitched circuit.
    1
  12. The problem of loose plugs is usually due to cheap receptacles, and lack of maintenance. The system is not inherently prone to loose fit. I think we need a better standard for receptacles to eliminate the cheap ones. I always buy higher grade receptacles and never have that trouble with them.
    1
  13. The problem with that is that the hot and neutral connections would be reversed, with one hot on each side and one neutral on each side. This is awkward, because the two hots and two neutrals are connected together when it is manufactured, but can be separated by removing a connecting piece. As designed now, it is a straightforward design. Take a look at a new one and you will see what I mean.
    1
  14. Electrocution is fatal by definition.
    1
  15. It seems intuitive that the ground pin should be nearest the ground.
    1
  16. Not a chance.
    1
  17. In North America, the distribution system is 3-phase Y, but only a single phase is used to provide power to a single residential customer. The final transformer converts it to 120/240 split phase.
    1
  18. That puts the two hot connections on opposite sides, and the two neutrals on opposite sides. That is awkward, because the two outlets are connected in parallel when new, and can easily be separated in the field. Take a close look at one.
    1
  19. The opening point is correct — nobody cares. I know my receptacles are marked to imply the ground at the top. But my electrician installed my outlets ground down, and the inspector didn’t question it. I notice how they are oriented in commercial buildings, where they were certainly installed by professionals, and they are almost always ground down. Even in medical buildings. In a hospital, the hospital-grade receptacles will be installed ground up, but that’s about all. I installed a new receptacle, ground up, when I bought a new washer. It came with a 45° angled plug, so I had to invert the receptacle to the conventional (ground down) orientation to relieve strain on the cord.
    1
  20. “Oriented” is correct. Your version is one of my pet peeves in the language category.
    1
  21. The ground pin is longer.
    1
  22. The ground pin is longer.
    1
  23. The carpenters would not like that.
    1
  24. I think this is much ado about very little. I disagree with the conventional “wisdom” that the basic plug with two parallel flat blades is a poor design. The fact that is has remained in use for more than a hundred years is evidence that it was a good design. Over time, there have been improvements, as you have noted, and it has admitted several variations which show that it was a versatile design. They are: simple two-blade ungrounded; polarized two-blade ungrounded; two-blade plus ground; 15A capacity; 20A capacity; simplex configuration; duplex ganged configuration; duplex separated configuration; single receptacle plus switch in a duplex configuration. A 20A receptacle with ground accepts any of the plugs described here. It is inexpensive and molded plugs, which are safer, have become the norm. The body of the plug can be made in several ways, as you have noted. As for safety, the hazard is greatly exaggerated. For one thing, there is only 120V (RMS) to ground. I have been shocked only twice in my life, in neither case while operating a plug, and it was not life-threatening. Of course it can be. You should not be working on live wiring in a wet basement. But people do not receive dangerous shocks merely by using our plugs. Most electrocutions in the USA happen because someone is trying to work on an appliance which is plugged in, or is using a metal ladder which touches power lines. Regarding the single screw on the cover of a duplex receptacle, I don’t see an issue there at all. There is no stress on the screw because the cover plate rests on the body of the receptacle, when properly installed. One should never remove the cover while something is plugged in. There is no place to put a second screw, but it just isn’t an issue. Another thing that can be done to improve safety is to use a better grade of receptacle which grips the blades tighter. The modern method for improving the safety of electrical outlets is to have ground fault protection on every circuit.
    1
  25. You can get a 1-foot extension cord to put on the end that goes into the outlet.
    1
  26. There are Twist-Lock plugs and sockets. They just aren't common, but you can use them when you have equipment which should stay connected.
    1