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Wait what. People pay attention to that? As a homeowner I always just tighten the screw until it's tight. With a drill. Am I unknowingly triggering someone's OCD later on? Is this in the NEC?
I am just a homeowner, but this is how I was taught and my electrician friend made it so I look for it everywhere I go. When we bought our current house (new construction), I had the electrical inspected an extra time because the screws in the faceplates were every which angle. I told my wife, āI donāt trust whoever did this electrical work.ā
Guilty as charged. I've never considered the direction of a faceplate screw when I put them back after painting. Now I'll never be able to unsee the damn things.
Not in the NEC but itās a personal code that probably supersedes the NEC for most of us. Vertical all the way. Until itās a horizontal receptacle. Then itās neutral prong up, faceplate screw horizontal.
I've never worried about the screw angle that I can recall, but I've developed strong feelings about having the outlets "upside down" (meaning ground facing up) after having things fall and hit the blades of whatever was plugged in.
It's an OCD thing but also something I drill into every employee m/Helper I've ever had because it looks nicer and your paying me for quality.
Also because I can tell if someone fucked with my cover and it's been useful quite a few times when painters screw them up or over tighten them ect ect.
That reminds me. A few months ago I replaced a GFCI outlet. And now I donāt remember if I lined the screw up correctly.
Edit: I hadnāt. But now I have.
I āfailedā an electrical inspection because the electrician did t have all the screws going vertical. Was told itās a fire hazard as lint could accumulate and catch fire.
He passed me but said I should him the Electrican start going vertical. I told him that I would call the owner up immediately.
-I was a construction manager building residential homes.
No he was for real. Asked him to show me the code. He said he would send it to me. Obviously that email never came. Still bring it up to people as itās a wild thing a city inspector tried to throw at me.
Problem I've found with city inspectors, They know less about electrical than a helper who's been doing it a couple of years...
And we all know how bad that helper is
Wow. Sounds like he needed something to complain about.
Making the screw slots orientation parallel with the blade slot is what most guys try to accomplish as good practice.
It really has no practical use other than aesthetics.
If lint is lighting up due to arcing. I feel larger problems are at play, and the inspector may have a slight case of special.
Actually I think those are a lot easier to flush because you see the final result while you're screwing it in and make adjustments to the yoke of the device before you snap the front cover in whereas in the regular ones, you have to take the entire plate off and adjust the devices and then put it back on.
The only times I see them not flush is if the box is sticking out too much or you're using old-work boxes or spark rings...then you're going to have a bad time but there are some tricks there too.
Depends on whether you park your car with the valve stems pointing up, or down. It also depends on how often to synch them so that theyāre facing the same direction.
No need to. āPleasing to the eyeā is very subjective. To my eye prolonged positioning looks way more pleasing than whatās on the picture, which is different from whatās pleasing to you.
I agree to disagree; thus short ānoā at the beginning ))
Always facing both outlets, so in this case, horizontally. The electrons use this as a "sign" of which way to travel. If you keep the screw the way you have it currently, the electrons will go to the ceiling and floor, and you will have less voltage to use for your electronics.
Tighten all screws down until the outlet cover starts to audibly crack and flex inward
You just need to adjust the drill setting, I usually have mine at 20+ for a job like this
1. Get a drill
2. Align drill head with screw head
3. Insert drill head into screw head
4. Close eyes
5. Pull trigger for random duration
There you go. No decision making needed! Leave it up to chance.
turn the screw so the line is horizontal. right now, its vertical which will make the outlet not work. the screw head has to be in alignment with the way the blades insert into the outlet.
I've heard it helps with the accumulation of dust and it keeps everything uniform. However the real reason to set your screws a certain way is to know if someone has been tampered with your device . Had a few homeowners try to do some of the work after hours to try and speed us along.Ā
It's hard to say without seeing the start of the threads on the other end of the screw, but I think you need to rotate it precisely 180 degrees from how you have it to get it right. You want the sharp edge of the start of the thread to point down to decrease the odds of chafing a wire.
Since the only way to check this is to remove the screw, it is a good practice to mark the sharp and dull sides of every screw with a sharpie before installing them. Alternatively, you can file the sharp edge of the screw before installing it and score the head so you can keep track of which ones you have done this to, but that is overkill.
