Outlets upside down is a good thing though, no? That prevents things dropping from shorting out a loose plug, it's done like that for a good reason. Even my house is done like this, my entire college campus is done like this.
As an (former) electrician, it's useful to put the sticker of the circuit also on the inside of the plate, since the plates can easily be switched out, and then the labels aren't correct anymore.
True, but it's more rare for that to be an issue; even with all the labels I 'trust but verify' my own work. I leave the cable tester in when I kill power, making sure it's dead. Then if I need to work on the wires I jab my little Fluke tester in there to make triply sure no other wire in the box is powered still!
I'm assuming you mean inside the box? I write the breaker number on the back of the plate in my house. It does mean if I decided to change the plates (color swap or something), I'd have to make sure to copy the number to the new plate.
@@JCWren I've definitely written the breaker numbers on the inside of some of my plates - especially one 4 or 5 gang switch box I've been into a number of times (to put in or swap timers for outside lights), that has 3 separate breakers going into it - I've shocked myself at least twice working in that box because I think there's 2 circuits in there when there's actually 3!
To be clear: I think Jeff's approach to the studio is better. Our challenge is that we moved states, and we publish web content daily on the STH main site, so we need to get going as a fast as possible.
You can get p-touch compatible cartridges that print on heat shrink tubing. It is a game changer (optionally add clear heat shrink on top for extra durability on cables that you move around a lot) - props to @superfastmatt for making me aware
Indeed, there are P-touch labelers (like my D210) that aren't supposed to be compatible with the heat shrink p-touch cartridges, but the knockoff cartridges on Amazon worked out of the box for me. I do wish that there were p-touch cloth labels like Jeff used in the video, but I haven't found any yet. They do have tape designed for wire wrapping, like the TZe-FX241, but I think it's still the laminated style
There is „Flex“ label cartridges as well, that are ideal for wrapping around cables. Either as flags, taped itself aound the cable, or along the cable.
Used network racks are plentiful and cheap, especially in larger cities. We ended up getting a 42U APC rack at work , complete with doors and sides for a couple hundred bucks from a company that we work with. We rented a van to get it to our office. When we moved, we just had the movers bring it to our new location.
RE P-Touch & labelling cables - around 2020 I replaced my old P-Touch labeller with the P-Touch E300 which allows me to use not only wider labels but it also does cables. It does that by writing across the width of the tape but multiple times so you can then wrap it around the cable and see the text regardless of the angle you are viewing. It even does barcodes which is handy (yes I have tested them 😉). Came across that model from a UK electricians channel & it's a good labeller
Ah, the E300 does indeed look nicer. I didn't realize P-Touch did much outside their lower-end consumer labelers and the USB/network 'desktop' printer ones.
@@JeffGeerling it's targeted at electricians so it's not usually listed where their other labeller's are. It even comes in a proper large hard case to survive being transported with tools
Having had my toddler drop a penny behind the plug and watching it spark and make some very interesting buzzing noises... I'm a solid believer in the safety of the ground plug up orientation.
While it sounds like a reasonable solution to the problem, it doesn't actually fix it; it just increases the odds that no short will happen, and whatever is dropped behind the plug "rolls off". This is why there is no standard or even note about it in the NEC. (the issue is the plug design, not orientation.)
Thanks for the tour. Until I saw the Technology Connections video, I didn't realise that there was a top or bottom to North American sockets. I just thought that ground on the bottom just looks better. I'm looking forward to your NVR. I hope that you share how it's built. I want to add a camera to my back yard to keep an eye on the pets, but I don't want an app or subscription fee. I'm not a fan of companies telling owners of hardware that the product has reached end of life.
Some say that's the safest orientation (protects against something dropping on the live connections from above if the plug is loose, and shorting it out).
@@willfancher9775Well it is and it isn't. It's funny though everyone mentioning this being a problem, when I've never heard of someone having an issue with it-much more prevalent are cable relief getting worn, which would be a bigger issue on many 90°/flat plugs, which are designed to go out with ground side down!
+1 for the wall mount rack. It makes for a cleaner install and keeping your network working while the floor is bare is awesome. Also lets you work on the main server rack without a giant whip in the way
Ground up is pretty typical in commercial or non-residential applications. Reason being, if something comes halfway unplugged, it allows the ground to still be connected properly. Residential outlets flipped usually indicate a hot switch
Is the "residential outlets flipped indicates a switched outlet" thing kind of an unwritten standard? I know they do that in some cases, but it seems like not in others (but now that I think about it, my house doesn't have any switched outlets vs where I have actually seen that in houses that do)
@@gorak9000 Not that I've ever seen or read about. I have had a few homes with switched outlets, including my current one built ~20 years ago. Obviously nothing in code about that. It would be silly to do so IMO as 1 - you couldn't do it when you are doing the common thing of switching one of the two receptacles, and 2 - the home owner only needs to be told about it once, it isn't as though you need to be reminded about it ever time you look at it and 3 - you have the same issue if plugging some things into it you have elsewhere in that consumer products are designed with the expectation of ground down.
@@curtisbme Yeah, I know that only one of the outlets is switched when they're switched by a wall switch, but they flip the whole thing upside down (ground up) to let you know that one plug in that outlet is switched. And it's consistent in the house too if it's the top or bottom outlet that's the switched one.
Outlets are supposed to be "upside down" in industrial spaces as it is safer. Been that way for a decade at least, and must be the same in commercial spaces now too. In homes, you only get them upside down to signify the switched outlet. It serves a double purpose for extra safety. First, if the outlet is loose something cant drop onto the live and neutral and cause a short, it hits the ground instead and causes no problem. Second, by having a wider space of the plugged in device on the bottom end (due to upside down config) it helps there be less sag on loose cables as well as causing less area to become exposed.
Neither of those arguments makes any sense. If your outlets are so worn out that your plugs are sagging, the outlets need to be replaced. The loose connection is a fire hazard. Putting the ground pin on top doesn't change that fact. Also the NEC code doesn't' specify an orientation - that's an unfounded old wive's tale people spew on the internet to appear smart
In some houses, the majority of the plugs are installed the normal way (ground down), except the outlets that are switched by a wall switch - they install those ground up so you can identify that it's a switched outlet.
@@rogerlevasseur397 Yeah, it's pretty standard to have only one of the outlets be switched, and the other one is always powered. But they usually flip the whole plug around and install it "ground up" to indicate that one of them on that plug is switched by a wall switch.
Great to see you back in action. It would be nice to see more home assistant content (13:40) but be aware, they have a secret automation built-in that pulls you down into the rabbithole...
We got a wall mount AC unit for our server closet/room to suppliment the supply from the building AC. It blows directly into our racks. APC netshelters are great. Get white-glove delivery though if possible. If they attempt to ship via UPS... inspect it very well - and be prepared to reject delivery due to transit damage. If you go used, you can break down a netshelter pretty easily and the parts fit in most any van.
Those pulleys with movable sides so ropes can be inserted or removed are known as snatch blocks. Used in rigging they are designed for heavy loads using steel or rope cables. The ones you have are very lightweight version of the design.
I like the idea of the wall mount rack. I noticed that your electrician put in 20A outlets. Most of the electrial outlets I've seen in commercial spaces have the ground on top. I heard that the reason was that if a plug in not completely inserted and something conductive falls on it, it hits the ground and not the hot wire. My arguement for ground down is when you grab a 3-prong plug you have your thumb on top and your index finger around the ground hump for the most secure grip. I think it is more likely for my index finger to contact the hot prong with the ground on top than a metal object falling on the plug. The right angle plugs i've see that are not offset at and angle, are designed for ground down.
I also watch SmarterEveryDay, and just after 4:00, when you were showing off the PullingPal, I clearly heard "snatch block!" Thanks for the update videos, btw. It's been fun seeing you build out your new space.
Jeff, I love these videos. Don't get me wrong, your more nerdy deep dives into the innards of RPI is amazing more often than not, but so far I've never been as excited for a video of yours as everytime I see there's a build vlog going up. Thanks for alot of amazing content, and I look forwards to seeing more!
