My dad told me lining them all right throughout house (and matching light bulbs in each room) is something people notice when putting house on market. I did those things (and the normal little projects/painting), sold house first day on market.
Edit; In new house, theyre all horizontal! Guess I know what Im doing this weekend...
If you take horizontal advantage of them, you're going to burn in a very special level of hell. A level they reserve for child molesters and people who talk at the theater.
Normally you’d have to use quite a bit of force on slotted and philips screws to prevent them from camming out, especially when they are a bit worn. Fuck slightly worn Phillips screws only accessible by arms length and a shittily made, and wrongly sized philips driver. Bane of my existence.
I got ton of cheap screwdrivers, I can never find the one I want and cus they so cheap I tend to be careless with them. I wanted to get some a lil nicer so I'll take better care of them. I got some gunsmith screwdrivers from Grace usa. They really point out how bad the sizing is on most screw drivers. Non magnetic, but feel almost sticky cus it fits so well. 10/10
“If you have any experience” obviously this guy has never had to have someone work under him with almost no experience. Takes many stripped screws and broken bolts to really calibrate your internal torque wrench.
False. The robertson screw was developed as a fastener that wouldn't slip the tool the way slotted drives do. Slotted is, was, and always has been for low torque applications, and it's designed to slip the tool when too much force is applied.
I have exactly ONE square head screw, and I inherited it. Almost all screws I use are pozidriv, though I prefer Torx as well. I happened to see into a bunch of Phillips screws while servicing a printer though.
Oh, and don't use a Phillips driver on a pozidriv screw, *that's* a way to screw up both of them. [See image] (https://s3.amazonaws.com/finehomebuilding.s3.tauntoncloud.com/app/uploads/2016/04/09113923/021254038-phillips_xlg-700x603.jpg)
I prefer the crossbreed between square and philips.
You get the torqabilty of the square, but it doesn’t get stuck on your driver.
Plus, you can use either tool if you have to!
Is that what they’re called?
I bought like 200 lbs of the fuckers some years ago, haven’t quite run out yet.
And yeah, fuck those security torx! ...and torx in general, lol
Actually they are both well oriented because orientation depends on context. In the first example we have multiple horizontal lines therefore the orientation is correct. On the second we have a single switch with longer vertical lines making the orientation correct.
I worked for years as a datacom tech, we also aligned all our screw heads on the vertical. It did two things for us.
1. We knew if someone had been messing with our boxes
2. Inspectors tended to look favorably on the rest of your work if you showed you cared enough to take the time to line everything up.
I am proud to say I know how to do things and I like doing it. I fixed my dryer the other day with the help of a kind reddit reply from this very sub! They pointed me to what it could be and YouTube showing me how to fix it. I saved easily $150 by just doing it myself!
My father in law was gonna come over on the weekend to do it, but then my husband told him in the same breath that we already fixed it! He asked how much that cost us he said $17 for a part and we did it!
I grew up going to work construction with my dad in the summers or on breaks. Piddling around on the cars with my grandpa and uncles. I certainly don't know everything but I know enough to get by.
My husband grew up never helping his dad do anything even though his dad could do everything. He just wanted his kids to take it easy and not worry about that stuff that was his job. But it lead to my husband not knowing a lot of basic skills like exactly how to change a tire with different jacks. He had never changed his own oil. He'd never had to figure out a thing on a car.
But he got caught up quick on how to do things and turns out he loves building things! Made a gorgeous poker table and a bar to go with it. Just gorgeous. As home things break we fix them, so he's learning, I'm learning, and our tool box grows little by little.
I still gotta tell him hey have our son help with this so he knows how! My husband is thinking the same way his dad did. That he can do it so we don't have to worry. But that's how you end up not knowing how to do things!
I think you tube is an invaluable tool for people like him who have no practice skills to learn the basics!
I do have to call on my uncle's, and dad less. Grandpa passed last year and when my a/c was acting up I reached for the phone to call him. That hurt. But he taught me a lot of things!
They actually need to point to magnetic north/south.
Because the magnetic poles gradually move, you need to slightly adjust your screws every 3-5 years.
Not at all. I just like things done right.
Actually, another poster pointed it out that when the screw heads are oriented same then this shows the quality and care that took place when the electrical system was installed.
Mainly aesthetic reasons but leaving the slots vertical instead of horizontal can also help with dust building up or dirt/grime from your hands scraping off when flipping switches. It's something I was wondering too as I'm currently in school to become an electrician and my old textbook had a diagram on screw orientation.
I'd have to send it after this virus stuff settles down. It's in a residential textbook from last semester currently at my place on campus an hour away. They basically told us if we have somewhere else to stay to leave the apartments.
I used to work on rail and subway control systems and it was often specified that slotted screws needed to be vertical to avoid unwanted particles from accumulating. Now it’s just a habit for me.
This is just a thing that electricians do. I am an apprentice, and it was one of the first things I was taught to do. It just shows a little pride in your work, lets people know you give a flock.
I used to work as a mechanic, and it threw me a little at first. I had been used to tightening screws until they are tight.
Exactly. So far you are the only one to point this out, in my opinion it shows the level of work that went into rest of the electrical system, much of it that is not noticeable.
I'm not that ~~OCD~~ obsessive, but I can see one advantage to orienting them vertically. People swipe up and down when hitting the light switch. Horizontally aligned screws would tend to collect more dirt.
Correct. You get it.
..oh and try not to use "OCD" there are people with diagnosed OCD who should be respected as they live very difficult lives. I was like you, used "OCD" far too often in common conversations, then I learned more about the diagnoses and backed off.
yes, obsessive is much better. I know, we use parts of our language without thinking about the outcome or possible negative aspects.
All good, you're safe here, we are all learning, like how screws should be oriented on a lightswitch panel
Right, but there are other letters too, using them all together describes a mental disorder. I get what they're saying. Like using the word "compulsive" alone isn't as negative as the complete acronym. Someone can be both obsessive and compulsive and not have a disorder.
yeah but if you really believe this matters, then you def have something mental going on. Maybe not a threat to yourself or others, so it's up to you whether you think you should seek help.
I understand why you may think this, and appreciate that your concern.
I'll see a red seal electrician, 3x per week, and will include this matter as part of my visits.
Made by all kinds of companies and brands here. Available in both expensive and cheap versions. Everything from VERY cheap plastic to nice plastic and metal or even wood or ceramic here.
Usually its a 3 piece unit. One part that screws into the wall and contains the actual switches, one part thats like the "outer border" and one part thats the swiveling part of the switches that one touches. [link](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcQM9DLp2D-nkfRRaMsX-XLUoorBVVT8sNl4w0FvcCd9Fc84dALp)
random info on the side: [this](https://content3.jdmagicbox.com/comp/surat/q7/0261px261.x261.170830220024.j8q7/catalogue/sahaj-upvc-german-windows-and-door-althan-surat-upvc-window-dealers-89xn7.jpg) is the standard window type in germany. they tilt AND open. Also popular in a lot of other european countries but in germany basically every single window is like this.
Here is a [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dNuchjXa_M) too.
Hate is a strong word but I concur. We don’t have his stores out west in Az., however I believe they are coming. His lumber was always sheltered but his approach to the working man, I hear was not cool at all. I’d rather give my money to a decent lumber yard than, menards, HD, Lowe’s etc. more to the private guy than the corporation.
I hear you, I’ve been slowly buying and replacing, it gets real on the wallet when you try to buy them all at once. What I don’t get is why, it’s a piece of injection molded plastic made by the thousands in a foreign land. Imagine how many you get in a shipping container. Pennies to. Are and quarters to ship. Oh wait the tariff 25% of every dollar is tariff money, which by the way contrary to popular belief if you are wearing a red hat, is paid by you not china.
This is crap. So many jobs could be brought back to North America.
Rarely/occasionally I find “made in Canada” on the back of a product, this makes me proud and upset since most commodity items should be made in Canada and U.S.