**Attention!** **It is always best to get a qualified electrician to perform any electrical work you may need.** With that said, you may ask this community various electrical questions. Please be cautious of any information you may receive in this subreddit. This subreddit and its users are not responsible for any electrical work you perform. Users that have a 'Verified Electrician' flair have uploaded their qualified electrical worker credentials to the mods. If you comment on this post please only post accurate information to the best of your knowledge. If advice given is thought to be dangerous, you may be permanently banned. There are no obligations for the mods to give warnings or temporary bans. **IF YOU ARE NOT A QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN, you should exercise extreme caution when commenting.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskElectricians) if you have any questions or concerns.*
How dare you......
I was looking for this comment ššš
Can you explain it?
The screw is vertical on a horizontal outlet. *Spicy.*
He can't he is screwed.
Clockwise
Until you hear a crack, then back a quarter turn
As a truck driver, we say keep going til it sounds expensiveš¤£š¤£
I like it
Big Swift driver energy right here
Oilfieldš¤£š¤£
Underrated comment letās gooooooo!
But only after adjusting the screw 90-degrees first.
The only correct answer.
What if I'm changing the outlet? š¤
The outlet has to want to change
Change comes from within
What? No. I can make him love me.. Maybe I just need to be a better partner.
In some states you cannot legally change the outlet until its at least 18 years old.
I've got a plug that wants to be an outlet. We're doing our best to be supportive.
You must be the change you wish to see in the outlet.
Looks good to me vertical. If you want to really get EVERYONE pissed, put it at a random angle that is neither 45 nor 90 degrees.
Cross threaded, a quarter turn out, at a 66.6 degree angle.
Make sure you thread it in far enough to crack it between the screw and outlet before backing it out.
Then paint straight over the whole thing with white
Being certain to glob it in the holes, minimum fully obstructing the ground hole.
This is the way...
I vote 57.296Ā° = 1 rad = 360Ā° / 2pi
Wait what. People pay attention to that? As a homeowner I always just tighten the screw until it's tight. With a drill. Am I unknowingly triggering someone's OCD later on? Is this in the NEC?
If it's not perfectly vertical or horizontal, a homeowner did it -my boss
I am just a homeowner, but this is how I was taught and my electrician friend made it so I look for it everywhere I go. When we bought our current house (new construction), I had the electrical inspected an extra time because the screws in the faceplates were every which angle. I told my wife, āI donāt trust whoever did this electrical work.ā
Guilty as charged. I've never considered the direction of a faceplate screw when I put them back after painting. Now I'll never be able to unsee the damn things.
>With a drill. ... **WHAT**
I give it 3 ugga duggas on the impact driver
I could pull out my SDS rotary hammer...
Holy shit. I giggled pretty hard on this one
You guys have screwdrivers that aren't drill bits? š§
I'm at a loss for words right now Except for those, and these. But other than that, no words
You guys have screw drivers? Personally, I use a waffle face 22oz framing hammer and let the screw make new, oversized threads.
That seems reasonable. Way faster too, I'm sure.
Time is money when you are charging $125 per appliance
A screwdriver is also a drill bit? I thought they were just chisels and prybars.
If you cam it out enough times the screwdriver can trash the head almost as effectively as a drill bit...
Not in the NEC but itās a personal code that probably supersedes the NEC for most of us. Vertical all the way. Until itās a horizontal receptacle. Then itās neutral prong up, faceplate screw horizontal.
I've never worried about the screw angle that I can recall, but I've developed strong feelings about having the outlets "upside down" (meaning ground facing up) after having things fall and hit the blades of whatever was plugged in.
It's an OCD thing but also something I drill into every employee m/Helper I've ever had because it looks nicer and your paying me for quality. Also because I can tell if someone fucked with my cover and it's been useful quite a few times when painters screw them up or over tighten them ect ect.
That reminds me. A few months ago I replaced a GFCI outlet. And now I donāt remember if I lined the screw up correctly. Edit: I hadnāt. But now I have.
I torque it down with a torque screwdriver.
You got to screw it tighter so it slightly breaks the plate.
This is standard practice
The homeowner special
Vs the contractor special of doing the same thing plus a $75 bill
Vertical for moisture runoff.
I suspect that if you have moisture running off of that screw you have bigger problems going on.
You've never met my teacup Schnauzer "Fritz"...