I'm so excited for your upcoming NVR video. We just moved into a new house and I'm eager to add security cameras and object detection. We have a lot of bears in the neighborhood - it would be so fun to get an alert in Home Assistant when one is outside!
The ones with the ground at the top are right side up. If they're on their side they should have the neutral on top. This prevents anything from bridging the hot.
You are doing great Jeff! Can't wait to see the next six months! As my boss always says: the first house/office you build should be for your enemy, the second one for "just a friend" and by the third one you have eventually made an learned from so many mistakes that you then may build it for yourself :D
I'm at 3:10 right now, and just a heads up, but the p-touch series have a wire-wrap label that you can get! It's essentially no different from regular p-touch labels, but is about 2/3 transparent, and so you can wrap it around and over itself to almost laminate it! They also do cable flag ones too, so you should give those a try!
The cable flag setting uses the normal label material, but prints your label twice with some gap. Fold it around the cable and it's good. This was the reason go get a p-touch and ditch the old Dymo printer that couldn't do this.
When I’m labeling cables with a basic label maker, I wrap the label around longways (the words go along the wire), and most importantly, I use packaging tape to go around the label to ensure it stays attached. I’ve never had them come up and the packaging tape also helps avoid damage.
If your label maker uses thermal paper without lamination then the adhesive makes it all go blank. This is probably only with cheap label rolls on desktop label maker.
I print my labels using my laser printer on plain copy paper, repeated on two rows (so you can see the label on both sides of the cable). Then I wrap them around the cable and slide clear heat-shrink tubing over them. 👍
If you're going to do packing tape by hand, then you can also just print strips of numbers on regular paper, and cut them and put that behind the packing tape. No labeler required. The whole point to the labeler is to not have to mess with doing stuff like that by hand. Note: I labeled all of the ethernet cables in my house using the numbers printed on regular paper with packing tape method, and I have a LOT of ethernet cables in my house - most rooms have minimum 6 ethernet jacks. A year or 2 after I did that, I got a bunch of stuff from a LV cable installer warehouse that was selling off their entire inventory of stuff, and I got a big bin full of the pre-printed number sticky tape, and the little dispensers that hold all the number spools from 0 to 9 together and have the tape cutter built in! Would've been useful two years prior!
My sister dropped a "cat dancer" toy behind the couch, which connected the neutral and hot pins and started to glow like a lightbulb filament. Since that story, I ALWAYS install outlets ground pin up. 90-degree plugs are annoying in this orientation, but I'd rather have the safety of ground-up.
I keep telling people over and over and over - power buses are the way to go. Over head reconfigurable power is like the best feature to give yourself. Since so many tech companies go out of business there is a lot of busway stuff available at online auction/wholesale sites for super cheap (we used Starline at my place of work, not the cheapest but highly recommended for great quality and massive feature set/variety of taps/components).
All of our facilities have every electrical, network, and telephone circuit labelled just like you are doing in this video. It is a great practice to get into for troubleshooting and maintenance down the road.
I like the rack idea. I have a wall mounted rack for all my network stuff in my basement and a 24u rack on the floor for my two servers and anything else I may want in the future.
Super excited to see the Frigate setup as I have been looking into getting my NVR Setup at home and am excited to see if the Raspberry pi will be able to do everything so I can use one for it instead of a computer I was going to use that would use a lot more power.
APC NetShelter racks are great. They are super flexible and are pretty much universal for most equipment. Go as wide and deep as you can. Your future you will thank you. I would avoid a wall mounted rack unless you have to. If you do, check your equipment depth requirements, weight, and if you ever want to easily get to the back, get one that swings out. Because of your HVAC setup there AND if you only need 6U or less of space, you can do a vertical mount rack on the wall that puts the face of your equipment pointing up (getting that cool air from the HVAC vent) and exhausts down to the floor. Easy to reach both sides. Super affordable. I'd suggest getting a fire-rated backer board to mount to the wall first and then your equipment will have secure mounting locations. (Don't paint over your fire rating labels on the backer board.)
I am happy for you getting into you new studio and wish you and you family a Happy Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm been following you since your Ansible days (what over 10 years ago?) and I would like t0 say thank you for your Ansible examples that helped me learn it much faster. Again Congrats!
On the rack/server room stuff: I personally am running in a tiny closet three StarTech rk619wallv (left/back/right) with two of them hosting 4U heavy servers. I hope something along these vertical-wall-rack was what you were thinking of installing for your core/critical. I've loved these wall racks, though moving my 4U 24 drive server in was a bit of an adventure so maybe don't put one of those on without hoist/help :) In general I do greatly agree with one/two wall-mount racks (preferably vertical) and even a shelf above (for non-rackables) and a mobile/caster rack for projects/larger things since the server room is small enough to worry about getting you, the rack, camera angle workable. See some of LTT's videos on theirs and how awkward the cameras are in their space.
The space is coming along and looking great. Here are some suggestions. SERVER ROOM Consider removing the supply duct for the server room and instead installing a Mitsubishi Mini Split A/C. You can get away with a one-ton unit. If you ever decide to close the door, the room can quickly heat up, and it silly to run a large A/C just for the server room if you're not around. At the same time, consider installing sensors in the server room to monitor the temperature and to set alerts if there are water leaks. Carpet may not be the best thing to have in the room as it promotes static electricity. A wall mount server rack is fine, but I would NOT go with a short depth. If/when you decide to purchase additional gear, you limit what will fit in the rack. Make sure that it is has enough U's for future prooofing. Make sure to bond the server rack to ground. Install a 2" conduit (2' piece or so) that goes just above the ceiling grid and just below it. It's a very nice transition for the cables to enter the room. I would highly recommend installing a keystone patch panel in the rack as well. It doesn't cost much, and it makes the job look so much more professional. Then purchase the Monoprice Slimrun patch cables to connect to your devices. LIGHTING If you ever replace your lights again, consider installing a retrofit kit. It makes an existing fixture look new. Since it comes with a new driver, you will almost never have to service it again. The problem with ballast or ballast bypass LED T8's is that they never work as nice as a retrofit kit. A lot of times, they also fail fairly quickly. It's also nice installing a retrofit kit because the fixtures typically have 0-10v dimming, which is different from line voltage dimming. 0-10v is a better method to dim, and I"m sure if you install it, you will end up using it. If you want to geek out, check out the Aleo Blue retrofit kits. They're priced competitively, and the controls are wireless.
I have no problems with "upside down" sockets. What I DO have a problem with is when power strip/surge protector manufacturers ASSUME that the 90° flush against the wall plugs should ALWAYS be angled towards the ground pin!!! I have seen a FEW that are rotatable so the plug can be rotated to accommodate the situation at hand.
Most people didn't fully watch that entire vid by Technology Connections... He eventually explains that there actually is no upside down, because there is no official standard. Plus upside down is slightly safer anyway.
I've been a Brady printer fan for years. In the late 90s, I converted a refinery from pneumatic single loop controllers to a Foxboro IA DCS. Rather than use CAD drawings for the wiring, we did all 3000 IO for the crude unit in an Access database. I was able to print the wiring information to CSV files and then imported that into the Brady app. We printed over 12000 tags and saved over $100K in engineering costs. Suggestion: you should do shows on some of these old controllers and control systems and the history of the people behind this stuff.
I also number my receptacles so that I can find the right breaker to kill, but I number the inside of the wall plate. That way it's hidden from view but still accessible. Though I'd certainly be less inclined to care about the cosmetic factors in a work space as opposed to my home.
Regarding racks just one thing: Just consider the size you need for future devices, especially the depth of devices. A second rack is a good option. But you have to run cables from one rack to the other, so think about what you need and run the cables properly. Labeling everything will be helpful at some point in the future.
I'll take upside down outlets over outlets that won't hold a plug. Our last house, I had to replace every single outlet in the house (which was a huge PITA) because you'd plug something in and the plug would just fall out. I don't know how the people who lived there before us got by without replacing them. So these days I'm just happy when the plugs will stay in the outlet. Nice space.
I've seen entire store builds happen in a space like that in less than a month. Demo of old interior to opening day. However that is a money talks situation. With a work crew of like 20+ people. I'd say you are doing well for your situation.
