This is a difficult problem, since neither you nor the people who want to help you know how your system is put together or designed to do. Coulda/woulda/shoulda don't matter right now because you're stuck without power.

Let's see if we can get you on your feet first, then we can worry about doing things the right way.

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

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.

* How many are there? * Do you see any capacity markings like Ah(amp-hours) or Wh¹⁾ * Do you see a model name, like Smart Lithium Iron Phosphate? * Do you see any charging guidelines on the lable?²⁾

We recharge our battery banks almost every day, so there is probably at least one charger present. In order of most common to least common: