Fun from another board

[electricmanscott]

This is one I have never heard. And not my spelling

"All recept. plate screw slots should be vertical so that if any condensation were present it wouldnt accoumulate on the horizontal screw slot and than drip into the switch or outlet causing it to short out"

"I know it sounds obsurd , but it is a genunie issue. My brother, who is a Ga licensed electrican, got that question wrong on his test. And even had an inspector on a commercial job fail him for that very reason"

"The way it was explained to me is that in a room that has the potential for a high amount of relative humidity, ie, kitchen,bath,any unconditioned space like a garage, the moist humid air would consendate on any surface, like the face plate, but it is the screw slot that would cause it to collect and drip into the switch. Just like in a sauna when consendation collects on the ceiling tile and drips off when it hits the the grout lines."

 

[iwire]

Is it possible someone is just playing games?

 

[tallgirl]

Is it possible someone is just playing games?

Some people didn't believe me when I talked about left handed screw drivers ...

I'm not sure that this would make a different. Surface tension generally causes water to condense into drops, not run through tiny little slots in screws. I'm not about to steam up my bathroom to test this one out, but I'm betting that the drop size from water condensing on the screws is relatively independent of the orientation of the screw slot itself.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Condensate is pure water and is not conductive.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Is it possible someone is just playing games?

It sounds absolutely absurd to me but I must admit I have always put my plate screws vertically. I think it has more to do with being obsessive compulsive than this condensation issue

 

[electricmanscott]

Is it possible someone is just playing games?

I guess it's possible but in the context of the thread it does not look like a joke. Good stuff anyway.

 

[roger]

I always put mine vertical as well, this is because everybody knows that you can rip your finger nail off when plate screws are horizontal under a switch. This has caused at least a couple of people to bleed to death that I know of, well, I heard it did and it was from a good source, well, it was from a source anyway, well, OK, I didn't really here this at all but it could happen. :grin:

Roger

 

[iwire]

Don't you all fill in the slot with bondo, file it nice than paint to match the plate?

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Don't you all fill in the slot with bondo, file it nice than paint to match the plate?

What's next? the screwless plates

 

[tallgirl]

Condensate is pure water and is not conductive.

But only if there are no salts on the screws, such as from the perspiration on the finger tips of someone touching the switch ...

 

[bkludecke]

I hate this one. Over 30 years ago I had a State inspector on a school job tell me that he expected to see the slots verticle (job wasn't spec'd that way) and that he just thought it was proffessional and "workmanlike". I was fairly new to gov't work so I just complied and am ashamed to say that I have been doing it that way ever since.

 

[zbang]

When I was doing multistory office building alarm systems, it was SOP for us to put all the alarm plate screws slot-vertical. Why?

So this painter comes along to paint the corridor and backs out all the plate screws so he can get under the plates. The moment the alarm plate gets loose, the tamper switch under it trips, which sets off the siren on that floor (and sends a signal to the central station). Hilarity ensues. Usually the painter will quickly tighten down the offending plate, profess ignorance to anyone walking by, and take off for the day.

When our service tech arrives to fix the tamper/trouble, the first thing he checks are the screws.... if one set aren't vertical, that was probably the trouble. Simple, no?

(Otherwise, I also think it's silly.)

 

[LarryFine]

I 'fess I usually turn them vertical too, but purely for looks. I may not bother for most receptacles, but for switches and higher receptacles, such as counter-top and baths, I do it for that "it looks like a pro did it" look.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

(Otherwise, I also think it's silly.)

You may think it's silly but you can't imagine how many of my customers appreciate the fact that the screws are vertical. I admit most don't notice but many do. Go ahead and laugh now but another thing I do is make sure when I am trimming out a house that all my 3 way switches are off when they are down, ie, if both 3 ways and a four way for that matter are in the down position then the lights are off. I have to really think hard when trimming because one switch would have the travelers reversed from the way the others were installed. I actually have had customers ask for this but I do it that way anyway. It is great for troubleshooting if you have a problem.

 

[electricmanscott]

Go ahead and laugh now but another thing I do is make sure when I am trimming out a house that all my 3 way switches are off when they are down, ie, if both 3 ways and a four way for that matter are in the down position then the lights are off. I have to really think hard when trimming because one switch would have the travelers reversed from the way the others were installed. I actually have had customers ask for this but I do it that way anyway. It is great for troubleshooting if you have a problem.

So what do they do after they actually use the switches a couple of times and then they are both up? :grin:

I like the screws verticle but what ever you do they should all be the same.

 

[brian john]

I always put mine vertical then I can tell if someone was coming in behind me. When I did residential work this helped on several ocassions, where the homeowner tried to install dimmers ect.

 

[growler]

My brother, who is a Ga licensed electrican, got that question wrong on his test. And even had an inspector on a commercial job fail him for that very reason."

Here in Georgia they don't allow you to bring a calculator to the test but they will let you take your shoes off ( helps when counting past 10 ).

I have never seen an inspector that cared one way or the other which way a screw slot was turned ( none of his business ).

( I could write a book based on all the stupid rumors that I have herd on different jobs over the years. I don't know if it's drugs or drinking bad shine but some people have very few brain cells left ).

 

[tallgirl]

So what do they do after they actually use the switches a couple of times and then they are both up? :grin:

GEORGE! ANOTHER FAQ!

An even number of 3 and 4 way switches can be configured such that "all down" and "all up" are both "off". In addition, an odd number of 3 and 4 way switches can be configured such that "all down" is "off" and "all up" is "on".

I like the screws verticle but what ever you do they should all be the same.

I'll make the screws all nice and pretty after I hot test a house, but until then, I could care less. The only other thing I do is turn receptacles grounds-up when I find a problem with them. Such as in this photo of an improperly utilized partition penetration mechanism ...

 

[kbsparky]

I can't wait for the plate manufacturers to begin supplying phillips screws, to put this matter to rest once and for all.

 

[celtic]

I can't wait for the plate manufacturers to begin supplying phillips screws, to put this matter to rest once and for all.

That will only open a new can of worms...should the final turn resemble a "+" or an "x"?

I would say an "x" to help drain the condensate:roll: