BEP Marine 500A Emergency Parallel Switch

The BEP Marine 500A Emergency Parallel Switch is a motorized high-current switch rated 2,500A cranking, for matched 12V or 24V banks.

This does one job rather than several. It parallels two banks temporarily for emergency starting, without the voltage-sensitive charging functions the 720-MDVSO has. For a boat that already has charge management handled elsewhere, that focus makes it the simpler and cheaper choice.

A momentary dash-mounted control parallels the banks for ten minutes, then the switch turns itself off automatically. That timer is the safety feature. A parallel connection left engaged will flatten the starting battery through house loads, and it is exactly the thing that gets forgotten in a hurry.

Twenty-five hundred amps of short-duration cranking capacity covers emergency starting on larger engines rather than just small outboards. Tinned copper conductors, stainless nuts and high-temperature fiber-reinforced plastics suit harsh marine service, and it mounts recessed or on the surface. A manual override allows direct local control. Explore more battery switches.

• Emergency parallel only, without charge management
• Simpler and cheaper where charging is handled elsewhere
• Ten-minute timer, then it switches itself off
• 2,500A cranking for larger engines