According to a Siemens customer service. He checked his stock too and it's like that, and it was supposed to be normal. Is it really normal to have the spring clip and bus bar stab only having electrical contacts at the bottom? He wrote:
"I have checked older GFCI 20amp 2 pole breaker that has same structure that you show & fits the same as your photos indicate. The surface contact of the breaker contacts to the load center stabs seems to be sufficient & has not changed and there have been no reports of failures."
In 1998 and 2010. Siemens QP were recalled due to one reported failure. So do they have to expect smoke and fire before it is considered as one report? Does anyone who have accessed to more knowledgeable Siemens engineers please ask them about this. Harper? Thanks.
This is a more scientific test. I used a feeler gauge blade and inserted the thinnest (size 0.0015") in between the bus bar and spring clip:
You can see only the contacts at the bottom of the spring clips and bus bar are connected. This is the same in all sides. Do you still agree that there is no problem? This can cause arcing, heat, burning, and fire. I think Siemens made a mistake. Their regular QP breakers fit perfectly (You can't insert any blade in any part).
How do I take this to the attention of Siemens? Their customers service said the breaker is a listed as compatible with the enclosure based on the literature but actual examination didn't support it.
Best Answer
@samzun - very frustrating, it seems like you're doing your homework and still you have this problem. It's very good that you caught it though.
I can only see three possibilities:
If I can make a suggestion, in this and other questions, you are struggling quite a bit working with your panel bus. It might make more sense to use DIN rail mountable breakers which are commonly used in Europe. There's no bus with this system. This seems to me a much easier way to retrofit GFCI protection with your panel. For example look at the Eaton QPGF2030 or QPHGF2030 breakers.