You should see if you can box in the rack so the hot aisle is contained and vented outside, while the chilled cold air drops in from the ceiling. We used racks from cannon technologies to do that.
I agree with many of the comments. The outlets are not upside down. It's quite commonplace in medical facilities and places that want that extra bit of security from plugs coming loose and falling out of the outlets. That's especially important if you have things plugged in behind heavy cabinets.
Dude... pulling pals and a cable caster. Great for large building spaces with large above-grid voids. Used it all the time back when I pulled cable for our local school district.
Jeff, I use a ptouch at work. It’s adequate. Labels peel off easily and sometimes that’s not cool. When labeling cables do you use straws or any sort of sleeve to allow movement of the label? Before my time in my current position, we subcontracted a large cabling project, and they used some sort of straw or sleeve on the cables to allow movement of the label. Convenient in tight spots. I’m not sure of the proper term for such a thing.
Yeah, there are a lot of different approaches. I know some places will get slightly larger shrink wrap labels, and put them on but not heat them (so they remain slightly loose). That way they can be moved over time. For my install I'm going to print so the label wraps around the cable on vinyl.
Clearly the solution to the upside down electrical outlets debate is to rotate them 90 degrees! Put neutral at the top, ground to the left, and hot at the bottom. This way, items falling onto an exposed pin hit neutral with no harm. And if your fingers accidentally wrap under the plug while pulling it out, they hit only the hot pin, and not hot and neutral. Problem solved!
As someone who once watched an episode of NCIS where an electrician was working in the background, i can confirm i have no idea which way the outlets should be rotated.
Not sure if this has been mentioned, but as far as labelling circuit numbers, the manufacturer typically has circuit numbers embossed or lightly engraved in the panel cover. Much older panels would vary with some of them vertically starting on the left, but I’m pretty sure most today go by rows. I.E. 1/2 3/4 5/6 7/8 9/10… etc It wouldn’t be worth relabelling all of that, but also the wiring is supposed to have the circuit number at the device. So if your covers get taken off and misplaced, the wiring would still give you your circuit numbers. If that ever happens, you’ll just need to look for the embossed or engraved numbers (which look like they’re under the circuit labels).
@@JeffGeerling It definitely works. If I remember correctly that Brady printer will print off panel numbers too. You would just need a narrower cartridge like a 3/8. I prefer the nylon cloth labels you’re using too. They are flexible enough to stick to the cable whatever you do with the cable. Good choice
I wen't through a lot of cable-labeling solutions (last 20+ years). In the very beginning of my IT career I used cable ties with a label flag. Also tried to use a p-touch in the past then swapped to some hand written labels, too. Finally I found a pretty smart and conventient solution where the software (mobile app) and the printer "Nimbot D101" works great. They can use labels of many sized and some cable-labeling type of labels. I'm pretty satisfied since the text is clearly readable, the labels stick well even to thin cables and last but not least they can be removed just by ripping them off when in a hurry (without a knife).
Hey this is great Jeff going along with you on your new office space build and setup journey! Watching that last video on setting up that awesome home automation system was really great! It's just so excellent coming along on this new office space build with you!! For what it's worth - In your little server room (I would have made that space a little bigger by the way, at least a foot or two wider on each side, but that's just me..), I really like your idea of making a small "network core" wall mount rack, like a 10u to maybe 15u size depending on your needs. I like having a dedicated network UPS to power the Network Core also, just in case. Just keep the bare necessities in the Network Core rack, just incoming internet, edge router, firewall, smart switch you segment with VLANs, and DNS and DHCP server. For your "commercial space" I'd prefer doing dedicated systems (like R-Pi's of course in your case) for each separate network core function. So anyway, again it's really great being able to "come along" if only virtually on your office build out. I look forward to your next installment! Thanks so much for this!
good job Jeff, construction moves at a snails pace, it’s especially hard now with all of the trades so busy, and scheduling is a nightmare.. I hope you learned never to pay them fully, until the job is %100 completed, that’s pretty much the only way to keep them interested in finishing YOUR job 👍
I would double check your building code there some that required that outlets to be installed upside down. Installing the outlet with the ground prong at the top ensures that any plug with a ground prong has this feature positioned above the others. Since the ground prong alone cannot generate a spark, this orientation makes it less hazardous in case of accidental contact.
accidental contact with what? You play "throw the knives at the wall" game regularly? Or "throw coins at the plugs" game regularly? The chances of anything unintentionally falling into even a slightly unplugged plug are somewhere between slim and none. And if something does fall in there, that's what you have breakers for.
@@gorak9000 Good point about the rarity of such incidents. The idea behind installing outlets with the ground prong at the top is a precaution for the rare cases where a metal object might fall and contact a partially unplugged appliance. It's an extra safety measure, much like how we use smoke detectors - not often needed, but valuable for peace of mind. Breakers are crucial, but this is about adding another layer of safety.
Some places require ground to be on top by law, metal things being dropped down wall, while yes, is rare, but how many things have to print "dont eat" on them. Also, ground plug is longer, so while plugging if their is any kind of capacitor dump or anything thr ground is always connected first and/or last, reduces risk of shock or damage.. i know in ohio, atleast in most large cities here, it is either law or required by fire marshel to pass fire inspection.
so the outlets in the front office are actually the spec complaint ones :P had to go back and re-watch Technology Connection's video on it, but the ground pin is supposed to be at the top, and is mandated that way for healthcare environments. If i had to guess, the guy who did the outlets with ground on top is used to working with healthcare providers. Either way, the studio is coming along nicely and at least you have one room that you can play "throw knives at the wall" in
As an electrician, the "mandate" in health care spaces is purely because that is the specification for that specific site (meaning the owner/contractor for that site deemed it so). It's basically wives' tale at this point, but it is only done that way in those spaces because "everyone else does it that way". There is no code for it either way, just a manufacturer "recommendation" that is not based on anything substantial. If the manufacturers actually wanted them to be safe (or if it was code), they would design them better - like higher voltage recepticles.
There might be code reasons why the outlets are installed “upside down”. Local US codes are all over the map and can change over the years so if the electrician was distracted his autopilot might have installed outlets one way and when they were not distracted installed another. One can argue the ground facing up is marginally “safer” but its really a back and forth in local codes that is to blame for whacky outlet mismatches.
It's funny that so many of those great channels reference each other and sometimes even collab, it's great to see that XD I also immediately thought of TechnologyConnections's video about outlets when you showed the outlets XD
Technically, as stated in the Technology Connections video, smiley faces means upside-down, while protective ground on top is the safe configuration. The safe configuration ensure that if something falls between the plug and outlet, while it is still powered (a uniquely American danger) it also touches the protective ground connection. This is especially important with higher amperage outlets in America as present in your building (those with the T slot) Both the German style plugs and outlets as well as the British style plugs and outlets disconnect the electrical connection before exposing metal parts that carry electricity.
This may not be easy to do, but you should be able to extend the ducting to the front of the room, and have it pointed down to the front of your servers. Ideally you should have something that blows cold air from the lower side of the rack in the front (cold aisle), and a return/exhaust vent in the back (hot aisle) to help get cold air flow through the servers.
Hi Jeff, I always install the outlets upside down. Its so that when something falls on the plugged wire there is more resistance for the plug to fall out or lean out of the socket.
your reasoning makes no sense - how does having the ground pin up provide more resistance to something pulling the plug out by falling on it? Also, why do you store heavy things hanging on flimsy hooks on your wall directly above your outlets?
Good question! It's an option, but I have those nice thick wood doors to block some sound. There's still a a gap at the bottom but ideally all ventilation would go up through the ceiling for the best sound control.
Its better to have a return duct in the server room. It would have no effect if the system is on heat or cool and you'd have the bonus of the server heat getting redistributed during winter.
It's weird that he has explicit returns - usually with a dropped ceiling, the whole space above the ceiling is the return, and you just put open grills instead of ceiling tiles where you want a return. In the server room, you could just put a return grill in instead of part of a tile. But it seems like that's not the case there. That's also why low voltage cable in commercial settings needs to be "plenum" rated, as that whole space above the ceiling tiles is usually the return plenum. The whole thing with plenum cable is it produces less smoke when it burns, so you don't tend to fill the entire building with smoke through the HVAC system if there's a problem.
in industrial settings the receptacles are often upside down because you want the ground to be the first contact if something falls between the socket and the plug. like a piece of sheet metal, if they are right side up they will be shorted.
