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DT aka Agent Orange is a POS
Liar Liar his wonky comb over is on fire

The theory is that if a metal object such as a straight edge were to fall in such a manner as to get behind a plug that was not fully inserted the wall outlet then the first pin on the plug that would be contacted by the metal object would be the ground pin. This scenario is considered to be safer.
That is my opinion and I am sticking with it!! I am VERY opinionated!!:D
Bill V
P.S. When my house in Fl was under costruction I asked the electrician why some of the outlets were ground pi up and other were ground pin down. His answer was that the ones with the ground pin up were the ones controlled by the switch near the room entry door.

I have done all my own electrical work for 40 years & often wondered the same thing. One answer I received was in case the plug was slightly pulled out, that the safety ground would be on top and possibly prevent an accident.

But I just Google it and it is almost like asking which came first, the chicken or the egg? Well, the chicken, of course...

Here is a link which really doesn't come out with answer:
http://www.terrylove.com/forums/showthr ... rientation

I install all of mine with the ground down except when I mount one horizontally, I install the outlet with the ground to the left.

Here is perhaps a little better explanation:
http://www.neca-neis.org/cqd/index.cfm? ... on&id=3784

Tony

wa2crk wrote:The theory is that if a metal object such as a straight edge were to fall in such a manner as to get behind a plug that was not fully inserted the wall outlet then the first pin on the plug that would be contacted by the metal object would be the ground pin. This scenario is considered to be safer.
That is my opinion and I am sticking with it!! I am VERY opinionated!!:D
.

This is what I have heard. The other reason I've heard is so the outlet doesn't look like a smiely face to children.

I'm sure code has a complicated reason for it.

I my daughters house, it was wired such that the ground was up when the outlet was switched and was down when it was always live.

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I was always told the reason was because people tend to tilt the plug slightly down as they begin to insert it. With the ground plug on top that means the plug is first grounded before any of the other prongs make electrical contact.

If you think about it, it makes sense especially with plugs below eye level as we plug them in we tend to start the plug into the socket with a slight incline. It is just the way our arms work that our hand when hanging down tilts slightly downward.

I do not know but that is what I was told an it seemed to make sense to me.

Well here is my take on this subject. Most people grasp the plug with their thumb on top to insert or remove it from the wall plate. As you can see in the photos, with the ground on the bottom you stand a good chance of touching the business ends of the plug. If the ground is on top, you are blocked from the business ends by the ground prong.
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Zappp!!:eek:

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In new home construction, or remodeling, the electrical contractor will put the outlets in "ground down" if the customer has been OK to work with... "ground up" means the customer was a PITA. Finish carpenter will "code" the same way by putting locking knobs on closet doors. These guys get bored doing the same thing day in and day out...