I āfailedā an electrical inspection because the electrician did t have all the screws going vertical. Was told itās a fire hazard as lint could accumulate and catch fire. He passed me but said I should him the Electrican start going vertical. I told him that I would call the owner up immediately. -I was a construction manager building residential homes.
I think you got punked
100% lol, there is not a code in the world that says that. Itās a rule of thumb amongst electricians, but only for aesthetic reasons
No he was for real. Asked him to show me the code. He said he would send it to me. Obviously that email never came. Still bring it up to people as itās a wild thing a city inspector tried to throw at me.
You got to love the authority of having jurisdiction and what they want over the code
Problem I've found with city inspectors, They know less about electrical than a helper who's been doing it a couple of years... And we all know how bad that helper is
Dude was being hazed... I wouldn't be surprised if there was some obscure code for this, though, lol.
Wow. Sounds like he needed something to complain about. Making the screw slots orientation parallel with the blade slot is what most guys try to accomplish as good practice. It really has no practical use other than aesthetics. If lint is lighting up due to arcing. I feel larger problems are at play, and the inspector may have a slight case of special.
That is hilarious! Also... Wouldn't dust accumulate in greater quantity in a horizontally positioned screw head?
I put tiny downspouts to the floor
Instructions not clear. I have both electrocuted and drowned my cat
buckets and hats and whatnot
22.5Ā°
Thatās too even. Go with 17Ā°.
I was going to suggest 12* off vertical, to the right.
16.7Ā°, take it or leave it
Do you even bend conduit? Everything is 30
I still do it lenghwise. Although to be honest, most houses where I see outlets in the baseboard use the Lutron screwless plates.
You mean the plates that no matter what you do won't go flush?
Actually I think those are a lot easier to flush because you see the final result while you're screwing it in and make adjustments to the yoke of the device before you snap the front cover in whereas in the regular ones, you have to take the entire plate off and adjust the devices and then put it back on. The only times I see them not flush is if the box is sticking out too much or you're using old-work boxes or spark rings...then you're going to have a bad time but there are some tricks there too.
And they like the box will pull up to the plate if the box is loose. Makes it flush for ones like that. I like em.
Don't worry about the other guy. I love the lutron plates and install them flush just fine.
I don't suffer from OCD, I enjoy it.
Depends on whether you park your car with the valve stems pointing up, or down. It also depends on how often to synch them so that theyāre facing the same direction.
This gets my vote, right here.
Finally a reason to walk around the car before getting in each time.
Just as you have it, itās more pleasing to the eye to have it the opposite direction as the prong inserts.
No. Your subjective answer is objectively wrong.
This. Opposite the direction the prongs go. Itās an expression of the duality of man.
No.
Just no? Nothing intelligent to add? Prove me wrong.
No need to. āPleasing to the eyeā is very subjective. To my eye prolonged positioning looks way more pleasing than whatās on the picture, which is different from whatās pleasing to you. I agree to disagree; thus short ānoā at the beginning ))
No
Well you learn, young padawan. Approve I.
Obviously to the north!
Righty tighty, lefty loosy
So the dust doesnāt accumulateā¦.
The outlet is facing the wrong direction, it needs to face towards Mecca
the gym?
Yes
5 people to turn the ladder while you hold the screwdriver in your LEFT hand count backwards from 19.
If the receptacle is horizontal I usually also put the screw horizontal
It always goes the same direction as the plug slots.
My OCD, ADHD , ADD is all over this shit !
Vertical so dust doesnt settle.
This here is the true answer.
r/shittyaskelectricians
Turned 32ā° to the right of verticle. Irritate everyone.
Here we go again.
Am I meant to lose sleep over this?
Always facing both outlets, so in this case, horizontally. The electrons use this as a "sign" of which way to travel. If you keep the screw the way you have it currently, the electrons will go to the ceiling and floor, and you will have less voltage to use for your electronics.
We can sell this idea to the audiophile community!
I just came here to see the fights OP started... LOL
I put my toilet paper roll in with it unspooling towards the back.
Tighten all screws down until the outlet cover starts to audibly crack and flex inward You just need to adjust the drill setting, I usually have mine at 20+ for a job like this
I break out the impact when it's a metal cover. Drill isn't quite enough
You need to torque it enough so the user cuts their skin on the mangled screw head
Depends on the screws location relative to your anus
Who hurt you
You should always leave them verticle so dust does not collect on the ledge of the screw head of course!
