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Old 09-23-2009, 05:29 AM   #1
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switch plate screws

I am sure this has been gone over in the past but as a painter, paper hanger,I remove and replace countless switch plates,outlet covers and was just wondering what the professional electricians prefer, horizontal or vertical screw placement?I must say,I rarely( I can only think of one other time) seen horizontal ,but the job I was on yesterday in Baltimore county, they were. Just wondering.

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Old 09-23-2009, 05:38 AM   #2
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They must be vertical. Anything else is a violation of the International "SP" Electrical Code section ps109.42.

Anyone caught violating this particular section of the code is subject to fines and/or points.
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Old 09-23-2009, 07:14 AM   #3
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Vertical.
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Old 09-23-2009, 07:21 AM   #4
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Vertical ... catches less dust over time.
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Old 09-23-2009, 10:17 AM   #5
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Ahhhhh, who gives a ****!!
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Old 09-23-2009, 10:24 AM   #6
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Ahhhhh, who gives a ****!!
From what I can see very few people who fasten decora plates on don't.

Long live screwless plates!
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Old 09-23-2009, 11:15 AM   #7
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I don't understand the question. Don't switch plate screws just get screwed into the holes and turned until they are tight? How do you have a choice between horizontal or vertical?

Here's a pic if it helps.

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Old 09-23-2009, 12:27 PM   #8
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What difference does the direction of the slot make to a painter?

They just lose the covers and screws anyway, and then the HO or builder calls the electrician back to replace them.
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Old 09-23-2009, 12:46 PM   #9
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Up, down, all around, just make sure it's tight enough..... When you hear a "pop" you got it on good...
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Old 09-23-2009, 05:19 PM   #10
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75% of the plates I take off have just been painted around or in place! I though painters just used screwdrivers to open cans of paint
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Old 09-23-2009, 08:18 PM   #11
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In the chicago area, they call the screw slot "soldiering them up" meaning vertical. I like "timeless" idea that they catch less dust, but in the overall scope of things, it just doesn't matter.
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Old 09-23-2009, 08:48 PM   #12
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Is this discussion seriously about how the slots of the little screws are turned?
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Old 09-23-2009, 09:02 PM   #13
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I think so
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Old 09-23-2009, 09:31 PM   #14
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Is this discussion seriously about how the slots of the little screws are turned?
As inane as it might seem, details like that are serious business. It's the gestalt of all the little things as well as the major things that establishes the customer's opinion of your overall abilities and attention to detail. That's how someone whose prices are equal to or even higher than yours often gets the job.
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Old 09-23-2009, 09:35 PM   #15
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Is this discussion seriously about how the slots of the little screws are turned?
Absolutely. Marriages have been dissolved over the toilet-paper-over-the-top-or-down-the-back issue, and some electricians are just as adamant about what direction the screw slots go.
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Old 09-23-2009, 09:46 PM   #16
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On a serious note, verticle.

or just hot glue.
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Old 09-23-2009, 09:59 PM   #17
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Makes our punch list every time...vertical for us...

I couldn't care less in my house....I'm still missing 1/2 my plates. When I actually put them on I allign them, guess it's about "dotting your "I""s and crossing you "T"s"....dust collection is the first real argument I've ever heard. As long as both screws are the same, it looks better IMO whether Hor., or Vert.
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Old 09-23-2009, 10:03 PM   #18
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Is this discussion seriously about how the slots of the little screws are turned?
It could be worse....ground up/down is a perennial favorite
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Old 09-24-2009, 05:20 AM   #19
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Well, now I am glad I asked.
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Old 09-24-2009, 05:06 PM   #20
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vertical -around here is a local code
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