Man the next tenant will be the happiest person on earth.😅 Have you considered buying or would it be too much? I used to rent an office space and during covid it was cheaper to buy the suite than to keep leasing. The owners where desperate.
This is in a building that is lease-only, I just want to make the space as nice as I can for the time I'm in it... and hopefully work out a good deal long-term with the landlord. But we'll see! Worst case I learn a bunch of lessons and end up somewhere else in a few years' time :)
I'm enjoying following along! The Brady is a great labeler, but the label rolls actually expire. I have some brand sealed rolls of self-laminating wire wrap. I couldn't figure out why I was getting black smudges on every label I printed. Turns out that the adhesive oozes a little. I'm still using them, but it requires hand cleaning every label before adhering. I recommend you store them in a nice climate controlled area to minimize the issue.
Gnd pin on top is safer. Partially unplugged jack, something conductive drops between plate and jack, better chance of hitting gnd pin first instead of 50/50 live neutral. That aside, thanks for all the excellent info !!!
One item I do for labeling outlets/switches in an office space is to place the label on the ceiling grid directly above the target. Outlets and Switches get touched by human hands and cleaning solutions. But the ceiling grid is rarely if ever touched. It is not noticeable unless you look for it while a label at a switch is an eye magnet.
The upside down installation is now the norm due to changes in regulation. I had a discussion about this with my father who was an electrician for about 40 years and just retired. The wiring is done the same and the outlet orientation is supposed to be ‘safer’ as most plug insertions are angled downward. This orientation has the center plug connecting first in this scenario avoiding a potential short.
Time to change to the EU standard for wall outlets (well, for most countries that is). They cannot be upside down. You can, if you want, turn them 90 degrees without any negative effect.
We're probably stuck with what we have for the next hundred years or more for now; it would be an insane amount of effort and cost to convince manufacturers and builders to use a new type of socket, plus all of the retrofitting that would have to be done to existing products and buildings. And all that work is not even including if we decided to move away from 120VAC. It is probably more likely that we would introduce a new low-voltage DC socket alongside the existing AC sockets, and would see buildings with mixed receptacles containing both for several decades.
@@JeffGeerling Electrical stuff from the U.S. still looks strange to a european. Here in Germany there is basically no way an electrician will choose unshielded cat cables. Even patch cables are shielded. We evolved high standards in networking and electricity.
@stephencoakley I've been thinking for a while now that new homes should be provided with sockets including a 12V 4A active current-limited output for the likes of LED strips, USB chargers and more. It would probably be a lot more efficient and safer than all the poor mains-AC chargers we have now. 12V rather than 5V because lower resistance losses, and better for some appliances.
Actually, code generally requires them to be installed to Manufacturers specs. And some Manufacturers show them with the ground tap on top. Both ways pass inspection and that is what matters.
Take my advice .... do NOT put your security system panel or security camera recorder in the server room. Hide both above the ceiling tiles in another part of the office. I saw the aftermath of where people broke into an office and chopped the wires to the security system panel (disabling the security system) and stole the entire server rack (including several servers, network switches AND the security camera NVR).
In my case, I also will have all the footage backing up to a remote location, plus (once I get frigate + coral sorted) immediate upload of any small clips, that way even if someone EMP'ed everything in there, anything up to that moment would be preserved. Insurance would take care of the rest, assuming I am reasonably secure otherwise :) Defense in depth + other measures is best.
Jeff, my experience had me using a hybrid alarm system that did both alarm and fire. We added pull stations and colored strobes on outside of building in blue and red. Used Honeywell Ademco (now Resideo). Also had contact alarm switch inside panel door on separate zone (always alarmed even if building is disarmed)
if the security system didn't sound an alarm by the time the thieves got to the server rack, it was poorly installed or configured. unless the rack was right next to the front door, the sensors would have picked up motion outside of the time interval and started screaming.
@@giornikitop5373Yep, and there will be two locks inside before you could get to the security system components, or even the power lines inside the building anywhere. The contractors have been testing it lately-the ones who lazily enter in the morning typically trigger the alarm and I get a call, a video clip, and a notification within a couple seconds of the alarm.
They didnt install them incorrectly. That is Code for commercial space today. the idea is that if the plug pulls out and metal falls into the space it doesnt short when it bridges your prongs. OR it will hit the ground post and fall away
Jeff. The outlets you said were upside down are actually safer that way. Consider a piece of wire falling down the wall. The wire would hit the round ground and be deflected away from the lower blade terminals. with the ground on the way you say is correct the wire(coin etc.) will fall across the blades and blow the breaker. Ask me how I know. If you had small kids especially boys you would know. hat blown breakers more than once. He thought it was neat to see the flash. The girls learned to blow the breakers too. I flipped the breakers so the round pin was up and no more blown breakers and black spots on the wall. I checked with the hydro inspectors they said either way was ok. They said they had never thought of my reasoning for having the round terminal up. Cheers.
Hope crohns is being nice to ya. I'm dealing with a flare and multiple abscesses. Yay. Love your content and wish ya the best
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Jeff, that is the correct orientation of the outlets, however is more popular to encounter them installed wrong (really upside down). Popular doesn't mean right or correct.
That’s what you get for hiring Spider-Man as your electrician 😂
Outlets upside down is a good thing though, no? That prevents things dropping from shorting out a loose plug, it's done like that for a good reason. Even my house is done like this, my entire college campus is done like this.
"upside down technology, you've outdone yourself Peter"
@@Appri Gruond on top is now code in many areas for exactly this reason.
You mean an Australian?
@@bdouglas cite some code
As an (former) electrician, it's useful to put the sticker of the circuit also on the inside of the plate, since the plates can easily be switched out, and then the labels aren't correct anymore.
True, but it's more rare for that to be an issue; even with all the labels I 'trust but verify' my own work. I leave the cable tester in when I kill power, making sure it's dead. Then if I need to work on the wires I jab my little Fluke tester in there to make triply sure no other wire in the box is powered still!
I'm assuming you mean inside the box? I write the breaker number on the back of the plate in my house. It does mean if I decided to change the plates (color swap or something), I'd have to make sure to copy the number to the new plate.
@@JCWren I've definitely written the breaker numbers on the inside of some of my plates - especially one 4 or 5 gang switch box I've been into a number of times (to put in or swap timers for outside lights), that has 3 separate breakers going into it - I've shocked myself at least twice working in that box because I think there's 2 circuits in there when there's actually 3!
To be clear: I think Jeff's approach to the studio is better. Our challenge is that we moved states, and we publish web content daily on the STH main site, so we need to get going as a fast as possible.
You can get p-touch compatible cartridges that print on heat shrink tubing. It is a game changer (optionally add clear heat shrink on top for extra durability on cables that you move around a lot) - props to @superfastmatt for making me aware
Indeed, there are P-touch labelers (like my D210) that aren't supposed to be compatible with the heat shrink p-touch cartridges, but the knockoff cartridges on Amazon worked out of the box for me. I do wish that there were p-touch cloth labels like Jeff used in the video, but I haven't found any yet. They do have tape designed for wire wrapping, like the TZe-FX241, but I think it's still the laminated style
There is „Flex“ label cartridges as well, that are ideal for wrapping around cables. Either as flags, taped itself aound the cable, or along the cable.
Used network racks are plentiful and cheap, especially in larger cities. We ended up getting a 42U APC rack at work , complete with doors and sides for a couple hundred bucks from a company that we work with. We rented a van to get it to our office. When we moved, we just had the movers bring it to our new location.
RE P-Touch & labelling cables - around 2020 I replaced my old P-Touch labeller with the P-Touch E300 which allows me to use not only wider labels but it also does cables. It does that by writing across the width of the tape but multiple times so you can then wrap it around the cable and see the text regardless of the angle you are viewing.