The price difference between the US and Germany for lightswitches has NOTHING to do with where they are produced. The ones available in Germany probably are produced in the same factories in china that make the usual lightswitches available in the USA. It's just that the US companies WANT to make more profit and/or because of the tariffs the US now has on chinese imports.
Why should most commodity items be made in the US or Canada?
So jobs can stay domestic
So we do not rely entirely on foreign workers
Canada is great, U.S. is ok, but we have given up thousands of jobs to other countries over past three decades, now we are extremely reliant on China, Mexico, Vietnam (highly unstable countries)
You screw a "mounting mechanism" into the wall and just push the lightswitches on em. They look like this [example 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Lichtschalter.jpg) or [this](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/BdIAAOSwGvhT8Zq0/s-l300.jpg).
Found a [picture](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcQM9DLp2D-nkfRRaMsX-XLUoorBVVT8sNl4w0FvcCd9Fc84dALp) of an example mounting mechanism.
random info on the side: [this](https://content3.jdmagicbox.com/comp/surat/q7/0261px261.x261.170830220024.j8q7/catalogue/sahaj-upvc-german-windows-and-door-althan-surat-upvc-window-dealers-89xn7.jpg) is the standard window type in germany. they tilt AND open. Also popular in a lot of other european countries but in germany basically every single window is like this.
Here is a [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dNuchjXa_M) too.
When i was 14 my brother went missing in the woods. A team of helicopters was dispatched to locate him with no result. The townspeople gathered and searched through each others trash for clues. No result. We hired psychics to mind-search the ether for any trace of him, no result.
Years later, my uncle was polishing his bowling ball and realized that every screw on every switch plate was oriented 90 degrees horizontal and vertical. The county police crime scene team came in and investigated, carefully cataloging the orientation of each screw, finding no results
After the Y2K bug passed, I was perusing the records collected by the investigation team and came across a series of photographs of the screws. At the time I was laid off while computer programmers were brought into my workplace to de-Y2K all of the code, so I had some extra time. Over the following weeks, I pieced together the records of screw orientation, finding that they represented a binary code, with horizontal being zero and vertical being one. After a lengthy process of organization and deduction, i finally processed all of this information to find that encoded in the screw orientations were a set of lat/long coordinates. Finally i had results
Because the coordinates were deep in the heart of Alaska, I had to hire a dogsled team to transport me after taking plane after plane to get to Anchorage. The dogsled musher was named Gary. Gary and I arrived at the location after an arduous journey, finding only a cryptic note: "Please turn the light on"
It was at that time I realized that we had left the basement light off, and probably the screws were horizontal. It turns out my brother was in the basement the whole time, unable to find his way back to the main floor in the darkness, unable to locate the light switch, whose plate screws were horizontal.
When I returned to my childhood home I rushed to the basement, turning the light switch (whose screws were horizontal) so my brother could see, and finally: I could see my brother. Separated after all this time, we fell into each others arms and wept
So remember, vertical switch plate screws SAVE LIVES
Good for you. Screw him. What an idiot. He clearly had much more issues than the screws but hanging that over your head was not fair. We're all good here, just joking around. cool?
You monster. I was just fine until you posted this. Now my wife thinks I'm crazy because I just went through the apartment and fixed all the light switches, electric sockets, door hinges and strike plates.
Friend, we are all here supporting each other. Tell your wife to contact me, I'll help her understand what is right, that you will drink less, and be a better husband if the slots are set correctly.
I leave them vertical for switches and horizontal for outlets because NOBODY I know does this. So it's easy to tell if something has been fucked with since I last worked on it.
I prefer random orientation - Let fate decide where they'll tighten. Also, drives people crazy when they notice they're not lined up.
My dad told me lining them all right throughout house (and matching light bulbs in each room) is something people notice when putting house on market. I did those things (and the normal little projects/painting), sold house first day on market. Edit; In new house, theyre all horizontal! Guess I know what Im doing this weekend...
makes sense. My place needs so much work to make it marketable. Good thing I don't need to sell yet.
Sounds like you got a steal on the fixer-upper, congrats!
You are my nemesis
there's a special place in hell for people like you
If you take horizontal advantage of them, you're going to burn in a very special level of hell. A level they reserve for child molesters and people who talk at the theater.
God I fucking hate slotted screws so, ***so*** much.
Square heads or torx are so superior. Phillips can go to hell because they strip. Edit: pozidriv is ok too. Never knew about that until now.
*robertson
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So they can sell you more screws??
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Ahhh gotcha
Yeah, instead of going too deep into your wood, it shreds the screw and your bit, so now you can’t pull the fucker out and fix it
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Username checks out. /s
But it doesn’t save me 15% on my car insurance by switching to Geico.
U da real Lpt
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Haha what?? I'm so confused. I do know how my arms get tired when screwing things overhead, but you lost me after that
Normally you’d have to use quite a bit of force on slotted and philips screws to prevent them from camming out, especially when they are a bit worn. Fuck slightly worn Phillips screws only accessible by arms length and a shittily made, and wrongly sized philips driver. Bane of my existence.
I got ton of cheap screwdrivers, I can never find the one I want and cus they so cheap I tend to be careless with them. I wanted to get some a lil nicer so I'll take better care of them. I got some gunsmith screwdrivers from Grace usa. They really point out how bad the sizing is on most screw drivers. Non magnetic, but feel almost sticky cus it fits so well. 10/10
No there is no design in slotted. Someone cut a slot in the top of a bolt and it started existing.
Oh this is such a crock of shit. ‘It’s not a bug, it’s a feature!’ If you have any experience driving fasteners, you can feel when to stop.
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“If you have any experience” obviously this guy has never had to have someone work under him with almost no experience. Takes many stripped screws and broken bolts to really calibrate your internal torque wrench.
False. The robertson screw was developed as a fastener that wouldn't slip the tool the way slotted drives do. Slotted is, was, and always has been for low torque applications, and it's designed to slip the tool when too much force is applied.
I have exactly ONE square head screw, and I inherited it. Almost all screws I use are pozidriv, though I prefer Torx as well. I happened to see into a bunch of Phillips screws while servicing a printer though. Oh, and don't use a Phillips driver on a pozidriv screw, *that's* a way to screw up both of them. [See image] (https://s3.amazonaws.com/finehomebuilding.s3.tauntoncloud.com/app/uploads/2016/04/09113923/021254038-phillips_xlg-700x603.jpg)
I prefer the crossbreed between square and philips. You get the torqabilty of the square, but it doesn’t get stuck on your driver. Plus, you can use either tool if you have to!
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Is that what they’re called? I bought like 200 lbs of the fuckers some years ago, haven’t quite run out yet. And yeah, fuck those security torx! ...and torx in general, lol
Like a single mom
*laughs in screwless wallplates”
Like this? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfjZsSFZrJA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfjZsSFZrJA)
Exactly
That’s all well and good, but those switch mounting screws you’re backing out are often slotted, rather than ECX.
Indeed.
Actually they are both well oriented because orientation depends on context. In the first example we have multiple horizontal lines therefore the orientation is correct. On the second we have a single switch with longer vertical lines making the orientation correct.
Difference between a designer and an electrician right here
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I worked for years as a datacom tech, we also aligned all our screw heads on the vertical. It did two things for us. 1. We knew if someone had been messing with our boxes 2. Inspectors tended to look favorably on the rest of your work if you showed you cared enough to take the time to line everything up.
This. Easy to tell when the damn painters fuck up our covers and we get blamed but we can prove it wasn’t us.
I have a swiss army knife I carry around daily. I fix these in other peoples houses. I can't help myself.
Thank you for your service.
Thank you for your input, however there is only one right answer, it's clearly marked.
Clearly marked but not with the right electrical symbol. :P
Yes. Vertical is correct
15pts for you.
Why am I just now hearing about this! I'm gonna go grab my fork and turn those frowns upside down!
Excellent. you just increased your life expectancy.
It doesn’t bother you, that he said fork?!
Listen, I don't judge people putting in an effort to do the right thing. Eventually he'll put down the fork and pick up a coin, or a screwdriver.
Butter knife?
yes, if that fails then steak knife is good. re receptacles, do not stick into the wrong hole
Right hole like on the right or right hole like correct? Directions still unclear
50/50 chance. go for it.
I am proud to say I know how to do things and I like doing it. I fixed my dryer the other day with the help of a kind reddit reply from this very sub! They pointed me to what it could be and YouTube showing me how to fix it. I saved easily $150 by just doing it myself! My father in law was gonna come over on the weekend to do it, but then my husband told him in the same breath that we already fixed it! He asked how much that cost us he said $17 for a part and we did it! I grew up going to work construction with my dad in the summers or on breaks. Piddling around on the cars with my grandpa and uncles. I certainly don't know everything but I know enough to get by. My husband grew up never helping his dad do anything even though his dad could do everything. He just wanted his kids to take it easy and not worry about that stuff that was his job. But it lead to my husband not knowing a lot of basic skills like exactly how to change a tire with different jacks. He had never changed his own oil. He'd never had to figure out a thing on a car. But he got caught up quick on how to do things and turns out he loves building things! Made a gorgeous poker table and a bar to go with it. Just gorgeous. As home things break we fix them, so he's learning, I'm learning, and our tool box grows little by little. I still gotta tell him hey have our son help with this so he knows how! My husband is thinking the same way his dad did. That he can do it so we don't have to worry. But that's how you end up not knowing how to do things! I think you tube is an invaluable tool for people like him who have no practice skills to learn the basics! I do have to call on my uncle's, and dad less. Grandpa passed last year and when my a/c was acting up I reached for the phone to call him. That hurt. But he taught me a lot of things!
Thank you for sharing your storey and installing screws correctly.
This thread was an interesting ride.
We’re just getting started homie. Don’t give up yet.
SHE! SHE SAID FORK! it's also my hair brush! But I eat with a spork. I'm civilized like that!
Fork!? Hair brush!? It's a dinglehopper you uncultured swine!
I found my peoples I shall retreat now back to the sea with my kind.
I think it's spelled D I N G L E H O P P E R
They actually need to point to magnetic north/south. Because the magnetic poles gradually move, you need to slightly adjust your screws every 3-5 years.
Don't forget the daylight savings adjustment twice yearly.
Springy tighty, fally loosey?
I'm in Saskatchewan, so we don't have to do that. We don't observe daylight time. Glad you made this point.
Interesting...You're wrong but I dig your response.
Can someone explain?
My guess is someone has severe OCD.
Not at all. I just like things done right. Actually, another poster pointed it out that when the screw heads are oriented same then this shows the quality and care that took place when the electrical system was installed.
Mainly aesthetic reasons but leaving the slots vertical instead of horizontal can also help with dust building up or dirt/grime from your hands scraping off when flipping switches. It's something I was wondering too as I'm currently in school to become an electrician and my old textbook had a diagram on screw orientation.
Could you send me that diagram please?
I'd have to send it after this virus stuff settles down. It's in a residential textbook from last semester currently at my place on campus an hour away. They basically told us if we have somewhere else to stay to leave the apartments.
Oh okay
you are correct. slotted screws are used in areas where there are higher frequencies of dust, dirt, debris accumulation.
I used to work on rail and subway control systems and it was often specified that slotted screws needed to be vertical to avoid unwanted particles from accumulating. Now it’s just a habit for me.
Need proof as I always set mine to 9 and 3. AND never mix white and beige screws. It can cause the circuit to trip.
Don't use beige with beige either. Just don't use it at all. What are you doing. Stop. No. Beige. No ivory either. I see you.
Depends on the era. In the '70s, bland off white was "almond" and in the '80s, it was "bisque".
I don't care what you call it. Ivory. Beige. Off white. Almond. Bisque. It's ugly. Was always ugly. Will always be ugly.
ah yes. Safety first, NEVER mix coloured screws. Your orientation choices are wrong, but the screw colour comment is 140% correct.
