Jockey box question related to untapping

[Michele Craft]

Hi all,

I have a plate chiller 2 tap jockey box that I will be using for the first time at a party this weekend. I know about packing the lines with beer before ice hits the plate, keeping the kegs cold since it's not a coil system etc, but it occurs to me I don't know what to do about untapping as I'll put the kegs back in my kegerator when the party is over. I've only ever untapped a keg when it's kicked. Since I have to push at a higher PSI vs my normal 12 - 15, do I just shut off the gas, pull the pressure release on the keg coupler and then hook it up to my kegerator system as normal? Normally I don't have to release the pressure on the keg coupler because it's a kicked keg, so I just shut off the gas and disengage the coupler but I'm thinking I need to take all the extra pressure out, and reset it in the kegerator to normal pressures.

Thanks in advance, sorry for the basic question.

 

[Pacific Electric]

Never having used a jockey box, can you bleed and re-pressurize to 12 psi before you transport to keep the CO2 in solution?

 

[Michele Craft]

Never having used a jockey box, can you bleed and re-pressurize to 12 psi before you transport to keep the CO2 in solution?

For my purposes this weekend, I'm going from my back yard to my basement but interesting question if it was going to be in the car or something.

I guess since I don't brew (just consume) I don't know enough about the kegging part of things. I assume when beers are kegged, a certain pressure is applied for carbonation purposes and I'm just matching that when I tap it at home to keep a steady state. In the jockey box, since it's a longer run, I need the higher psi to push it but I think your point makes sense and probably does answer the question. Pull the pin on the coupler and reset to normal serving pressure either off the jockey box co2 tank or immediately in my kegerator as I wouldn't think the time it takes to put the keg in at the basement would matter.

Unless someone suggests that beer in the keg should ALWAYS have some pressure and minutes matter.

 

[IslandLizard]

At the end of your party, when you disconnect the keg from the jockey box, indeed, release some of the extra pressure. You don't need to bleed them off to 0 psi all the way, that's wasting gas, as you then have to put half of it back in again. Just use some educated judgment (sound) to how far to bleed.

Then put the pressure back to what you use on your kegerator (12-15 psi). You may still get some foaming for a day (or 2) due to the higher pressure used and/or if the keg got warm while outside. It will stabilize with time.

How are you keeping your kegs cold while serving from the jockey box?

 

[IslandLizard]

I wouldn't think the time it takes to put the keg in at the basement would matter.

No, it's only a short time, not enough to ruin the carbonation balance unless it's nearly kicked. The leftover beer in the keg is cold and will stay cold for quite a while, the fuller the longer it keeps fine that way.

Unless someone suggests that beer in the keg should ALWAYS have some pressure and minutes matter.

It's best to keep some pressure in the keg, and not totally deflate it, which would also waste a lot of gas. If you serve at 25 psi outside, on the JB, then when you're done with it, there's no need to deflate it to less than 12-15 psi, if that's what you use in the kegerator.
Kegerator, 12-15 psi > JB, raise to 25 psi > Kegerator, deflate to 12-15 psi

 

[Michele Craft]

At the end of your party, when you disconnect the keg from the jockey box, indeed, release some of the extra pressure. You don't need to bleed them off to 0 psi all the way, that's wasting gas, as you then have to put half of it back in again. Just use some educated judgment (sound) to how far to bleed.

Then put the pressure back to what you use on your kegerator (12-15 psi). You may still get some foaming for a day (or 2) due to the higher pressure used and/or if the keg got warm while outside. It will stabilize with time.

How are you keeping your kegs cold while serving from the jockey box?

Thanks for the info!

As for keeping them cold, I have a 55 gallon plastic drum, a 35 gallon one and a big tub type thing that's not as tall but has a wider base. My plan was to drop them in one of more of the vessels, put ice blocks around them (I've been freezing some blocks that are about 12"x6"x6") and then put some bubble wrap silver reflector stuff over the top. No keg blankets available. They'll also be in the garage out of the sun. And I'll just keep the drain on the jockey box open to a bucket so the plate doesn't sit in water.