It even does barcodes which is handy (yes I have tested them 😉).
Came across that model from a UK electricians channel & it's a good labeller
Ah, the E300 does indeed look nicer. I didn't realize P-Touch did much outside their lower-end consumer labelers and the USB/network 'desktop' printer ones.
@@JeffGeerling it's targeted at electricians so it's not usually listed where their other labeller's are. It even comes in a proper large hard case to survive being transported with tools
Having had my toddler drop a penny behind the plug and watching it spark and make some very interesting buzzing noises... I'm a solid believer in the safety of the ground plug up orientation.
It's a convenient way to clean your copper! Just burn off any imperfections
@@JeffGeerlingElectrolysis!
While it sounds like a reasonable solution to the problem, it doesn't actually fix it; it just increases the odds that no short will happen, and whatever is dropped behind the plug "rolls off". This is why there is no standard or even note about it in the NEC. (the issue is the plug design, not orientation.)
It funny how many americans say that it's the "saver way" it only made me realise how much saver the German / EU and British plugs are.
You get the benefit of learning from prior implementations...@@nils4214
Thanks for the tour. Until I saw the Technology Connections video, I didn't realise that there was a top or bottom to North American sockets. I just thought that ground on the bottom just looks better.
I'm looking forward to your NVR. I hope that you share how it's built. I want to add a camera to my back yard to keep an eye on the pets, but I don't want an app or subscription fee. I'm not a fan of companies telling owners of hardware that the product has reached end of life.
Some say that's the safest orientation (protects against something dropping on the live connections from above if the plug is loose, and shorting it out).
Playing lots of "throw the knife at the wall" games?
Jeff mentioned a Technology Connections video at the beginning, and that video goes into detail about why this is not really the case.
They do this for nearly all outlets in hospitals within the United States for this very reason.
Most electricians I know say this is now the proper, safer way to install sockets.
@@willfancher9775Well it is and it isn't.
It's funny though everyone mentioning this being a problem, when I've never heard of someone having an issue with it-much more prevalent are cable relief getting worn, which would be a bigger issue on many 90°/flat plugs, which are designed to go out with ground side down!
+1 for the wall mount rack. It makes for a cleaner install and keeping your network working while the floor is bare is awesome. Also lets you work on the main server rack without a giant whip in the way
Ground up is pretty typical in commercial or non-residential applications. Reason being, if something comes halfway unplugged, it allows the ground to still be connected properly.
Residential outlets flipped usually indicate a hot switch
Except it does nothing for 2 pronged plugs and makes right angle plugs a nuisance.
Not only typical but required by code in some, such as hospitals. Ground up is the only specification in code (where required).
Is the "residential outlets flipped indicates a switched outlet" thing kind of an unwritten standard? I know they do that in some cases, but it seems like not in others (but now that I think about it, my house doesn't have any switched outlets vs where I have actually seen that in houses that do)
@@gorak9000 Not that I've ever seen or read about. I have had a few homes with switched outlets, including my current one built ~20 years ago. Obviously nothing in code about that. It would be silly to do so IMO as 1 - you couldn't do it when you are doing the common thing of switching one of the two receptacles, and 2 - the home owner only needs to be told about it once, it isn't as though you need to be reminded about it ever time you look at it and 3 - you have the same issue if plugging some things into it you have elsewhere in that consumer products are designed with the expectation of ground down.
@@curtisbme Yeah, I know that only one of the outlets is switched when they're switched by a wall switch, but they flip the whole thing upside down (ground up) to let you know that one plug in that outlet is switched. And it's consistent in the house too if it's the top or bottom outlet that's the switched one.
Outlets are supposed to be "upside down" in industrial spaces as it is safer. Been that way for a decade at least, and must be the same in commercial spaces now too. In homes, you only get them upside down to signify the switched outlet.
It serves a double purpose for extra safety. First, if the outlet is loose something cant drop onto the live and neutral and cause a short, it hits the ground instead and causes no problem. Second, by having a wider space of the plugged in device on the bottom end (due to upside down config) it helps there be less sag on loose cables as well as causing less area to become exposed.
Neither of those arguments makes any sense. If your outlets are so worn out that your plugs are sagging, the outlets need to be replaced. The loose connection is a fire hazard. Putting the ground pin on top doesn't change that fact. Also the NEC code doesn't' specify an orientation - that's an unfounded old wive's tale people spew on the internet to appear smart
As a European, I am confused how an AC plug can be upside down, hihi. 😊😅😅
Love to see the progress!! 😊
can't european plugs be upside down too
while not going into my preference for ground up or ground down, my bigger preference is for consistency for all of them to be the same direction,
In some houses, the majority of the plugs are installed the normal way (ground down), except the outlets that are switched by a wall switch - they install those ground up so you can identify that it's a switched outlet.
@@gorak9000 Not my house 😁 actually the ones on the wall switch are using just 1 of the 2 outlets, with the other being always powered.
@@rogerlevasseur397 Yeah, it's pretty standard to have only one of the outlets be switched, and the other one is always powered. But they usually flip the whole plug around and install it "ground up" to indicate that one of them on that plug is switched by a wall switch.
until the plugs is designed with ground up i will want ground down all day.
My guess is that IBEW Local #1 (St. Louis) guys did the original installation while non-union guys did the addition.
i dont know if it bothers you but they make clear tape with white or different color letter, we use them for when we have black or silver faceplates.
I have some on order, did not have it on hand last week though!
There's really no such thing as upside down for the outlets, but also it's considered by some to be "safer" to have the ground at the top.
🙃
@@JeffGeerling best reply ever.
On the video technology connections did, it seems that side-to-side is the safest approach
@@JeffGeerlingyou did this whole video just to make this reply, didn't you?
Nope, you're as wrong as a guy who unrolls his toilet paper from the back!
Great to see you back in action. It would be nice to see more home assistant content (13:40) but be aware, they have a secret automation built-in that pulls you down into the rabbithole...
I know...
so many ideas, so little time!
We got a wall mount AC unit for our server closet/room to suppliment the supply from the building AC. It blows directly into our racks. APC netshelters are great. Get white-glove delivery though if possible. If they attempt to ship via UPS... inspect it very well - and be prepared to reject delivery due to transit damage. If you go used, you can break down a netshelter pretty easily and the parts fit in most any van.
Time to watch the video from Technology Connections about the "reversed" outlets again
Oops there goes another 45 minutes! :D
Came here to say this. Glad someone mentioned it. 😁
Those pulleys with movable sides so ropes can be inserted or removed are known as snatch blocks. Used in rigging they are designed for heavy loads using steel or rope cables. The ones you have are very lightweight version of the design.
I like the idea of the wall mount rack.
I noticed that your electrician put in 20A outlets. Most of the electrial outlets I've seen in commercial spaces have the ground on top. I heard that the reason was that if a plug in not completely inserted and something conductive falls on it, it hits the ground and not the hot wire. My arguement for ground down is when you grab a 3-prong plug you have your thumb on top and your index finger around the ground hump for the most secure grip. I think it is more likely for my index finger to contact the hot prong with the ground on top than a metal object falling on the plug. The right angle plugs i've see that are not offset at and angle, are designed for ground down.
I also watch SmarterEveryDay, and just after 4:00, when you were showing off the PullingPal, I clearly heard "snatch block!"
Thanks for the update videos, btw. It's been fun seeing you build out your new space.
I came to tag technology connections 😂
I came to see if he got mentioned
This is officially the technology connections tagging thread!
You know he's going to make a video about paint drying someday. And we'll all watch.
I, for one, am looking forward to the already threatened "Washing detergent pods are bad, too!" video
I'm really glad you're sharing this journey. I've always been a big fan of infrastructural projects so this slow burn has been a pleasure to watch :)
Watching you build your ultimate house after bringing such value to the community is awesome :) live your best life bro
Pi + COral + NVR + Home Assistant = Dream video topic
Jeff, I love these videos. Don't get me wrong, your more nerdy deep dives into the innards of RPI is amazing more often than not, but so far I've never been as excited for a video of yours as everytime I see there's a build vlog going up. Thanks for alot of amazing content, and I look forwards to seeing more!
I'm so excited for your upcoming NVR video. We just moved into a new house and I'm eager to add security cameras and object detection. We have a lot of bears in the neighborhood - it would be so fun to get an alert in Home Assistant when one is outside!
The ones with the ground at the top are right side up. If they're on their side they should have the neutral on top. This prevents anything from bridging the hot.
You are doing great Jeff! Can't wait to see the next six months! As my boss always says: the first house/office you build should be for your enemy, the second one for "just a friend" and by the third one you have eventually made an learned from so many mistakes that you then may build it for yourself :D
I'm at 3:10 right now, and just a heads up, but the p-touch series have a wire-wrap label that you can get! It's essentially no different from regular p-touch labels, but is about 2/3 transparent, and so you can wrap it around and over itself to almost laminate it!
They also do cable flag ones too, so you should give those a try!
The cable flag setting uses the normal label material, but prints your label twice with some gap. Fold it around the cable and it's good. This was the reason go get a p-touch and ditch the old Dymo printer that couldn't do this.
That idea of separating network rig and servers is actually really nice IMO
When I’m labeling cables with a basic label maker, I wrap the label around longways (the words go along the wire), and most importantly, I use packaging tape to go around the label to ensure it stays attached. I’ve never had them come up and the packaging tape also helps avoid damage.
If your label maker uses thermal paper without lamination then the adhesive makes it all go blank. This is probably only with cheap label rolls on desktop label maker.
I print my labels using my laser printer on plain copy paper, repeated on two rows (so you can see the label on both sides of the cable). Then I wrap them around the cable and slide clear heat-shrink tubing over them. 👍
If you're going to do packing tape by hand, then you can also just print strips of numbers on regular paper, and cut them and put that behind the packing tape. No labeler required. The whole point to the labeler is to not have to mess with doing stuff like that by hand. Note: I labeled all of the ethernet cables in my house using the numbers printed on regular paper with packing tape method, and I have a LOT of ethernet cables in my house - most rooms have minimum 6 ethernet jacks. A year or 2 after I did that, I got a bunch of stuff from a LV cable installer warehouse that was selling off their entire inventory of stuff, and I got a big bin full of the pre-printed number sticky tape, and the little dispensers that hold all the number spools from 0 to 9 together and have the tape cutter built in! Would've been useful two years prior!
Ptouch can do cable labels, you have to get a higher end model. I have an older pt-d600 and it does them perfectly fine.
My sister dropped a "cat dancer" toy behind the couch, which connected the neutral and hot pins and started to glow like a lightbulb filament.
Since that story, I ALWAYS install outlets ground pin up.
90-degree plugs are annoying in this orientation, but I'd rather have the safety of ground-up.
I keep telling people over and over and over - power buses are the way to go. Over head reconfigurable power is like the best feature to give yourself.
Since so many tech companies go out of business there is a lot of busway stuff available at online auction/wholesale sites for super cheap (we used Starline at my place of work, not the cheapest but highly recommended for great quality and massive feature set/variety of taps/components).
All of our facilities have every electrical, network, and telephone circuit labelled just like you are doing in this video. It is a great practice to get into for troubleshooting and maintenance down the road.
Technology Connections did a video about different outlet orientations. It’s a good watch!
Literally said it in 1st minute of the video, cmon man
I like the rack idea. I have a wall mounted rack for all my network stuff in my basement and a 24u rack on the floor for my two servers and anything else I may want in the future.
Super excited to see the Frigate setup as I have been looking into getting my NVR Setup at home and am excited to see if the Raspberry pi will be able to do everything so I can use one for it instead of a computer I was going to use that would use a lot more power.
APC NetShelter racks are great. They are super flexible and are pretty much universal for most equipment. Go as wide and deep as you can. Your future you will thank you. I would avoid a wall mounted rack unless you have to. If you do, check your equipment depth requirements, weight, and if you ever want to easily get to the back, get one that swings out.
Because of your HVAC setup there AND if you only need 6U or less of space, you can do a vertical mount rack on the wall that puts the face of your equipment pointing up (getting that cool air from the HVAC vent) and exhausts down to the floor. Easy to reach both sides. Super affordable. I'd suggest getting a fire-rated backer board to mount to the wall first and then your equipment will have secure mounting locations. (Don't paint over your fire rating labels on the backer board.)
I am happy for you getting into you new studio and wish you and you family a Happy Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm been following you since your Ansible days (what over 10 years ago?) and I would like t0 say thank you for your Ansible examples that helped me learn it much faster. Again Congrats!
Happy Thanksgiving and Christmas to you too!
On the rack/server room stuff: I personally am running in a tiny closet three StarTech rk619wallv (left/back/right) with two of them hosting 4U heavy servers. I hope something along these vertical-wall-rack was what you were thinking of installing for your core/critical. I've loved these wall racks, though moving my 4U 24 drive server in was a bit of an adventure so maybe don't put one of those on without hoist/help :)
In general I do greatly agree with one/two wall-mount racks (preferably vertical) and even a shelf above (for non-rackables) and a mobile/caster rack for projects/larger things since the server room is small enough to worry about getting you, the rack, camera angle workable. See some of LTT's videos on theirs and how awkward the cameras are in their space.
The space is coming along and looking great. Here are some suggestions.
SERVER ROOM
Consider removing the supply duct for the server room and instead installing a Mitsubishi Mini Split A/C. You can get away with a one-ton unit. If you ever decide to close the door, the room can quickly heat up, and it silly to run a large A/C just for the server room if you're not around. At the same time, consider installing sensors in the server room to monitor the temperature and to set alerts if there are water leaks. Carpet may not be the best thing to have in the room as it promotes static electricity.
A wall mount server rack is fine, but I would NOT go with a short depth. If/when you decide to purchase additional gear, you limit what will fit in the rack. Make sure that it is has enough U's for future prooofing. Make sure to bond the server rack to ground.
Install a 2" conduit (2' piece or so) that goes just above the ceiling grid and just below it. It's a very nice transition for the cables to enter the room.
I would highly recommend installing a keystone patch panel in the rack as well. It doesn't cost much, and it makes the job look so much more professional. Then purchase the Monoprice Slimrun patch cables to connect to your devices.
LIGHTING
If you ever replace your lights again, consider installing a retrofit kit. It makes an existing fixture look new. Since it comes with a new driver, you will almost never have to service it again. The problem with ballast or ballast bypass LED T8's is that they never work as nice as a retrofit kit. A lot of times, they also fail fairly quickly. It's also nice installing a retrofit kit because the fixtures typically have 0-10v dimming, which is different from line voltage dimming. 0-10v is a better method to dim, and I"m sure if you install it, you will end up using it. If you want to geek out, check out the Aleo Blue retrofit kits. They're priced competitively, and the controls are wireless.
I have no problems with "upside down" sockets. What I DO have a problem with is when power strip/surge protector manufacturers ASSUME that the 90° flush against the wall plugs should ALWAYS be angled towards the ground pin!!! I have seen a FEW that are rotatable so the plug can be rotated to accommodate the situation at hand.
Most people didn't fully watch that entire vid by Technology Connections... He eventually explains that there actually is no upside down, because there is no official standard.
Plus upside down is slightly safer anyway.
I've been a Brady printer fan for years. In the late 90s, I converted a refinery from pneumatic single loop controllers to a Foxboro IA DCS. Rather than use CAD drawings for the wiring, we did all 3000 IO for the crude unit in an Access database. I was able to print the wiring information to CSV files and then imported that into the Brady app. We printed over 12000 tags and saved over $100K in engineering costs.
Suggestion: you should do shows on some of these old controllers and control systems and the history of the people behind this stuff.
I also number my receptacles so that I can find the right breaker to kill, but I number the inside of the wall plate. That way it's hidden from view but still accessible. Though I'd certainly be less inclined to care about the cosmetic factors in a work space as opposed to my home.
Regarding racks just one thing: Just consider the size you need for future devices, especially the depth of devices.
A second rack is a good option. But you have to run cables from one rack to the other, so think about what you need and run the cables properly.
Labeling everything will be helpful at some point in the future.
