This is a difficult problem, since neither you nor the people who want to help you know know how your system works. Coulda/woulda/shoulda¹⁾ don't matter right now because

1. you already own it; and
2. the existing "house" power system²⁾ might or might not be working as designed by the Previous Owner; and
3. even if it is working as designed it might or might not meet your needs

Let's get you on your feet first, then we can worry about possibly changing or improving things.

The first step is figuring out what you have, both for your understanding and so others might be able to help you. Knowing what you have helps you ask productive questions.

I encourage you to make a text document on your phone or PC to hold info on what we find in this section. Not only is it handy for you, but if you ever need help you can paste in the data so we can tell what you've got. win-win

Sources of information:

• visible make/model information on power-related devices
• the sales listing from when you bought the van
• communications with the seller or manufacturer
• receipts and other paperwork (manuals?) that came with the van
• information from a VIN lookup tool (see below)

Ideally this list also contains links to product pages and online documentation like manuals. Posting pictures of the gear and nothing else offloads legwork onto the people you are asking for free help. Please don't make us guess or do your homework.

[Personal note from secessus: here is my own plaintext list, and a fancier version with commentary. I did not know this off the top of my head – I went through my amazon orders, emails, etc, to gather it all up.]

A VIN lookup tool can tell you what came stock on the vehicle. Of particular importance is the alternator rating. Engine info (“3.5L V6” or whatever) is indirectly important because stock configurations are often associated with particular engines.

Caveat: If someone upgraded/changed the vehicle after purchase the VIN will not know about that….

You can find a free lookup tool by searching ''[brand] VIN lookup``. Example using Chevy

It might be overwhelming to try to understand all at once, so start simple. Look around you. What can you see that might be electrical? Can you take and post pics if nothing else?

House (“living area”) battery banks are usually large and often the size and shape of the van starter battery you've seen under the hood. There are likely thick red/black cables connecting them to the rest of the system. There may be one or more batteries in the bank, and can be arranged in parallel or series.

• Is there one battery or more than one? If the latter, how are they wired together?
• Do you see any capacity markings like Ah (Amp-hours) or Wh (Watt-hours)?
• Do you see any branding like Chins, LiTime, Ampere Time, SOK, Renogy, Eco-Worthy, or a goofy-sounding Chinglish“ name?³⁾
• Do you see a model name, like Smart Lithium Iron Phosphate or Ex-500?
• Do you see any charging guidelines on the label?⁴⁾

Solar panels are usually pretty obvious if you have them. They may be mounted on a rack, adhered flat to the roof, or be portables/suitcases that store inside the van. It can be hard to tell how they are wired if everything is tucked away. Sometimes you have to infer based on panel specs (see below) and what you see on the solar charge controller (see below again). The wires have to enter the vehicle somewhere, hopefully through a weatherproof “gland” (small box).

The label on the backside of the panel will show the specs you'll need to know and share. If there is no back label or you cannot access it you will need to consult the manufacturer's website or manual.

Pro tip: if you are mounting new panels take a pic of the label before mounting them where you can't see it.

We recharge our battery banks almost every day, so there is probably at least one charger present. All chargers have settings of some kind: battery type, charging voltages, etc. Look at your manual to see what the defaults are, and cycle through any displays/apps to see if the configuration differs from those defaults.

In order of most common to least common charging setups:

The solar charge controller will have wires coming into it from the solar panels, assuming they are permanently mounted. The other set of wires goes out to the battery bank.

Common brands are Victron, Renogy, EpEver. Morningstar and Blue Sky were premium controllers that are not as common in vans nowadays. There are also many rebranded inexpensive-but-functional controllers from SRNE, BougeRV, Eco-Worthy, etc.

The lowest end of the market is flooded with very cheap controllers (often incorrectly called “MPPT”) in the $10-$20 range. These can work if you understand their limitations.

Alternator charging comes in two basic flavors:

1. combiners, simple and inexpensive. Includes switches, relays, voltage sensing (“smart”) relays, usually mounted near the starter battery.⁵⁾ This type of device is basically a pass-through for whatever the battery bank wants / the alternator can give. Often no name on the device at all, although VSR do sometimes carry labels like Stinger, Smart, Battery Doctor, etc.
2. DC-DC chargers, more complex and costly chargers that can regulate current and/or voltage. Usually mounted quite close to the battery bank. Common brands include Victron Orion, Sterling, Renogy, etc.

There are are some combo DC_DC / MPPT chargers on the market. The most famous is the Renogy 50A, although the Kisae is increasingly popular.

This is the least common form of charging since few vanfolk have the luxury of access to grid power.

When present, shore power chargers might be RV-style converters from Iota, PowerMax, Progressive, WFCO.

Sometimes people use shore power chargers that might not be made for vans/rvs: Noco, Schumacher, etc.

if it ever worked before and doesn't work now then at least one of these is probably true;

• an electrical connection is compromised: wiring terminal loose, fuse blown / breaker tripped
• something was inadvertently turned off by physical switch or app setting
• something has failed or worn out⁶⁾

If it's never worked then perhaps

• something is installed but not hooked up or turned on (see above)
• it wasn't installed
• it failed before you bought it and the seller didn't know or didn't say

It's also possible that it's working fine but you don't know it. Example: ”my charger isn't charging my lithium batteries even though they are not at 100%“.

Pay attention to what is happening so you can describe it clearly and accurately to people who want to help but who cannot see your van.

• useful information:
  • “My inverter gives a E3 error and stops working when the battery monitor says voltage is below 11v”
  • My inverter worked as expected until yesterday
  • my inverter has never worked
• ok information: “my inverter doesn't work when voltage is 11v”
• useless: “my inverter doesn't work”

When describing charging/noncharging problems, please report voltage and current changes you observe when any charging sources are added. “My battery monitor shows 12.4v and does not change when I start the engine.”

Once the crisis is over

1. adjust your cut/paste parts document anytime you add or change a component
2. observe the system in normal operation so you know how it should act when everything works