Drawings and Symbols?

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gardiner

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I understand for this question i might totally be in the wrong place, moderators please feel free to move this to the right spot.

Where I work we have been trying to standardize some of the drawing symbols we use on a regualr basis the question has to do with orientation of a standard duplex symbol (circle with two lines in it) now do the lines emerge heading away from walls or into the walls. Seems I have looked at 18 different drawings and I find some out some in and some doing both. Is there a perferred standard anywhere about which way it should be?
 
gardiner said:
Seems I have looked at 18 different drawings and I find some out some in and some doing both. Is there a perferred standard anywhere about which way it should be?
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If the lines are heading towards the wall, then the grounds go up.
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If the lines go away from the wall, grounds down.
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Rick
 
I have at least two drawing programs that will automatically rotate the symbol to face the two lines towards the wall. Doesn't matter a hill of beans anyhow. If the user of the prints can't figure out what's going on regardless of which way the symbol is oriented, a fella might doubt his qualifications.
 
Worth mentioning that the lines are not supposed to be centered on the circle. I see a lot of plans now-a-days that center up the two lines. They're supposed to be longer on one side, imho. I don't know who came up with that symbol, but I'm _sure_ they agree with me!!
 
jerm said:
Worth mentioning that the lines are not supposed to be centered on the circle. I see a lot of plans now-a-days that center up the two lines. They're supposed to be longer on one side, imho. I don't know who came up with that symbol, but I'm _sure_ they agree with me!!
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They would be centered if it's a floor or ceiling receptacle....:grin:
 
Thanks for the responses, it confirms my stance that it should not matter the orientation of the symbol only the shape of it.
 
Touching to me says on the wall and not ceiling.Ground up or down has no play in this.Unless specs say ground up your getting it down.Also any that are not normal 18 would be noted or marked.
 
RUWired said:
I was seeing if a gnd up or dwn debate would fire up!!
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I was in a museum last Friday and noticed that every single receptacle was installed upside down. Probably someone from this site did that huh! You'd think if someone spent $30 million on a building they'd at least get the grounds down...

http://www.creationmuseum.org/
 
I wonder if they were even before polarized outlets. And wheres the ground pin? I wonder if they use a font other than 'comic sans' that they would come out different? Say "Olde English".....
 
graphic symbols

graphic symbols

Somewhere since the IEEE changed ANSI Y32.9, the receptacle symbol has been reversed on floor plan layouts. Pointing away from wall was the original way for old timers like me following Y32.9-1972. Now it's just the opposite. Original 'Unless Otherwise Specified' notes could alter engineering or architectural preferences by the customers project requirements, so anything is possible. I use my own receptacle symbols for AFCI and GFCI designations that have not yet been established for schematics or diagrams. rbj
 
I don't think it matters at all. But my sense of "elegance in engineering" (TM :) ) tells me that, at the very least, what you show on the floor plans should match what appears on the "Legends and Abbreviations" page.
 
Thanks for the responses as half our company uses one orientation and the other half seems to use the other we just wanted to find out which way we should standardize our drawings with.
I guess I'm an old timer too as I have only ever done it with the lines faceing out.
 
gardiner said:
Thanks for the responses as half our company uses one orientation and the other half seems to use the other we just wanted to find out which way we should standardize our drawings with.
I guess I'm an old timer too as I have only ever done it with the lines faceing out.
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I believe the initial concept of the extended lines (or line, in the case of a simplex receptacles and other wall mounted devices) was to point to its location on or in the wall. I have always placed symbols with the extended lines perpendicular to and towards the wall.
 
charlie b said:
I don't think it matters at all. But my sense of "elegance in engineering" (TM :) ) tells me that, at the very least, what you show on the floor plans should match what appears on the "Legends and Abbreviations" page.
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Hi Charlie,

I couldn't pass up the chance to mention a past elegant military spec....

It goes MIL-T-D41c. I left out the F :) rbj
 
jerm said:
I was in a museum last Friday and noticed that every single receptacle was installed upside down. Probably someone from this site did that huh! You'd think if someone spent $30 million on a building they'd at least get the grounds down...

http://www.creationmuseum.org/
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They got part of a shipment that were destined for the Southern Hemisphere. Not to worry they will still work.
 
Has anyone ever heard of a body that handles the standards for symbols, there has to be some reason for the change from symbols facing one way to symbols now facing the other. When I look at various drawings from different engineer firms most US engineers seem to use the method where the lines of a receptacle go towards the wall whereas if I look at Canadian engineering drawings they seem to be away from the wall much like the American ones used to be (way back when). Somewhere someone or something must of initiated the change. At the moment I have two groups going on about this and I need some sort of back up one way or the other as to which way to tell them to go (although the more this goes on the more I know the way I'd like to tell them).
 
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