I'll take upside down outlets over outlets that won't hold a plug. Our last house, I had to replace every single outlet in the house (which was a huge PITA) because you'd plug something in and the plug would just fall out. I don't know how the people who lived there before us got by without replacing them. So these days I'm just happy when the plugs will stay in the outlet. Nice space.
When you need duck tape to hold the plug in haha
I've seen entire store builds happen in a space like that in less than a month. Demo of old interior to opening day. However that is a money talks situation. With a work crew of like 20+ people.
I'd say you are doing well for your situation.
You should see if you can box in the rack so the hot aisle is contained and vented outside, while the chilled cold air drops in from the ceiling. We used racks from cannon technologies to do that.
Going by the comments, the Venn Diagram of your viewers and Technology Connections is a perfect circle
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I agree with many of the comments. The outlets are not upside down. It's quite commonplace in medical facilities and places that want that extra bit of security from plugs coming loose and falling out of the outlets. That's especially important if you have things plugged in behind heavy cabinets.
Dude... pulling pals and a cable caster. Great for large building spaces with large above-grid voids. Used it all the time back when I pulled cable for our local school district.
Jeff, I use a ptouch at work. It’s adequate. Labels peel off easily and sometimes that’s not cool.
When labeling cables do you use straws or any sort of sleeve to allow movement of the label?
Before my time in my current position, we subcontracted a large cabling project, and they used some sort of straw or sleeve on the cables to allow movement of the label. Convenient in tight spots. I’m not sure of the proper term for such a thing.
Yeah, there are a lot of different approaches. I know some places will get slightly larger shrink wrap labels, and put them on but not heat them (so they remain slightly loose). That way they can be moved over time.
For my install I'm going to print so the label wraps around the cable on vinyl.
Clearly the solution to the upside down electrical outlets debate is to rotate them 90 degrees! Put neutral at the top, ground to the left, and hot at the bottom. This way, items falling onto an exposed pin hit neutral with no harm. And if your fingers accidentally wrap under the plug while pulling it out, they hit only the hot pin, and not hot and neutral. Problem solved!
As someone who once watched an episode of NCIS where an electrician was working in the background, i can confirm i have no idea which way the outlets should be rotated.
But now you can play Knifey Throwy in complete safety!
How do you know when you win if there are no celebratory fireworks?
Not sure if this has been mentioned, but as far as labelling circuit numbers, the manufacturer typically has circuit numbers embossed or lightly engraved in the panel cover. Much older panels would vary with some of them vertically starting on the left, but I’m pretty sure most today go by rows. I.E.
1/2
3/4
5/6
7/8
9/10… etc
It wouldn’t be worth relabelling all of that, but also the wiring is supposed to have the circuit number at the device. So if your covers get taken off and misplaced, the wiring would still give you your circuit numbers. If that ever happens, you’ll just need to look for the embossed or engraved numbers (which look like they’re under the circuit labels).
Yeah, and my one at home has that, but I didn't see any markings on this panel, so I improvised :)
@@JeffGeerling It definitely works. If I remember correctly that Brady printer will print off panel numbers too. You would just need a narrower cartridge like a 3/8. I prefer the nylon cloth labels you’re using too. They are flexible enough to stick to the cable whatever you do with the cable. Good choice
@@JeffGeerling The official circuit numbers might also be on the information label on the box's door.
I wen't through a lot of cable-labeling solutions (last 20+ years). In the very beginning of my IT career I used cable ties with a label flag. Also tried to use a p-touch in the past then swapped to some hand written labels, too. Finally I found a pretty smart and conventient solution where the software (mobile app) and the printer "Nimbot D101" works great. They can use labels of many sized and some cable-labeling type of labels. I'm pretty satisfied since the text is clearly readable, the labels stick well even to thin cables and last but not least they can be removed just by ripping them off when in a hurry (without a knife).
This thermo printer is great!
Lots of label shapes and sizes. Use it for labeling all wires, boxes with tools. My wife uses it for kitchen lids😊
Hey this is great Jeff going along with you on your new office space build and setup journey! Watching that last video on setting up that awesome home automation system was really great! It's just so excellent coming along on this new office space build with you!!
For what it's worth - In your little server room (I would have made that space a little bigger by the way, at least a foot or two wider on each side, but that's just me..), I really like your idea of making a small "network core" wall mount rack, like a 10u to maybe 15u size depending on your needs. I like having a dedicated network UPS to power the Network Core also, just in case. Just keep the bare necessities in the Network Core rack, just incoming internet, edge router, firewall, smart switch you segment with VLANs, and DNS and DHCP server. For your "commercial space" I'd prefer doing dedicated systems (like R-Pi's of course in your case) for each separate network core function.
So anyway, again it's really great being able to "come along" if only virtually on your office build out. I look forward to your next installment! Thanks so much for this!
It’s somewhat funny that the outlets are as shocked at this as the rest of us…
I’m viewing this from Australia and they appear fine to me?
These outlets are shocking!
good job Jeff, construction moves at a snails pace, it’s especially hard now with all of the trades so busy, and scheduling is a nightmare.. I hope you learned never to pay them fully, until the job is %100 completed, that’s pretty much the only way to keep them interested in finishing YOUR job 👍
I would double check your building code there some that required that outlets to be installed upside down. Installing the outlet with the ground prong at the top ensures that any plug with a ground prong has this feature positioned above the others. Since the ground prong alone cannot generate a spark, this orientation makes it less hazardous in case of accidental contact.
accidental contact with what? You play "throw the knives at the wall" game regularly? Or "throw coins at the plugs" game regularly? The chances of anything unintentionally falling into even a slightly unplugged plug are somewhere between slim and none. And if something does fall in there, that's what you have breakers for.
@@gorak9000 Good point about the rarity of such incidents. The idea behind installing outlets with the ground prong at the top is a precaution for the rare cases where a metal object might fall and contact a partially unplugged appliance. It's an extra safety measure, much like how we use smoke detectors - not often needed, but valuable for peace of mind. Breakers are crucial, but this is about adding another layer of safety.
Some places require ground to be on top by law, metal things being dropped down wall, while yes, is rare, but how many things have to print "dont eat" on them. Also, ground plug is longer, so while plugging if their is any kind of capacitor dump or anything thr ground is always connected first and/or last, reduces risk of shock or damage.. i know in ohio, atleast in most large cities here, it is either law or required by fire marshel to pass fire inspection.
I use shrink wrap on my P-touch works fine for cables
so the outlets in the front office are actually the spec complaint ones :P had to go back and re-watch Technology Connection's video on it, but the ground pin is supposed to be at the top, and is mandated that way for healthcare environments. If i had to guess, the guy who did the outlets with ground on top is used to working with healthcare providers. Either way, the studio is coming along nicely and at least you have one room that you can play "throw knives at the wall" in
Nah, he's just a good electrician.
As an electrician, the "mandate" in health care spaces is purely because that is the specification for that specific site (meaning the owner/contractor for that site deemed it so). It's basically wives' tale at this point, but it is only done that way in those spaces because "everyone else does it that way". There is no code for it either way, just a manufacturer "recommendation" that is not based on anything substantial.
If the manufacturers actually wanted them to be safe (or if it was code), they would design them better - like higher voltage recepticles.
There might be code reasons why the outlets are installed “upside down”.
Local US codes are all over the map and can change over the years so if the electrician was distracted his autopilot might have installed outlets one way and when they were not distracted installed another.
One can argue the ground facing up is marginally “safer” but its really a back and forth in local codes that is to blame for whacky outlet mismatches.
Truly local codes are 'all over the map' ;)
5:35 "I'd like to see if you want to have your rack in my space"
Great IT pick up line!
Technology Connections did a video on this recently - the grounding plug is supposed to be on top. so you got that backwards.
🥲
@@JeffGeerlingty for your wonderful content.
It's funny that so many of those great channels reference each other and sometimes even collab, it's great to see that XD
I also immediately thought of TechnologyConnections's video about outlets when you showed the outlets XD
Technically, as stated in the Technology Connections video, smiley faces means upside-down, while protective ground on top is the safe configuration.
The safe configuration ensure that if something falls between the plug and outlet, while it is still powered (a uniquely American danger) it also touches the protective ground connection.
