Vertical vs horizontal power switches

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › Vertical vs horizontal power switches

angski

59 posts

Master Geek

#306715 15-Aug-2023 22:56

I have vertical power switches throughout my 1970s house. Do you like vertical power switches? I find them a hinderance. If you have done a new build, do you have vertical or horizontal power switches?

djtOtago

1149 posts

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#3116513 15-Aug-2023 23:01

Horizontal. No debate. No discussion.

Senecio

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#3116516 15-Aug-2023 23:31

Vertical are a pain with current charging bricks for portable devices. Unfortunately that's what we have in our house.

elpenguino

3419 posts

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#3116517 15-Aug-2023 23:50

I cant handle a vertical light switch with a horizontal power socket underneath it. There's too much chaos in the world as it is.

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mattwnz

20141 posts

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#3116520 16-Aug-2023 01:16

Most of mine are vertical. The problem with horizontal I have found is that powerbricks can sometimes be slightly too wide, so you can't get two bricks in . The Alexa brick is especially wide. I use multiboards with surge protection with most outlets anyway.

mattwnz

20141 posts

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#3116521 16-Aug-2023 01:16

elpenguino:

I cant handle a vertical light switch with a horizontal power socket underneath it. There's too much chaos in the world as it is.

Agree and that is why most of ours are vertical except on kitchen benchtops and network cabinet.

Handle9

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#3116524 16-Aug-2023 05:05

Horizontal outlets. Vertical light switches. End of story.

Goosey

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#3116525 16-Aug-2023 06:34

If you are doing a new build, just put some thought into the kitchen bench and unde bench.

usually it’s a Mecca for a cordless phone, chargers, phone chargers, cordless phones…..normally all plugged in all the time.
consider an under bench outlet(s) either hidden in cupboard with a suitably designed “hole or port in the bench top”.

you get the idea !

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mdf

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#3116547 16-Aug-2023 08:02

Handle9: Horizontal outlets. Vertical light switches. End of story.

We're currently renovating the downstairs of our place. Shifted to this approach (previously everything was vertical) and very happy with it.

gbwelly

1243 posts

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#3116564 16-Aug-2023 08:58

Pretty low on my list of concerns

evilengineer

466 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3116579 16-Aug-2023 09:35

Depends on where they are.

Horizontal in the kitchen as that orientation looks better in the long rectangular splash back gap between the bench and wall cupboards, in my opinion.

Vertical in the living room where in a lot of places you can see the power sockets at low level beneath the light switches.

We've got a bit of a random mixture in our house which is a bit annoying when they swap about in the same room, as is the fact that they aren't consistent in style/supplier and don't match each other or the light switches which also vary in style from room to room.🙄

Either way, powerbricks/wall warts are a problem. Pretty much guaranteed to come across ones that are either too wide or too high (or both) to prevent you using both sockets at the same time and probably obscures the on/off switches as well regardless of which way the sockets are orientated.

The standard wall plate is just slightly too small for two sockets in that regard.

johno1234

2793 posts

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#3116594 16-Aug-2023 09:53

angski:

I have vertical power switches throughout my 1970s house. Do you like vertical power switches? I find them a hinderance. If you have done a new build, do you have vertical or horizontal power switches?

Horizontal for power points, vertical or grid for light switches. Why? I don't know, probably just because I am a trapped conformist.

Shaddow798

38 posts

Geek

#3116601 16-Aug-2023 10:02

Our house mostly has vertical ones that arn't even dueplex if they havn't been replaced since the 1970s. Where as the rest are vertical dueplex. Allthough I know there is atleast one horziontal one that has 2 sockets allthough it is the same normal height so it has a massive wallplate and I'm not sure what we would put in its place when we switch the outlets out (can you get 2 vertical ones next to eachover on the same wall plate in a 2x2 conficutation)

In general horziontal seems to be the more ideal confiugration allthough most of the outless in our house have a mulitbox pluged into them.

richms

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#3116603 16-Aug-2023 10:03

Horizontal for power so I can put in the 4 or 5 way ones.

Vertical for light switches because horizontal looks weird except when you have 3 of them on one.

Richard rich.ms

Bung

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#3116617 16-Aug-2023 10:19

Shaddow798:
Allthough I know there is atleast one horziontal one that has 2 sockets allthough it is the same normal height so it has a massive wallplate and I'm not sure what we would put in its place when we switch the outlets out (can you get 2 vertical ones next to eachover on the same wall plate in a 2x2 conficutation)

If you mean the old PDL double that was 2 singles on a larger faceplate, if you don't want to patch the wall there are PDL 538 adapters to fit a current vertical twin.

Unrelated Detta make a wide horizontal double with a matching surface box or wall clip.

neb

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#3116886 16-Aug-2023 19:15

mdf:
Handle9: Horizontal outlets. Vertical light switches. End of story.

We're currently renovating the downstairs of our place. Shifted to this approach (previously everything was vertical) and very happy with it.

Did this at the Casa de Cowboy as well, everything vertical that could be replaced was replaced with horizontal. And put in four-way outlets in locations where things other than say a vacuum cleaner get plugged in (meaning most of them), because you'll need them.