Thoughs on purchase? (soda dispensing machine)

Picked this up on Craigslist. Figured for 20 bucks it wouldn't be bad considering it had 5 faucets, realized they were plastic when I picked them up.

At first I thought it was just a platform to dispense soda, but now realize its got a little compressor and refrigerated something. Was hoping to turn it into a big tower, now not quite sure what to do with it. What does the refrigerator part do? Cool just the lines?

Thanks for any input....

Good God, everytime I post from my phone I always mess up the title.

I have the same type of faucets on my jockey box and the work just fine. I replaced the o-rings with some off the shelf ones at Ace, and cleaned them up. You may have to stretch the springs a bit for the auto close handles.

Dave

It cools the lines. It was designed to chiller carbed soda at room temp. You could do the same with beer. Nice score!

If you decide you don't want it let me know.

cfrazier77 said:

It cools the lines. It was designed to chiller carbed soda at room temp. You could do the same with beer. Nice score!

If you decide you don't want it let me know.

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So, like a plug in jockey box?

How would one use this properly for beer? Natural Carb at room temp and dispense through this apparatus, with the kegs staying warm? Just eliminate the reefer all together?

phoenixs4r said:

So, like a plug in jockey box?

How would one use this properly for beer? Natural Carb at room temp and dispense through this apparatus, with the kegs staying warm? Just eliminate the reefer all together?

Click to expand...

I have not done this, but from my understanding you could do this. Or you could force carb in a fridge.

cfrazier77 said:

I have not done this, but from my understanding you could do this. Or you could force carb in a fridge.

Click to expand...

Interesting. Not sure if I'll end up using it, but its pretty neat.

i used one for 4 years.. nothing wrong with it.. here is the one i have, i currently dont use it anymore mainly because of noise.. had 6 taps but i took out the last one and put a compression fitting on it and hooked it to my immersion chiller for an extra quick cold break.. i think i have a video in my profile with my coffee ale being poured off it too

oh, i guess i should of mentioned that all the kegs were stored and force carbed at room temperature for there volumes and then served at 30psi.. some kegs didnt empty untill 6 months later and you could tell that they got better with age, some of the wheats, ciders and wines lost a little carbonation over time but a quick boost for a week at their volume psi brought them to life.. they also have pressure adjustment screws wich work really well

How well did it work for your immersion chiller? I'd imagine if I'm gonna go through the effort I would dedicate all taps to it, or would that be stupid?

Also, how was the the pour @30psi? How much hose did u have to run? Honestly this is the largest benefit I can see, as I usually am quite impatient and throw my kegs in the reefer after I fill them up and they don't get that good aging like in a bottle.

Lastly this noisy was it compared to a fridge? I guess I.could plug it in when I get home from.work today. If its not too noisy I can actually have the kegerator in the kitchen on top of the counter top which is where I really want tlit but don't have room for a reefer.... hmmm


The immersion chiller idea how me very interested tho, please let me know how well that worked!

Lastly (maybe) any ideas of how this would work if I ended up putting it outside? The kegs would end up seeing temp swings between 50f and 90f, don't know how bad that would mess with carbonation? Oh! And also, what was the yeast like with the keg @ room temp? Normally I see a compact layer of yeast when I'm done with the keg due to it falling out on the cold, but the kegs at room temp obviously don't do that right?

DUDE....

If you could really have "on demand" cold beer, and let your kegs keep conditioning at room temps????

I NEEDS me one.

phoenixs4r said:

How well did it work for your immersion chiller? I'd imagine if I'm gonna go through the effort I would dedicate all taps to it, or would that be stupid?

Also, how was the the pour @30psi? How much hose did u have to run? Honestly this is the largest benefit I can see, as I usually am quite impatient and throw my kegs in the reefer after I fill them up and they don't get that good aging like in a bottle.

Lastly this noisy was it compared to a fridge? I guess I.could plug it in when I get home from.work today. If its not too noisy I can actually have the kegerator in the kitchen on top of the counter top which is where I really want tlit but don't have room for a reefer.... hmmm

The immersion chiller idea how me very interested tho, please let me know how well that worked!

Lastly (maybe) any ideas of how this would work if I ended up putting it outside? The kegs would end up seeing temp swings between 50f and 90f, don't know how bad that would mess with carbonation? Oh! And also, what was the yeast like with the keg @ room temp? Normally I see a compact layer of yeast when I'm done with the keg due to it falling out on the cold, but the kegs at room temp obviously don't do that right?

Click to expand...

It worked great for my immersion chiller but after I was done the compressor would continually run for a good 45 min to a hour.. The compressor on mine is alot louder than a fridge.. from initial start up it would run for 6 hours to cool down then maybe cycle 3 to 5 minute each hour when not being used very much.. My heat exchanger inside is about 30 feet of stainless 1/4" od tubing for each tap around the edges and around the center of the water bath with the refrigeration unit and circulation auger fitting in like a glove... The refrigeration coils in the water form a nice layer of ice around the beverage lines so you can't just rip it apart if it is cold, I had to open the drain and defrost it with hot water to work on it or even move it because it was about 150lbs full... I built a cart for it to store the kegs under and did line it with 1/2" insulation foam because temp change was a big deal with the seasons and being next to the sliding glass door made some over carb in fall and winter... The back pressure adjustment screw on the front is your best friend.. It does a great job for lowering the serving pressure right at the tap.. Sometimes I would have to take the tap apart and turn the flow restrictor cone because it is plastic and does divot over time where the adjustment screw presses on it.. Also the taps do stick if you don't drink enough or let them sit longer than a week unused... The pour was really good when dialed in... The higher co2 volume kegs did need a quick drop in the head pressure from time to time for a awesome pour....

Interesting. I'll have to plug it in and see how loud mine is. Its an interesting concept but since it wwill more than likely go outside, doesn't seam feasible unless I insulate the bar it'll rest on and maybe even add a heater which seems backwards since I can get a chest freezer for cheap. The idea of the aging at room temp is pretty nice tho. Again my other mail worry is sediment but I suppose if I cold crash the carboy first it wouldn't be a big deal.....

phoenixs4r said:

Interesting. I'll have to plug it in and see how loud mine is. Its an interesting concept but since it wwill more than likely go outside, doesn't seam feasible unless I insulate the bar it'll rest on and maybe even add a heater which seems backwards since I can get a chest freezer for cheap. The idea of the aging at room temp is pretty nice tho. Again my other mail worry is sediment but I suppose if I cold crash the carboy first it wouldn't be a big deal.....

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Never had a problem with the sediment... It all falls to the bottom of the the kegs and hardens so you dont pull any unless you move or bump the kegs alot and pour right away....
Edit: forgot to ask if you know if your heat exchanger is the tubing style like mine or if it's a cold plate? Cold plates are nice to retrofit for a portable jockey box and then you could just use the refrigeration unit and water bath as a closed loop system for an IC or line cooler for a long draw system

I have to take a better look at it when I get home. It was something I purchased on a whim and mostly curious if I pissed 20 away or If I scored lol

phoenixs4r said:

I have to take a better look at it when I get home. It was something I purchased on a whim and mostly curious if I pissed 20 away or If I scored lol

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I originally got mine because it was coca cola and the wife and I are avid collectors and it was $25 off the local classifieds with my first full co2 tank but I had to give it up because it was legal property of coke and nobody would fill it.. It was a 40lbs tank and lasted 2 years..

Assuming this thing runs, any idea of its value? I don't think it will work with what my girlfriend and I plan to do with our bar.

This thing just won't go away! I can't seem to find a buyer so I'm going to rip it open on my week off next week and see if I can take the guts and make a jockey box out of a cooler or something.