What could be the cause of blackened spreaders in INS2000 connections, and does this affect the connection?

Although the color may change due to silver oxidation, this does not affect the system's behavior.

Such oxidation occurs on our silver compound, often when installed in an environment with gases like SO2 (Sulfur Dioxide) or H2S (Hydrogen Sulphide).

If you are concerned about this phenomenon, we can suggest to disconnect first the connection between the spreader and the terminal and check the contact point to ensure it is clean. If the connections remain clean, we can confirm that there is no risk to normal operation.

The spreaders are silver-plated and there should be no problem connecting them to copper busbars.

We recommend checking about the type of environment the product is in, as we have observed oxidation on the terminals in harsher environments with certain agents as mentioned above.

Released for: Schneider Electric Belgium