Position of switched outlet


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Old 01-26-06, 08:47 AM
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Position of switched outlet

Should the switched outlet be on the top or the bottom of the always hot outlet?

Should it be to the left or the right of the always hot when the outlet is horizontal?

What is the best way to search for these answers if the forum had already posted and answered these same questions?
 
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Old 01-26-06, 09:28 AM
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I'm not aware of any rule. I changed out a couple in my house and the switched receptacle was on top - I left them that way - figuring closest to the switch made some sense. But the argument could be made that something plugged in to a switched receptacle would likely be more or less permanent, where the unswitched receptacle may be used for temporary connections like vacuum cleaners etc. So the switching the bottom receptacle makes sense in this perspective.
 
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Old 01-26-06, 09:37 AM
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Originally Posted by ngriffis
Should the switched outlet be on the top or the bottom of the always hot outlet?

Should it be to the left or the right of the always hot when the outlet is horizontal?
No rule. They haven't even specified that the ground or neutral should be on top on a receptacle.
 
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Old 01-27-06, 04:59 PM
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As long as your connections are white (grounded/neutral) to silver terminals, black/red whichever you use for your hot is to brass, it is more of personal preference. In most cases it would be your bottom receptacle for a more "user freindly" so that you are not having to reach around any cords to use the always hot. There is no rule that I have heard of saying any position that the outlet should be in, except being flush with the design for appearance.
 
 

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