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Old 11-07-2017, 10:18 PM   #1
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Seneca 36 FK. Shore Power, 50 Amps a must?

Recently purchased a 2015 Seneca 36FK. Manual says never use anything less than 50 amp power source. Also, never to use an adapter of any kind on the power cord. In the past I have used adaptors and extension cord to run 30 amp power to other RV's I have owned while in my driveway to start my refer chilling and to keep the house batteries charged between uses. Has anyone else run their rig on 30 amps without any difficulties?
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Old 11-07-2017, 10:28 PM   #2
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Regularly without issues. Just make sure you use a quality adapter, there are some cheap ones out there with undersized conductors and poorly fitting receptacles.
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Old 11-07-2017, 10:56 PM   #3
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Welcome to JOF... it is rare to find another '15' Seneca FK owner... not many of us.

as far as connecting to 30A 120 -or- 30A 220 with the 50A adapter... they both work just fine. Just make sure and check your power source before you make the connections.

and trust what RobbyR says... he has lots of experience with a Seneca...
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Old 11-08-2017, 04:53 AM   #4
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This summer we stayed in several campgrounds that only had 30 amp service. We made sure that we only used one air conditioner at a time. We also used the heater at night with no issue.

I store mine in at the house hooked to my 30 amp service.

Along these lines, do you folks use your EMS when storing at the house?
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Old 11-08-2017, 05:15 AM   #5
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Yes, we've used 30 amps. We are currently sitting on 2-30 amps with a wye splitter to come up to the 50 amps. We have also sat on 15 amps, as recently as last weekend, with using just one appliance or air conditioner or an electric heater at a time.

Lawyers make companies make statements like you read. You may also be required to wear heavy gloves, while reading the manual to prevent a paper cut.

Enjoy your Seneca, its a great way to go down the road and a great choice of an RV.
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Old 11-08-2017, 06:53 AM   #6
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Quote:
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...Along these lines, do you folks use your EMS when storing at the house?
I don't because mine is the external model and my 50 amp receptacle is outdoors. I have a 60,000 amp whole house surge protector (at the meter) which also protects my 50 amp circuit. However, I still don't have any brownout protection. I may reconsider.
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Old 11-08-2017, 06:57 AM   #7
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Quote:
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Along these lines, do you folks use your EMS when storing at the house?
Mine is the hardwired version, so it is always in use!
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Old 11-08-2017, 07:57 AM   #8
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When using a 30-to-50 amp dogbone, is it reasonable and useful to use my existing 50 amp EMS downstream from the dog bone? Does the EMS simply report the two legs as being identical?
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Old 11-08-2017, 09:01 AM   #9
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Before we went full time, we had our Seneca plugged into 30 amp at our house with no problems. As Robbyr said, use a good dog bone!


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Old 11-08-2017, 09:22 AM   #10
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When using a 30-to-50 amp dogbone, is it reasonable and useful to use my existing 50 amp EMS downstream from the dog bone? Does the EMS simply report the two legs as being identical?
Definitely use it, it still will protect from surges, low voltage, and swapped neutral/ground. My (hardwired) unit will report identical voltage but still will show varying amperage draws on L-1 and L-2 as I use different items. But I have popped the post breaker when I forget to shut off the water heater electric side and I try to run an AC unit too!
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Old 11-08-2017, 11:26 AM   #11
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Related Question: Where are the Chassis Batteries Located?

Thanks all for the warm welcome and very helpful info. Also, was wondering where exactly the chassis batteries are on my Seneca 36FK? I found what I believe to be the four house batteries forward compartment on the passenger side. I turned off the house battery service with the switch near the entry door but still have power to the cab leading me to believe there are chassis batteries located somewhere or are the house batteries dual purpose? Also, must the inverter be turned on to charge the house batteries when hooked up to shore power?
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Old 11-08-2017, 11:38 AM   #12
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Drivers side steps, there’s a compartment. Remove the screws and viola! The “converter”is on when you plug in and it charges the house and chassis batteries. It goes to Trickle when both are charged to capacity.


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Old 11-08-2017, 11:58 AM   #13
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Chassis batteries are underneath the driver’s seat. Open the door & remove the screws holding the side pane in place.
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Old 11-08-2017, 02:46 PM   #14
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30 amp dog bone on gen

I am running a 30 am dog bone from a 3400 watt champion inverter generator to save fuel and operating costs of the diesel. Everything works well as long as you realize the power restrictions you have.
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Old 11-08-2017, 03:04 PM   #15
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Great info. Thanks all!
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Old 11-08-2017, 07:08 PM   #16
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What is a Dog Bone?
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Old 11-08-2017, 07:30 PM   #17
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Quote:
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What is a Dog Bone?
An adapter from one type of electrical outlet to another.
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dog bone.jpg  
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Old 11-09-2017, 06:29 AM   #18
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Re: Dog bone brand. Is Camco brand the brand of choice?
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