Hospital questions

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James S.

James S.

Senior Member
Location
Mesa, Arizona
I am sitting in the hospital (everything is ok) and I am looking around at all the electric stuff. I have always wondered a couple things:
1 Why are some of the switches and outlets red
2 Why do some of the outlets have a green dot on them
3 Why are the outlets upside down

I am assuming that there is some logic behind 1 and 2 as I am sure it is has been consistantly like that in every ER I have been in. I think 3 has been too but I am not sure.
 
James S. said:
I am sitting in the hospital (everything is ok) and I am looking around at all the electric stuff. I have always wondered a couple things:
1 Why are some of the switches and outlets red
2 Why do some of the outlets have a green dot on them
3 Why are the outlets upside down
I am assuming that there is some logic behind 1 and 2 as I am sure it is has been consistantly like that in every ER I have been in. I think 3 has been too but I am not sure.
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#1 Because they identify them as being served by the Emergency System, typically the Critical Branch. They do not have to be red, they can be identified by other colors or means but red is pretty much industry standard.
#2 The green dot identifies them as Hospital Grade
#3 There is no such thing as "upside down", they can be mounted either way in a health care facility the same as anywhere else.

Roger
 
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James S. said:
I am sitting in the hospital (everything is ok) and I am looking around at all the electric stuff. I have always wondered a couple things:
1 Why are some of the switches and outlets red
2 Why do some of the outlets have a green dot on them
3 Why are the outlets upside down

I am assuming that there is some logic behind 1 and 2 as I am sure it is has been consistantly like that in every ER I have been in. I think 3 has been too but I am not sure.
Click to expand...

1. Red indicates reliable power. The receptacle is tied to a backup source so that it will still be live in a power failure. Other colors may or may not be on generator.
2. Green dot indicates Redundant Grounding in Hospital Grade. It will use two separate ground sources (raceway and wire EGC) and will have very low resistance and high contact force for the ground terminal of the receptacle.
3. You got me there.
 
1 Why are some of the switches and outlets red

Red switches and outlets indicate emergency or critical branch circuits supplied by the hospitals generator(s)


2 Why do some of the outlets have a green dot on them

Green Dots indicate hospital grade receptacles that are required in patient care areas.


3 Why are the outlets upside down


There is no up or down on outlets, merely a preference or engineers specification.
 
A guy on the job once told me that puting receptacles with the grounding on top was a way for union guys to mark their territory .
 
GoldDigger said:
1. Red indicates reliable power. The receptacle is tied to a backup source so that it will still be live in a power failure. Other colors may or may not be on generator.
2. Green dot indicates Redundant Grounding in Hospital Grade. It will use two separate ground sources (raceway and wire EGC) and will have very low resistance and high contact force for the ground terminal of the receptacle.
3. You got me there.
Click to expand...

I would disagree with the green dot having anything to do with redundant grounding. It simply means it is a Hospital grade receptacle.

There is no violation in installing a hospital grade receptacle in a place where redundant grounding is not required.
 
The explanation that I have heard for ground up vs ground down is: Imagine a picture on the wall. With grounds down if the picture fell off of its nail on the wall on to a lamp cord plugged in to a receptacle. The Hot & neutral prongs are exposed.

Now with grounds up when the picture falls the ground prong is the first one to contact the picture frame.
 
iwire said:
I think ivory receptacles are safer than brown receptacles.
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But only the standard ivory. The light ivory don't seem any better than brown.

90% of the receptacles in my house are laid horizontally in the wide baseboard. Should they be ground right or ground left? :?
 
G0049 said:
90% of the receptacles in my house are laid horizontally in the wide baseboard. Should they be ground right or ground left? :?
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I don't understand the question?

EagleGFCI.JPG

;)

Roger
 
John120/240 said:
The explanation that I have heard for ground up vs ground down is: Imagine a picture on the wall. With grounds down if the picture fell off of its nail on the wall on to a lamp cord plugged in to a receptacle. The Hot & neutral prongs are exposed.

Now with grounds up when the picture falls the ground prong is the first one to contact the picture frame.
Click to expand...
None of my lamp cords have a ground prong. You must have some heavy duty lamps! :D
 
I was always told ground up is in case a metal plate comes loose it contacts the ground instead of causing a dead short. Makes sense to me.
 
wbsteve said:
I was always told ground up is in case a metal plate comes loose it contacts the ground instead of causing a dead short. Makes sense to me.
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How is a loose plate going to cause a dead short? It is just going to fall to the floor.

Plates are mounted to the face of a receptacle on the outside of a box, while the receptacle and the conductor terminals are inside the box.
 
jumper said:
How is a loose plate going to cause a dead short? It is just going to fall to the floor.

Plates are mounted to the face of a receptacle on the outside of a box, while the receptacle and the conductor terminals are inside the box.
Click to expand...

If a cord is plugged into the receptacle, or a paper clip falls off the back of a desk and shorts across both terminals of the cord. I have seen both.
 
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