Is there an industry standard for the positioning of receptacles? In particular, is the ground hole supposed to be on the top or the bottom? I know functionally the positioning doesn’t make a difference, but I seem to have a never-ending conversation with a few of my friends concerning the positioning of receptacles. I know I’m “splitting hairs” here, but I would love to end the discussion. My one friend for instance feels the ground hole should be on the top to avoid shock from any conductive material falling along a wall. In this case the conductive material would contact the ground instead of the “hot” line. I would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks.

Hi All, I've got a fluorescent light outlet in one of my closets that seems dead. It is for a short (20" I think) fluorescent bulb. A new bulb placed in the lighting fixture will emit some grayish light from the sides of the bulb connected to the outlet. If I turn and angle the bulb the right way, it will light up for about half a second. Does this mean that I need to change the lighting fixture. Can anyone tell me how to do this? The only thing similar that I have ever done is to change a dimmer switch. Thanks!