On Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:46:32 -0600, Jon Elson
wrote:

Well, not always. We have corrosion IN the demarcation box, and that
RJ11 needs to be replaced every couple years. This is St. Louis, MO.,
humid, but not insanely so. You can tell because the whole connector
turns black, both the jack and most especially the plug on the
pigtail, where it is really obvious because it is supposed to be
clear plastic.

Black or dark brown is copper oxide. My guess(tm) is that you do not
have gold contacts and have not applied any silicon grease to the
contacts to keep the moisture out. Clean the connectors, apply some
grease, and it should last longer.

Incidentally, the new AT&T NID (demarc) boxes are now coming with a
different flavor of disconnect. Instead of the RJ11 with a flat cable
jumper, it's now integrated with the inside line connector. Swivel
the assembly and it automatically disconnects.
http://802.11junk.com/jeffl/pics/ATT-Demarc/index.html
I'm tempted to put the old box back.

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558