I have actually said that the pod consumer unit should be hardwired to the distribution circuit SWA and not connected using the supplied socket, plug and SY cable.

I am saying that the use of the SY cable as a flexible cord is inappropriate as well as the socket being inappropriate..

https://www.elandcables.com/media/13rlt2rk/ec-statement-on-the-use-of-sy-cy-yy-cables-rina-18th-ed-with-summary.pdf

I think that many of you are forgetting that these pods are not fixed permanent buildings, they may well be moved around regularly as the grass or whatever becomes worn. A plug and socket arrangement seems very sensible to me. They should be considered to be similar to a caravan (where the same often applies). I quite understand the manufacturer fitting a plug, it is very sensible, and the only way that an electrical certificate can be provided. A further point is that fitting a plug and socket makes this unit NOT part of the fixed Electrical Installation and so BS7671 does not apply, so the Eland stuff is also irrelevant. Just because it looks like a fixed installation does not make it one!

Don’t be silly, these are not movable “caravans” they are permanent structures. The manufacturer states that normally allow two days for erection.

A couple of technical questions, what type of gland should be used to secure the SY cable to the pod consumer unit, a nylon stuffing gland or a CXT gland?

https://www.cef.co.uk/catalogue/products/23119-20s-m20-cxt-industrial-cable-gland-sold-in-1-s

What, if any, purpose does that “armour” in the SY cable used as flexible cord serve?

As tattyinengland  said this is just a workaround by the manufacturer to avoid sending an electrician to site and to try to avoid Part P Building Control Notification.

However the SY cable, the SY cable gland as well as the the supplied plug and socket are all completely unfit for purpose, the SY cable cannot even be used outdoors according to this supplier, though there’s a mixed message in this statement:

”SY cable specifications mean it is primarily designed for use with fixed equipment but it can also connect fixed and mobile installations. Most varieties are compatible with medium to high voltages and can withstand movement and damp or wet environments - including oil and water. SY cable is not suitable for use outdoors or in fixed wiring applications that require compliance with British Standard 7671. This is because the braid may melt if exposed to heat generated by a short circuit“

uk.rs-online.com/.../generalDisplay.html

Andy, you have got the wrong idea. Pods are used because they are not fixed buildings and therefore do not require planning permission. I used to have a mate who manufactured them, quite nice jobs, all wood of course, and you put them in a shed for winter when there was no market and the weather took a significant maintenance toll. Even a nice lifting loop on the top. As for SY as a flexible cable, the braid is steel, why would it melt (1550 C). The conductors would have been soup long before (1085C) and the plastic well burnt. The braid does prevent insulation damage by sharp edges and severe conditions where rubber or PVC would have long failed in workshops etc. The conductors and inner sheath are very much made to BS6500, for some reason it is left out of BS7671, although there is an EN spec for similar cables. They are widely used on the continent and kitchens etc, because they are robust. You would have a job proving that they are not fit for purpose as you claim.

They have screw pile foundations, they cannot be moved around and are permanent buildings.

David Stone said:

NOT part of the fixed Electrical Installation and so BS7671 does not apply, so the Eland stuff is also irrelevant. Just because it looks like a fixed installation does not make it one!

The scope of BS 7671 covers installations that are not fixed, including temporary installations, but specifically mobile / transportable units (Section 717 is really a very wide scope and potentially what's being described with moving the structure around, if this is indeed one of those).

David Stone said:

The conductors and inner sheath are very much made to BS6500, for some reason it is left out of BS7671,

The issue with CY/SY/YY cable and "simple compliance" is purely because there is no constructional standard for them. No cables are really covered by BS 7671, because it's not a product standard. Other cables types for which there are constructional standards are also "left out" (data not presented in Appendix 4) - including the parameters for the armour of SWA for its use as a protective conductor. Appendix 4, however, is only guidance, not a normative part of the standard.

Sparkingchip said:

However the SY cable, the SY cable gland as well as the the supplied plug and socket are all completely unfit for purpose, the SY cable cannot even be used outdoors according to this supplier, though there’s a mixed message in this statement:

”SY cable specifications mean it is primarily designed for use with fixed equipment but it can also connect fixed and mobile installations. Most varieties are compatible with medium to high voltages and can withstand movement and damp or wet environments - including oil and water. SY cable is not suitable for use outdoors or in fixed wiring applications that require compliance with British Standard 7671. This is because the braid may melt if exposed to heat generated by a short circuit“

Agreed - although because there is no constructional standard, we'd need to check the specification for the particular manufacturer's cable involved here - we can't use another manufacturer's CY/SY/YY data to corroborate what one manufacturer's CY/SY/YY is capable of.