I'm staying a very nice lodge with probably a hundred rooms ... they all have those wall units for heating and cooling... and it seems all the 240 volt wall plugs need to be turned 180 degrees.... how hard is that to do?

I was under the impression the upside down socket was always an indicator that socket was connected to one of the light switches in the room so it could be turned on/off by switch. I could be a million % wrong but that’s how the 2 houses I’ve lived in have been set up.

a 240 socket isn't likely to be controlled by a wall switch.

It was explained to me that the upside down plug is a safety installation. I've seen it done on 120s as well.

The thought is this. If the plug gets pulled out slightly, with the mount upside down, the prong that will be exposed is the ground prong, and not one of the hots. That way, if something were to fall across it, or little hands were to mess with it, you are less likely to experience a shock or short.

A bit convoluted in thinking? Yes, but that's how my trusted electrician explained it to me. It's not mandated anywhere, but I have seen it regularly enough.

See it more often with metal wall plates than plastic. If the plug comes out a little and the wall plate drops down, it hits the ground prong first. Then if the plate swings and hits a hot terminal or wire it trips a breaker.
This keeps you from being a ground with it turned the other way. You loose the metal plate ground when the plate screw comes out.

My father in law did all of the outlets in his home and workshop like this. I asked him about it and this was the exact explanation he gave me.

quote:

Originally posted by Otto Pilot:
It was explained to me that the upside down plug is a safety installation. I've seen it done on 120s as well.

The thought is this. If the plug gets pulled out slightly, with the mount upside down, the prong that will be exposed is the ground prong, and not one of the hots. That way, if something were to fall across it, or little hands were to mess with it, you are less likely to experience a shock or short.

A bit convoluted in thinking? Yes, but that's how my trusted electrician explained it to me. It's not mandated anywhere, but I have seen it regularly enough.

quote:

Originally posted by Otto Pilot:
It was explained to me that the upside down plug is a safety installation. I've seen it done on 120s as well.

The thought is this. If the plug gets pulled out slightly, with the mount upside down, the prong that will be exposed is the ground prong, and not one of the hots. That way, if something were to fall across it, or little hands were to mess with it, you are less likely to experience a shock or short.

A bit convoluted in thinking? Yes, but that's how my trusted electrician explained it to me. It's not mandated anywhere, but I have seen it regularly enough.

Ding ding ding. We have a winner.

Like Otto stated, it’s not required. Just a preference for some.

Well, if I was a contractor responsible for installing the a/c units and found the outlets upside down causing the plug/GFCI to be inverted. I wouldn't rotate them either unless I was paid to do so... One or two, sure but not 100 rooms worth. Plus, if they weren't legally able to make the change, they may need an electrician to perform that task legally.

Finding the breaker, especially if their located outside the room your working on, tagging it out and flipping the outlet would take atleast 5-10 minutes. One room, sure 100+... Thats over eight hours of work.

In this case, they'd be better off tacking the cord to the wooden frame surrounding the unit.

Decreasing the odds of the cord pulling out and also getting it off of the floor.

quote:

Originally posted by PowerSurge:

quote:

Originally posted by Otto Pilot:
It was explained to me that the upside down plug is a safety installation. I've seen it done on 120s as well.

The thought is this. If the plug gets pulled out slightly, with the mount upside down, the prong that will be exposed is the ground prong, and not one of the hots. That way, if something were to fall across it, or little hands were to mess with it, you are less likely to experience a shock or short.

A bit convoluted in thinking? Yes, but that's how my trusted electrician explained it to me. It's not mandated anywhere, but I have seen it regularly enough.

Ding ding ding. We have a winner.

Like Otto stated, it’s not required. Just a preference for some.

there are some outlets that have their name (Leviton?) that can only be read with the ground up. most of these are commercial grade rather than residential

ymmv

john

Every last plug in my house is oriented in that fashion.
It can be frustrating with certain power supplies and night light.

Ground down is code unless in a hospital. Outlets should have a frowny face. I don't see what that has to do with the OP's mention of 240 though.

quote:

Originally posted by houndawg:
Ground down is code unless in a hospital. Outlets should have a frowny face. I don't see what that has to do with the OP's mention of 240 though.

The only way that it could be code would be if it’s a local code. The NEC does not specify. Outlets can be installed ground down, up or sideways.

quote:

Originally posted by PowerSurge:

quote:

Originally posted by houndawg:
Ground down is code unless in a hospital. Outlets should have a frowny face. I don't see what that has to do with the OP's mention of 240 though.

The only way that it could be code would be if it’s a local code. The NEC does not specify. Outlets can be installed ground down, up or sideways.

Standard then. Any electrician worth his pay will install grounds down unless specified. But it's beside the point. The OP's question was about the other outlet.

I'm surprised a 240v like that wouldn't be hard wired into a box that can't be unplugged by a renter.

Folks, look at the 120 V outlet in the picture, it is NOT "upside down". Can that 20 V outlet be rotated? Yes it can, just pull the cover plate, remove the mounting screws, pull it out and flip it 180 degrees and re-assemble. Would it increase the risk of getting shocked? Possibly, but 220 V outlets typically have much much higher force gripping contacts or a locking turn and pull system, so someone would have to work at it to get shocked. I will also point out that the positioning of that plug as shown puts a lot of extra strain on the wires AND increases the risk of damage to the outlet should someone trip over that wire. As it is, that positioning of the plug provides a much higher risk of electrocution that rotating the outlet.