Jocky box

[1fast636]

Looking for info tips tricks on everything and anything you about them, best set up (only doing one tap for now), coil vs cold plate, length of coil, length of line to jocky box, best place to buy parts to build
One, like I said all info is helpful thanks guys

 

[sandyeggoxj]

I run dual circuit cold plates. Cheap chrome plated faucets and all SS shanks. 5/16 tubing from the keg to the plate and also between the circuits and then 3/16id tubing for about a foot to the faucet. Dial in approximately 15psi and pour. It is a slower pour but reliable. Kegs are at 80 or less degrees and ambients have been as high as 90. Cold beer. Yum. I have a 4-tap box.

 

[1fast636]

Where did you get your cold plate at? Think my father inlaw has faucets and shanks he use to have a kegerator but once keg prices sky rocketed he stopped buying kegs and just bought cases (he only drinks BL)

 

[1fast636]

Alright let's see if I can get some advice the wife surprised me and looks like we are getting this box

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1428546430.518119.jpg

Now my question is what is the best way to get the best pour out of a box, line length from keg to box, should I keep the keg on ice too, how much co2 pressure pushing , I had another but can't think of it right now lol will post it when it pops back into my head. Thanks guys can't wait it's for a live pour contest/event so the better the pour the better it looks to the public for higher points lol

 

[swmalone]

Well if you are getting that box you have your mind pretty much made up for you on a lot of things. Personally I think those are overpriced. My jockey box uses an old cold plate and I have the keg setting out in the sun. I use two passes of the cold plate and run my psi at 20 and it pours great with a nice head.

Here is a link to the rebuild I did.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=522370

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Where did you get your cold plate at? Think my father inlaw has faucets and shanks he use to have a kegerator but once keg prices sky rocketed he stopped buying kegs and just bought cases (he only drinks BL)

Sorry I didn't respond!

I got my plates from micromatic. I bought 2 of the 4-pass plates. I have 4 faucets and it works great. Too late now but good to know I suppose.

I have as much money in my plates as you do for the whole box...

I haven't used coils but I have a couple 120' coils sitting on the shelf waiting to go into a 2 tap box build soon.

I would guess that as long as your kegs are less than 75 degrees you'll be fine. How much volume does 50' of 5/16 hold? I'd look it up but I'm on my phone...

I am interested to hear the results.

 

[1fast636]

No problem man lol the wife is on board for the jocky box from aih so got coils rather then a cold plate lol, Any do's and don'ts advice? What's the recommendation for cleaning the lines before my first use just a nice run of pbw followed by a water flush then a pbw flush?

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Do you have line cleaner? I would run line cleaner and then rinse and off you go. After use same treatment but blow out the lines.

 

[1fast636]

No but will be making some stops at the LHBS so will grab some line cleaner need to get some connectors and such lol thanks

 

[1fast636]

How's that stand your building coming along?

 

[ColdbreakBrewing]

No but will be making some stops at the LHBS so will grab some line cleaner need to get some connectors and such lol thanks

So, we build jockey boxes every day. I thought I would add our $0.02.

TIPS
1. We generally find that 28-32 PSI works well for 50' 5/16 inch coils. (but this will also depend on ambient temp)
2. Flush with clean water after use. We made a jumper hose that we can connect to the back shank then to a garden hose. It makes it easy to flush.
3. Run a cleaner through the coils before and after use, and flush again with clean water or sanitizer.
4. Do not leave water or sanitizer in the coils. Blow out with an air compressor if you are able too. (We live in Michigan, it can drop below freezing any day of the year.)
5. You do not have to ice the kegs, but is recommended if you live in a hot climate. Also, make sure the kegs are not in direct sunlight.
6. Fill the cooler completely with ICE! Cover the entire coil. Add water if necessary. If any part of the coil is not cooled, you will have foam issues.
7. Jockey boxes are all temperature and pressure. If you have foam issues, it's one or the other.
8. Do not leave the keg at 30 PSI if using for more than an afternoon. It will over carb the beer.
9. We generally send 6' beverage and air jumpers to the breweries that buy our jockey boxes. So you shouldn't need more line than that from the keg to the jockey box.

 

[1fast636]

Sweet thanks man shouldn't have any beer after event but woln't mind if I do lol, it's an indoor event so no sunlight shouldn't be a problem and ambient temp should be around 70 im guessing maybe mid 60s if the weather is nice

 

[ColdbreakBrewing]

Sweet thanks man shouldn't have any beer after event but woln't mind if I do lol, it's an indoor event so no sunlight shouldn't be a problem and ambient temp should be around 70 im guessing maybe mid 60s if the weather is nice

No problem.

As long as you are not constantly pouring, you will be perfectly fine. The coils take 5-10 seconds to "recharge" and cool the beer. There is roughly a pint of beer in 50' of 5/16th, so it will depend on the amount poured as well.

Happy pouring.

Chris.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

How's that stand your building coming along?

Haven't started yet... It isn't for me. It is for another brewer. We are getting together soon to plan the final layout. I through together my stand last year out of mild steel because I couldn't commit to an idea that I wanted to etch into stainless. So this will be good to see how it goes and figure out some more things that are important to me.

Here is my build thread from last year. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=464789

I haven't seen any recent welding pictures... how are things going?

Also, what is the event that you are pouring at? The first time I used my jockey box was for my wedding last summer. I was terrified that something would fail and I had no backup plan. I had barely got the new brewery up and running in time to brew the beer for the wedding. I think I got that finished around June 1st and wedding was August 16th. A lot of logistics there!!! But it worked out great.

 

[1fast636]

Battle of the brew clubs for Harrisburg beer week on April 26 in Harrisburg at the local tap house. Haven't had to much weld work lately worth posting just some small fix it jobs tht came in and needed fixed quickly.

Cold break I was browsing your site your boxes are straight amazing pieces of work your 8 tap is a thing of beauty, also signed up for the giveaway lol

 

[1fast636]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1428635471.919368.jpg

 

[1fast636]

So my buddy built me this sweet cover and logo for the event and many after cant wait for Sunday keg has been carbed since Monday doing a dry run persay tomorrow to get pressure settings and pours locked in

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1429939296.221310.jpg

 

[1fast636]

After lighting it up with some leds

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1430050579.812666.jpg

 

[1fast636]

Thanks for all the advice and tips helped answer won people's choice

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1430130403.533478.jpg

Our set up at the battle of the homebrew clubs

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1430130441.751555.jpg

 

[richlong8020]

So if I build a simple coil jockey box for serving but not storing. What are the focal points. 50' coil? 100' coil? Does the keg need to be chilled? Do I need to keep it on ice? I don't want foamy beer so what's the standard line size. I want to use 5 gal Corneys so the keg is definitely on the outside.

I've seen many setups on this forum I like and a lot of them are crazy cool. But I need a solid point to start from. I don't want multiple buys as I want to get it right the first time.

Youtube is kinda useless on this topic except for the Yeti video. That was a 120' coil.

Any step in the right direction is going to be great.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

A lot of it depends on how often you are going to use the jockey box. If you are pouring pints occasionally then you don't need as long of a coil. The beer in the coil will cool off pretty quickly. You can figure out how many oz of beer per foot of tubing pretty quickly with a little google-fu. And then figure out how many pints you need to have cold.

That being said, 50' is usually enough for most people. I use dual cold plates so my beer touches 24' of 1/4" ss coil as it makes it's way through the box. It works great.

I would recommend keeping the keg at 75 degrees or less. If you are a good brewer you will do your best to keep the beer under 75 no matter what... The colder the beer is the shorter the coil needs to be. But beware, if your coil is too short and it works well when the keg is cool it could stop performing when the keg warms up.

I am going to build a small 2-tap box soon and I have a couple 3/8"x120' coils from micromatic for that build. They are huge. The last 20' of coil is a smaller "choker" diameter.

 

[DrunkleJon]

What are your all's thoughts on cold plates from here? http://www.sodadispenserdepot.com/pics/Coldplate6.htm 6 product one linked.

 

[gnef]

That looks like a decent price, but I've never heard of that vendor before. I've bought all my cold plates used, and just cleaned them really well.

I currently have three jockey boxes, used to have four until I sold one to a friend. I have a 6 pass, a 5 pass, and 2 pass. I use cheap rear sealing faucets and brass shanks since they are only used for a hours at a time, and only 2-3 times per year.

I have converted the fittings on the 6 pass and 2 pass to John guest fittings using 3/16" ID x 3/8" OD tubing, and I use 10 ft of tubing to reach the kegs. I plan on converting the 5 pass to the John Guest fittings later on.

They are great to serve my beer off site, though I do sometimes have foaming issues, which I just adjust pressure on to get it within range.

I am a big fan of cold plates to be able to serve a greater number of taps/kegs at a lower flow rate (not serving constantly, and having a greater selection). To get the same number of taps that I have with coils would have required some huge coolers, and a LOT more ice. Also, I freeze my own ice blocks using 8x10 cake baking pans, and the ice blocks work really well for the cold plates.