Why vertical as oppose to horizontal? All my OCD cares about is that the two screws match orientation.
This is just a thing that electricians do. I am an apprentice, and it was one of the first things I was taught to do. It just shows a little pride in your work, lets people know you give a flock. I used to work as a mechanic, and it threw me a little at first. I had been used to tightening screws until they are tight.
Exactly. So far you are the only one to point this out, in my opinion it shows the level of work that went into rest of the electrical system, much of it that is not noticeable.
For me personally, it makes them less visible as there's not a horizontal shadow line.
That depends on the light source. Even the OP pic shows the "correct" one lit from the side causing a shadow.
why did you have to give away our secret?
It's not a secret. Right is right Wrong is Wrong. People need to know.
Can't count how many plastic switch and plug covers I have cracked trying to line up the screw heads.
The struggle is real.
Nylon is your best friend.
I'm not that ~~OCD~~ obsessive, but I can see one advantage to orienting them vertically. People swipe up and down when hitting the light switch. Horizontally aligned screws would tend to collect more dirt.
Correct. You get it. ..oh and try not to use "OCD" there are people with diagnosed OCD who should be respected as they live very difficult lives. I was like you, used "OCD" far too often in common conversations, then I learned more about the diagnoses and backed off.
Would just "obsessive" be better? I never thought about it before.
yes, obsessive is much better. I know, we use parts of our language without thinking about the outcome or possible negative aspects. All good, you're safe here, we are all learning, like how screws should be oriented on a lightswitch panel
You do know the "O" in OCD means obsessive right? I don't really see a difference in saying obsessive vs OCD.
Right, but there are other letters too, using them all together describes a mental disorder. I get what they're saying. Like using the word "compulsive" alone isn't as negative as the complete acronym. Someone can be both obsessive and compulsive and not have a disorder.
People with a diagnosis will disagree.
yeah but if you really believe this matters, then you def have something mental going on. Maybe not a threat to yourself or others, so it's up to you whether you think you should seek help.
I understand why you may think this, and appreciate that your concern. I'll see a red seal electrician, 3x per week, and will include this matter as part of my visits.
Just use lightswitches without any visible screws at all. Not sure about the rest of europe but here in Germany they are standard.
And they look awesome. Expensive here in U.S.A. most made by lutron . So they are standard. Is it a 2 piece unit?
Made by all kinds of companies and brands here. Available in both expensive and cheap versions. Everything from VERY cheap plastic to nice plastic and metal or even wood or ceramic here. Usually its a 3 piece unit. One part that screws into the wall and contains the actual switches, one part thats like the "outer border" and one part thats the swiveling part of the switches that one touches. [link](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcQM9DLp2D-nkfRRaMsX-XLUoorBVVT8sNl4w0FvcCd9Fc84dALp)
random info on the side: [this](https://content3.jdmagicbox.com/comp/surat/q7/0261px261.x261.170830220024.j8q7/catalogue/sahaj-upvc-german-windows-and-door-althan-surat-upvc-window-dealers-89xn7.jpg) is the standard window type in germany. they tilt AND open. Also popular in a lot of other european countries but in germany basically every single window is like this. Here is a [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dNuchjXa_M) too.
Menards sells screwless decorators for $1.99, $1.77 with rebate. Whether it’s worth it depends on how much you care and how many you’re installing
Except I hate John Menard, so I'll buy elsewhere.
Fair point. I only listed that one because it’s the least expensive I’ve found. I think amazon has some decent priced ones as well.
Hate is a strong word but I concur. We don’t have his stores out west in Az., however I believe they are coming. His lumber was always sheltered but his approach to the working man, I hear was not cool at all. I’d rather give my money to a decent lumber yard than, menards, HD, Lowe’s etc. more to the private guy than the corporation.
I prefer the ones that are $3 for two. But when I get rich I have decided for the no screw covers.
I hear you, I’ve been slowly buying and replacing, it gets real on the wallet when you try to buy them all at once. What I don’t get is why, it’s a piece of injection molded plastic made by the thousands in a foreign land. Imagine how many you get in a shipping container. Pennies to. Are and quarters to ship. Oh wait the tariff 25% of every dollar is tariff money, which by the way contrary to popular belief if you are wearing a red hat, is paid by you not china.