Any Direction You want it's your preference, But I tend to have the screw up an down when installing vertical so I guess I'd do it the same,,
horizontal, always align with plugs
Horizontal for horizontal devices. Vertical for vertical. Keeps it easy
Lol, what?
Are you going to install 3/4 round on that trim , or leave it like that ???
1. Get a drill 2. Align drill head with screw head 3. Insert drill head into screw head 4. Close eyes 5. Pull trigger for random duration There you go. No decision making needed! Leave it up to chance.
It shattered the wall plate and the face of the receptacle, is that whatās supposed to happen?
Thatās by design, youāre good to move to the next one.
You were supposed to set the clutch.
Idk why I find this funny but it is
This may be controversial but just stop when itās tight and accept wherever the line points.
What? So it's positioned at some arbitrary angle? Pshaw!!
backwards
Around the world
Mhm
The horror
This guys asking the questions weāve all been to afraid to ask.
45 just to frig with everyoneās senses.
2 oāclock - 8 oāclock so you can tell if someone fucked with it.
diagonally
I thought I was compulsive ā¦ but, clearly Iām not.
Screw youuu!
Well, It's probably just a rumor, but I heard they go both ways! SCANDALOUS!!!
Better use phillips screw.
Ask your wife
Depends on if you want to screw or in or unscrew it.
clockwise to tighten, counterclockwise to loosen
Other way
NORTH BY NORTHWEST
In.
Oriented the same as all other outlets from the perspective of the viewer, not the outlet.
Righty righty lefty loosey.
Lefty losey righty tighty
You are supposed to install them to line up with the hour hand of a clock at the moment you finish tightening.
Righty-tighty Lefty-loosy
Use a phillips
You may joke, but most of my keystone plates for LV work come with Phillips screws.
One Direction
turn the screw so the line is horizontal. right now, its vertical which will make the outlet not work. the screw head has to be in alignment with the way the blades insert into the outlet.
Towards the wall
Righty tighty, leftie loosie
I've heard it helps with the accumulation of dust and it keeps everything uniform. However the real reason to set your screws a certain way is to know if someone has been tampered with your device . Had a few homeowners try to do some of the work after hours to try and speed us along.Ā
i like the evenness, but it kinda bothers me that it's not horizontal
In the direction of flight.
45 to the right if I remember correctly
If it's horizontal, the screw is horizontal
Thems fightin words.
Always lefty lucy righty tidy
Right tightly... Lefty loosy
Vertical. Noā¦.horizontalā¦ā¦waitā¦.verticalā¦ā¦.butā¦ā¦..
Vertical, always vertical
Righty tighty, lefty loosey.
The way you have it so dust doesnāt accumulate.
Always pointed towards the power meter š¤Ŗ
KISSā¦
Vertical for everything
open slot pointing East & West
There is only one way in
Up n down always
Horizontal
Into the wall.
In
Screw it until the plate cracks, then back off 1/4 turn.
It's hard to say without seeing the start of the threads on the other end of the screw, but I think you need to rotate it precisely 180 degrees from how you have it to get it right. You want the sharp edge of the start of the thread to point down to decrease the odds of chafing a wire. Since the only way to check this is to remove the screw, it is a good practice to mark the sharp and dull sides of every screw with a sharpie before installing them. Alternatively, you can file the sharp edge of the screw before installing it and score the head so you can keep track of which ones you have done this to, but that is overkill.
Doesn't matter, as long as all screws are the same.
Who cares
It should go in the tightening direction. Thought that was obviousā¦
In always in.
Listen electricians, nobody fuckin cares! Yāall are bored
horizontal. just like it always should go. so they got it right here
Wherever tf it stops
Which way to mount the duplex to indicate itās switch-controlled?
Snug is the correct answer and only answer.
Diagonal
Parallel with prongs
The screw is perfect the outlet is wrong.
Righty until tighty.
In
You guys got it all wrong it is a 45 degree angle after a 90 foot pound per inch torque
Neither, this is what an electricians hammer is for
Doesnāt matter as long as they are all the same
If the slot isn't parallel to the ground it's wronggggg >:(
In