Am I fooling myself?

[Odd-no-more]

When we don't have EHU I charge our phones from a powerbank, then recharge the powerbank from the solar in the afternoon as it is charging the leisure battery, I assume the battery will have recovered by then and I am getting extra from the solar as it starts to cut the charge to the battery.
Is that just wasting my time? should I charge the phones from the battery?

 

[Nanniemate]

Just use tin cans and string no batteries required

 

[Landy Andy]

Yes. Just charge from battery.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Charge from battery, the phones hardly use any amps. We leave ours on overnight and by the time we are up the leisure batteries are fully charged anyway, even with the TV on the previous night. Vert rarely use the power charges but do carry them.

 

[Lenny HB]

Is that just wasting my time?

Yes, it will use more power, to fully recharge a battery it uses more power to recharge than what has been taken out of it.

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[Robert Clark]

I’d charge the phones direct from the battery, then if the battery was still full I’d then charge the power pack for a little extra resilience in case of a shady day

 

[Odd-no-more]

Just use tin cans and string no batteries required

I had those as a kid, they work well as long as you don't call long distance

 

[Off da Grid]

There could be a caveat to charging straight from the moho battery, if the device and or the usb charger is a smart one the device will shut off the charge when fully charged.
A lot of usb chargers and phones will go down to trickle charge when they are supposed to have finished charging this can reduce the battery lifetime significantly.
I have a couple of smart power banks that switch off when my iPhone and iPad devices are charged. So I will use these.
The batteries in my iPad and iPhone are still going strong 4 years + now.
Can’t see any point in replacing stuff it it still works just because the latest model can do more stuff.
Only when the next phone can make my tea I will buy it!

 

[Ridgeway]

I just plug stuff in and wait till the red light goes out, loads of devices on charge constantly in our van, can be 7-10 on charge at any one point. I assume the solar manages to keep the leisure battery topped up enough to manage it all and they are all taking really low amounts of juice anyway.

 

[autorouter]

When we don't have EHU I charge our phones from a powerbank, then recharge the powerbank from the solar in the afternoon as it is charging the leisure battery, I assume the battery will have recovered by then and I am getting extra from the solar as it starts to cut the charge to the battery.
Is that just wasting my time? should I charge the phones from the battery?

In theory the powerbank is acting like an extra storage battery if you charge it when the leisure batteries are full. You are using solar power that would otherwise be surplus to requirements. The amount of charge is small, but it's definitely an addition.

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[Richard n Ann]

If you charge the power bank before the leisure battery is full you'll reduce it's charge rate by about half an amp. Doesn't matter how you do it.

 

[Odd-no-more]

Thanks for all the replies, all useful info

 

[kevenh]

Cut out the middle charge scenario.
Powebanks need more charge than the individual items you want topped up.
They’re handy for if you’re caught short but a large net loss of charge effort if used routinely.

This is from my 3yo power bank usage. Not sure that newer ones will be radically more efficient.