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We had a contractor do radon abatement, which involved adding a fan to pump air out from under the slab. They decided to power this fan by hard-wiring an extension cord. There is a disconnect switch in a weatherproof box on the outside of the house. The wire going off to the left in this picture leads to it. The 2x4s continue for several feet in both directions, so the wire isn't actually hanging in free space.

Is this normal? Should I have a licensed electrician do something about it?

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  • I'm guessing this is their solution to requiring a means of disconnect. Installing a switch, would be a cleaner solution. I'm not sure where that cable in the left of the photo goes, but it seems like a bad idea to have it hanging out like that.
    – Tester101
    Commented Jun 16, 2016 at 17:11
  • There is a disconnect switch in a weatherproof box on the outside of the house. The wire going off to the left in this picture leads to it. The 2x4s continue for several feet in both directions, so the wire isn't actually hanging in free space.
    – jelder
    Commented Jun 16, 2016 at 17:17
  • Can you include a wider photo?
    – Tester101
    Commented Jun 16, 2016 at 17:18
  • Is the fan inside, or outside? was that an existing receptacle, or did they add it?
    – Tester101
    Commented Jun 16, 2016 at 17:19
  • The fan is outside (built into the piping). The left receptacle was added by the radon abatement people. The one on the right (to which the one on the left is plugged in) was pre-existing. They added the sticker.
    – jelder
    Commented Jun 16, 2016 at 17:21

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That is 100% a code violation. A flexible cord CANNOT be used as a substitute for permanent wiring. The means of disconnect, or service disconnect, is the switch outside. They should have simply hard wired with cable to the receptacle box, or better yet, run a circuit to the fan, not for the added load, but to keep the fan isolated from other loads.

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