Another USA question

[HOGEPH]

Why on american electrical switches is down OFF, as opposed to the UK where down is ON?

[bleesh]

Purely because they're er, um, er, Americans - or stupid - but I'm fairly sure it's the first one....

[Plotloss]

Because they're backwards.

Taps, light switches, doors all arse about face.

[Rotary Madness]

Ive a feeling its so theyre different from us English, i mean they spell words wrong on purpose

Could also be a saftey thing

[anonymous-user]

I suggest you go and have a look in your dinky UK mains circuit-breaker box, where "up" is invariably "on".

So the real question becomes why the UK has the highly confusing situation where circuit breakers or on in the up position but switches are on in the down position?

[Muze ST]

Aleast we have a earth pin unlike others.

[Super Bad]

[Hammerwerfer]

Plotloss said:

Because they're backwards.

Taps, light switches, doors all arse about face.

The Yanks taps are the same: cold right, hot left. In Ireland however, it is pretty much hit or miss.

[gonte]

Its because they use a lot of toggle switches it is a saftey thing. If the switch spring breaks the switch falls down and disconnects the light or whatever its connected to. I expect the H & S directive is on the way to make us change all ours any day now!

[anonymous-user]

Muze ST said:

Aleast we have a earth pin unlike others.

... which is rarely connected. "Others" provide an earth connection only where it's needed.

UK has mains plugs the size of your fist - bigger than any other country on the planet. Why?

[DrTre]

5 USA said:

UK has mains plugs the size of your fist ....

Only if you're Jeremy Beadle.

Has it come to this? The "Special Relationship" reduced to bickering about the size of plugs?
Actually...it's a Sunday night, I quite like the randomness of this argument so far, carry on...

[anonymous-user]

gonte said:

I expect the H & S directive is on the way to make us change all ours any day now!

Next thing you know British Isles will start driving on the same side of the road as the rest of the world....

"Fog in channel, Continent cut off."