Charging at a VRBO - Fail!

[KBabione]

I’ve seen houses where only the switched outlets were installed upside down.

That's nuts...It's common where I am in PA that the top outlet in any room without an overhead light is switched and the bottom outlet is always live.

I had a corporate apartment in Charlotte for a couple of weeks and couldn't get the dishwasher to run. I mentioned it at work and they asked me if I flipped the switch to turn it on! I thought they were nuts, but sure enough there was a "light" switch above the counter that, when I had tested it, did nothing. It was the solution to my dishwasher working - with it on the dishwasher had power! I thought it was one of the worst electrical ideas I'd ever seen, but I guess it's no different than a disposal switch.

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[beatle]

Tesla arranges their adapters such that the ground is at the bottom of any 15-20A plug, but at the top of any supporting 30A or higher:

 

[KBabione]

Tesla arranges their adapters such that the ground is at the bottom of any 15-20A plug, but at the top of any supporting 30A or higher:

And that's what I've seen with most 220V outlets...The ground is at the top, and your photo is a perfect example to make my point. With the ground in the "correct" position for these then hanging the charging brick from the plug won't try to pull it from the outlet. If the ground is in the wrong position then it will.

 

[Dark-Fx]

That makes total sense, but not in a house! With it "upside down" you run the risk of someone using it permanently and eventually the cord pulling on it may pull it out of the socket...
Why risk it? If the situation above were flipped, the cord would be acting as a bit of a lever with gravity providing the force away from the wall - the exact opposite of what the manufacturer intended with this plug design, rightt?

Ground up, first part to come unplugged. Ground down definitely safer.

 

[beatle]

And that's what I've seen with most 220V outlets...The ground is at the top, and your photo is a perfect example to make my point. With the ground in the "correct" position for these then hanging the charging brick from the plug won't try to pull it from the outlet. If the ground is in the wrong position then it will.

Except the 6-15 and 6-20. Kinda strange there is no standard for plug orientation.

 

[Yossarian]

Many years ago, I worked as a commercial electrician's helper. Whenever we installed a installed a 110v receptacle it was with the ground prong facing up (aka, the "upside-down" position) for, I was told, safety reasons.

Should something that can conduct current fall on a plug when the ground prong is facing up, nothing bad is likely to happen. If the plug is in the "normal" position, there is a chance for the falling object to contact the hot and neutral prongs, shorting that connection. Most times, that will simply result in the breaker tripping, but there could also be other more unpleasant outcomes.

This alignment is not much of an issue in a commercial setting, but can cause issues in a residential setting, particularly with things like an A/C unit that have a fused plug with the cord exciting on the ground prong side.

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