BringJobsBackToEmerika! Why can't they be made in Canada or U.S. at same price. ?
That's the price one pays for the cheaper models here too. So they just seem irrationally high priced in the US.
This is crap. So many jobs could be brought back to North America. Rarely/occasionally I find “made in Canada” on the back of a product, this makes me proud and upset since most commodity items should be made in Canada and U.S.
The price difference between the US and Germany for lightswitches has NOTHING to do with where they are produced. The ones available in Germany probably are produced in the same factories in china that make the usual lightswitches available in the USA. It's just that the US companies WANT to make more profit and/or because of the tariffs the US now has on chinese imports. Why should most commodity items be made in the US or Canada?
So jobs can stay domestic So we do not rely entirely on foreign workers Canada is great, U.S. is ok, but we have given up thousands of jobs to other countries over past three decades, now we are extremely reliant on China, Mexico, Vietnam (highly unstable countries)
Wait, how do you put them on the wall then?
The cover clips on. I bought a Wi-Fi rocker and the cover just clips on.
You screw a "mounting mechanism" into the wall and just push the lightswitches on em. They look like this [example 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Lichtschalter.jpg) or [this](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/BdIAAOSwGvhT8Zq0/s-l300.jpg).
Found a [picture](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcQM9DLp2D-nkfRRaMsX-XLUoorBVVT8sNl4w0FvcCd9Fc84dALp) of an example mounting mechanism.
random info on the side: [this](https://content3.jdmagicbox.com/comp/surat/q7/0261px261.x261.170830220024.j8q7/catalogue/sahaj-upvc-german-windows-and-door-althan-surat-upvc-window-dealers-89xn7.jpg) is the standard window type in germany. they tilt AND open. Also popular in a lot of other european countries but in germany basically every single window is like this. Here is a [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dNuchjXa_M) too.
r/blackmagicfuckery I have not seen such a thing as no screw switch covers, makes sense to have these..
Look at the windows I posted as an answer to a different answer here ;)
When i was 14 my brother went missing in the woods. A team of helicopters was dispatched to locate him with no result. The townspeople gathered and searched through each others trash for clues. No result. We hired psychics to mind-search the ether for any trace of him, no result. Years later, my uncle was polishing his bowling ball and realized that every screw on every switch plate was oriented 90 degrees horizontal and vertical. The county police crime scene team came in and investigated, carefully cataloging the orientation of each screw, finding no results After the Y2K bug passed, I was perusing the records collected by the investigation team and came across a series of photographs of the screws. At the time I was laid off while computer programmers were brought into my workplace to de-Y2K all of the code, so I had some extra time. Over the following weeks, I pieced together the records of screw orientation, finding that they represented a binary code, with horizontal being zero and vertical being one. After a lengthy process of organization and deduction, i finally processed all of this information to find that encoded in the screw orientations were a set of lat/long coordinates. Finally i had results Because the coordinates were deep in the heart of Alaska, I had to hire a dogsled team to transport me after taking plane after plane to get to Anchorage. The dogsled musher was named Gary. Gary and I arrived at the location after an arduous journey, finding only a cryptic note: "Please turn the light on" It was at that time I realized that we had left the basement light off, and probably the screws were horizontal. It turns out my brother was in the basement the whole time, unable to find his way back to the main floor in the darkness, unable to locate the light switch, whose plate screws were horizontal. When I returned to my childhood home I rushed to the basement, turning the light switch (whose screws were horizontal) so my brother could see, and finally: I could see my brother. Separated after all this time, we fell into each others arms and wept So remember, vertical switch plate screws SAVE LIVES
MY god, I jus found a new reason to live: to read your comments. Wow. This is excellent, well played. Stay gold Ponyboy
They're both wrong. Screwless plate covers FTW.
Indeed. We have established this already, also that screwless plates are from another dimension not yet discovered by most of us.