This is especially important with higher amperage outlets in America as present in your building (those with the T slot)
Both the German style plugs and outlets as well as the British style plugs and outlets disconnect the electrical connection before exposing metal parts that carry electricity.
This may not be easy to do, but you should be able to extend the ducting to the front of the room, and have it pointed down to the front of your servers. Ideally you should have something that blows cold air from the lower side of the rack in the front (cold aisle), and a return/exhaust vent in the back (hot aisle) to help get cold air flow through the servers.
Hi Jeff, I always install the outlets upside down. Its so that when something falls on the plugged wire there is more resistance for the plug to fall out or lean out of the socket.
your reasoning makes no sense - how does having the ground pin up provide more resistance to something pulling the plug out by falling on it? Also, why do you store heavy things hanging on flimsy hooks on your wall directly above your outlets?
Rather than keeping a door to the server closet open, could you add vents to the doors?
Good question! It's an option, but I have those nice thick wood doors to block some sound. There's still a a gap at the bottom but ideally all ventilation would go up through the ceiling for the best sound control.
Viewers in the UK and Ireland will enjoy this video. ;-)
Its better to have a return duct in the server room. It would have no effect if the system is on heat or cool and you'd have the bonus of the server heat getting redistributed during winter.
It's weird that he has explicit returns - usually with a dropped ceiling, the whole space above the ceiling is the return, and you just put open grills instead of ceiling tiles where you want a return. In the server room, you could just put a return grill in instead of part of a tile. But it seems like that's not the case there. That's also why low voltage cable in commercial settings needs to be "plenum" rated, as that whole space above the ceiling tiles is usually the return plenum. The whole thing with plenum cable is it produces less smoke when it burns, so you don't tend to fill the entire building with smoke through the HVAC system if there's a problem.
Looking good! Can't wait to see the finished result!
Keep working hard. Jeff, it will work out in the end for sure.
in industrial settings the receptacles are often upside down because you want the ground to be the first contact if something falls between the socket and the plug. like a piece of sheet metal, if they are right side up they will be shorted.
Self laminating cable labels are amazing for durably labeling wires
Man the next tenant will be the happiest person on earth.😅 Have you considered buying or would it be too much? I used to rent an office space and during covid it was cheaper to buy the suite than to keep leasing. The owners where desperate.
This is in a building that is lease-only, I just want to make the space as nice as I can for the time I'm in it... and hopefully work out a good deal long-term with the landlord. But we'll see! Worst case I learn a bunch of lessons and end up somewhere else in a few years' time :)
I'm enjoying following along! The Brady is a great labeler, but the label rolls actually expire. I have some brand sealed rolls of self-laminating wire wrap. I couldn't figure out why I was getting black smudges on every label I printed. Turns out that the adhesive oozes a little. I'm still using them, but it requires hand cleaning every label before adhering. I recommend you store them in a nice climate controlled area to minimize the issue.
Gnd pin on top is safer.
Partially unplugged jack, something conductive drops between plate and jack, better chance of hitting gnd pin first instead of 50/50 live neutral.
That aside, thanks for all the excellent info !!!
One item I do for labeling outlets/switches in an office space is to place the label on the ceiling grid directly above the target. Outlets and Switches get touched by human hands and cleaning solutions. But the ceiling grid is rarely if ever touched. It is not noticeable unless you look for it while a label at a switch is an eye magnet.
The upside down installation is now the norm due to changes in regulation.
I had a discussion about this with my father who was an electrician for about 40 years and just retired.
The wiring is done the same and the outlet orientation is supposed to be ‘safer’ as most plug insertions are angled downward. This orientation has the center plug connecting first in this scenario avoiding a potential short.
damn dude. I am jealous. All this work, youtube, programming, hospital and you still have time to share this work. tips hat
Heh, wish I had more time!
And knock on wood, it's been almost a year since the last time in the hospital! Hope that keeps up :D
Time to change to the EU standard for wall outlets (well, for most countries that is). They cannot be upside down. You can, if you want, turn them 90 degrees without any negative effect.
Our standard NEMA outlets definitely leave much to be desired.
We're probably stuck with what we have for the next hundred years or more for now; it would be an insane amount of effort and cost to convince manufacturers and builders to use a new type of socket, plus all of the retrofitting that would have to be done to existing products and buildings. And all that work is not even including if we decided to move away from 120VAC.
It is probably more likely that we would introduce a new low-voltage DC socket alongside the existing AC sockets, and would see buildings with mixed receptacles containing both for several decades.
@@JeffGeerling Electrical stuff from the U.S. still looks strange to a european. Here in Germany there is basically no way an electrician will choose unshielded cat cables. Even patch cables are shielded. We evolved high standards in networking and electricity.
@stephencoakley I've been thinking for a while now that new homes should be provided with sockets including a 12V 4A active current-limited output for the likes of LED strips, USB chargers and more. It would probably be a lot more efficient and safer than all the poor mains-AC chargers we have now. 12V rather than 5V because lower resistance losses, and better for some appliances.
Actually, code generally requires them to be installed to Manufacturers specs. And some Manufacturers show them with the ground tap on top.
Both ways pass inspection and that is what matters.
P-Touch tapes are available in flexible Non-laminated variants (e.g. TZe-N201) suitable for cables.
I have learned a bit from the comments here, Brother has a few good options!
I got a retired Sun Microsystems rack that hosted super computers in the 90’s. Looks cool and cheaper than new for enterprise grade equipment.
Take my advice .... do NOT put your security system panel or security camera recorder in the server room. Hide both above the ceiling tiles in another part of the office. I saw the aftermath of where people broke into an office and chopped the wires to the security system panel (disabling the security system) and stole the entire server rack (including several servers, network switches AND the security camera NVR).
In my case, I also will have all the footage backing up to a remote location, plus (once I get frigate + coral sorted) immediate upload of any small clips, that way even if someone EMP'ed everything in there, anything up to that moment would be preserved.
Insurance would take care of the rest, assuming I am reasonably secure otherwise :)
Defense in depth + other measures is best.
Jeff, my experience had me using a hybrid alarm system that did both alarm and fire. We added pull stations and colored strobes on outside of building in blue and red. Used Honeywell Ademco (now Resideo). Also had contact alarm switch inside panel door on separate zone (always alarmed even if building is disarmed)
if the security system didn't sound an alarm by the time the thieves got to the server rack, it was poorly installed or configured. unless the rack was right next to the front door, the sensors would have picked up motion outside of the time interval and started screaming.
@@giornikitop5373Yep, and there will be two locks inside before you could get to the security system components, or even the power lines inside the building anywhere.
The contractors have been testing it lately-the ones who lazily enter in the morning typically trigger the alarm and I get a call, a video clip, and a notification within a couple seconds of the alarm.
They didnt install them incorrectly. That is Code for commercial space today. the idea is that if the plug pulls out and metal falls into the space it doesnt short when it bridges your prongs. OR it will hit the ground post and fall away
APC Netshelter racks are legitimately excellent. A++ would recommend
Jeff.
The outlets you said were upside down are actually safer that way. Consider a piece of wire falling down the wall. The wire would hit the round ground and be deflected away from the lower blade terminals. with the ground on the way you say is correct the wire(coin etc.) will fall across the blades and blow the breaker. Ask me how I know. If you had small kids especially boys you would know. hat blown breakers more than once. He thought it was neat to see the flash. The girls learned to blow the breakers too. I flipped the breakers so the round pin was up and no more blown breakers and black spots on the wall. I checked with the hydro inspectors they said either way was ok. They said they had never thought of my reasoning for having the round terminal up. Cheers.
Speaking of rack, one thing to consider: network rack, the network cables are at the front; server rack, the network cables are at the back.
Hope crohns is being nice to ya. I'm dealing with a flare and multiple abscesses. Yay.
Love your content and wish ya the best
Jeff, that is the correct orientation of the outlets, however is more popular to encounter them installed wrong (really upside down). Popular doesn't mean right or correct.
Destin would be proud of your use of snatch blocks!
Looking good Jeff !! this is awesome & exciting !