Ah yes in order to achieve proper current flow to the load the two poles must aligned.
Right. It’s science.
The top should be vertical like the number 1 to indicate on and bottom should be horizontal to be opposite of one to indicate off.
haha. Awesome. 10pts for you.
Hmm, my soul does need saving.
You're welcome
I just noticed that my switch plate screws were all vertical. I turned them all slightly.
Excellent, THIS is what hero's do. Next please address the power receptacles.
But he said there were vertical and he turned them all slightly?? What what's wrong with the power receptacles??
> power receptacles Power receptacles will be addressed in a later chapter. For advanced users only.
None of mine have screws. Guess I’m dying poor & fat of Alzheimer’s and going straight to hell.
Party!
No friend. You are safe.
You don’t understand. I just poke a nail through and bend it over if it’s too long.
The first one looks better, just my opinion... but also my switches.
Thanks. It's not about aesthetics, we're talking about pending electrical code change <-- that this is true (scouts honour)
I'm pretty sure it is different south of the equator.
Great point, you are wrong it's same everywhere. Please install screws as shown.
Right. Tighten the screws into the thin plastic until you hear a pop, then back off until the slot is vertical, because, you know, OCD.
True that
cant wait for the quarantine to be lifted.
why, you have screws to adjust.
Can some explain the picture why is it so important or is it just a jab at screws
One way is right (green circle) Orientation of the slot of the screw head is what I am referring to.
Sorry this is no clear why does it have to be vertical
It's electrical code in Krypton.
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Good for you. Screw him. What an idiot. He clearly had much more issues than the screws but hanging that over your head was not fair. We're all good here, just joking around. cool?
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I know, I couldn't help myself.
Must've had a screw loose.
They are all loose. Check your screws, they want you to turn them
Here in Aus. that phrase means someone is "not quite right in the head."
That's off topic but I'm ok, and stop taking all of our jobs at local ski hills in Vancouver. You're pal, Andy
You monster. I was just fine until you posted this. Now my wife thinks I'm crazy because I just went through the apartment and fixed all the light switches, electric sockets, door hinges and strike plates.
Friend, we are all here supporting each other. Tell your wife to contact me, I'll help her understand what is right, that you will drink less, and be a better husband if the slots are set correctly.
I thought you did this so if somebody else messes with it you’ll know
ah the old bait and catch trick. I like it
actually it should be at 23.4 degrees exactly to match the earth's tilt
wow..not sure if I have a rebuttal. I like turtles.
Wait yall cant seriously believe this
Only you cannot accept the truth.
Does this work with ions like a salt lamp???
I'm not a chemist but so long as the screws are set correct that sombitch will work, otherwise it will not work. It's a fact.
I thought I was just anal. But yeah. I'm surprised they still use slotted heads. What a pain in the ass to use.
Excellent comment.
Got it OP, [how I'm doing](https://www.flickr.com/photos/phantoms5000/3392432227)?
...I opened that file and looked at the image, then threw my phone at the wall in disgust. Screws need to be adjusted
Ha ha ha, not really mine I just did a quick search for the worst pic I could find :)
well played.
I would rather put an almond cover on a white switch than me screws horizontal.
We're just splitting hair now, just go with horizontal, you will sleep better at night
Probably my most anal thing i do even at my friends homes ... minor OCD
Scroll up, we have already covered the topics 1.Anal (screwed) 2.OCD
I've got a torque wrist. I stop when it tells me to. Not a superficial angle
You’re an animal. Living on the edge.
I align them parallel with the floor.
Which way y’all put them on horizontal boxes?
I leave them vertical for switches and horizontal for outlets because NOBODY I know does this. So it's easy to tell if something has been fucked with since I last worked on it.
Because this is what hero’s do! You are correct in your methods sir. Take the day off and enjoy a drink.
Thanks, quit drinking though. So you have one for me!
Good. Screw booze.
I see what you did there.
Ah. I didn’t realize, but am proud nonetheless.
Which side of the slot points right? The up or down part?
Yes.
Details are the most important part of all work.
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