 

[Michele Craft]

And I should add, my preference will be my 55 and 35 gallon drums depending on what fits because both of those have drains in the bottom and are lined with stainless steel (they double as my electrolysis tanks) I'd love to get 2 sixtels in the 55 since I have the dolly for that too, but I don't think with the slight taper at the bottom they'll both fit. Will be measuring later today.

 

[IslandLizard]

If you have an old sleeping bag or moving blankets you can also wrap some around the holding vessels.
Anything to keep them cooler, longer.

And I'll just keep the drain on the jockey box open to a bucket so the plate doesn't sit in water.

It's actually better to have some water around the cold plate, it helps transferring the cold from the ice to the plate more efficiently.* Just drain off the excess from time to time, so the ice stays closer to the plate.

If the lines from keg to JB are long (>3'), you could wrap some insulation around those too. Or slide a few pieces of foam pipe insulators over them.
Sounds like you're well prepared and ready to go! Good luck and have a wonderful fun weekend!

* More accurately phrased: transferring the heat from the cold plate to the ice more efficiently.
That's why you don't want too much water in it.

 

[Michele Craft]

Great info, thanks!! I do have moving blankets so I can wrap them around and my lines from cold plate to keg coupler are a bit over 5' but my connection is a pass through vs a beer nut and split line (one less connection to deal with) so my plan was to put the kegs as close to the back of the JB as I can and just pull the lines in so they're covered in ice, but I'll throw some pipe foam over anything exposed.

Good to know about a bit of water on the plate too, makes sense if I think back to my thermodynamics class eons ago lol!!

 

[IslandLizard]

And I should add, my preference will be my 55 and 35 gallon drums depending on what fits because both of those have drains in the bottom and are lined with stainless steel (they double as my electrolysis tanks) I'd love to get 2 sixtels in the 55 since I have the dolly for that too, but I don't think with the slight taper at the bottom they'll both fit. Will be measuring later today.

I think 2 or even 3 sixtels could fit inside the 55 gallon one. I've seen those large Brute garbage containers holding 4 corny kegs, which are only a tad narrower than sixtels. It probably depends on how the bottom of the drum is shaped. If it turns out you need to use 2, don't sweat it.

No need to drain those drums that often, the water is close to 32°F and has a tremendous heat (cold) capacity by itself. It surrounds the bottom of your kegs, which is where the spear draws (cold) beer from. We never drain our tubs during an event, at the end of the day we often end up with half a tub of ice cold water with some ice still floating in it.

 

[IslandLizard]

I gather you have a cold plate with 2 circuits (channels), 2 ports in and 2 ports out, and no more?

Remember, to never turn a JB upside down to dump the ice. Doing so may damage your box, the plate, connectors, even injure you or a bystander!
If you expect some helpful guests wanting to assist in cleanup and such after the party they may not be aware of that. Maybe put a caution sticker on the lid!

 

[NitrogenWidget]

I don't use a plate chiller or JB.
but I have two portable keggerators.
One made out of a square garbage can for 2 5 gallon kegs with foam and sprayfoam insulation and one made out of a cooler for 2 3 gallon kegs.
I use silicone hose and have about 15ft for each beer line coiled up and hanging inside towards the bottom so as it melts they are surrounded by ice water. I don't honestly know how much cold is transferred through the silicone, but i do know the beer doesn't get warm or foamy at all with those setups and i usually keep the pressure around 10ish depending on what i'm serving.
takes a bit to get a decent balance for say a session wheat beer that foams up easily vs a standard ipa which doesn't.

 

[Michele Craft]

I gather you have a cold plate with 2 circuits (channels), 2 ports in and 2 ports out, and no more?

Remember, to never turn a JB upside down to dump the ice. Doing so may damage your box, the plate, connectors, even injure you or a bystander!
If you expect some helpful guests wanting to assist in cleanup and such after the party they may not be aware of that. Maybe put a caution sticker on the lid!

Never got alerted to additional posts so I'm sorry for the delayed response. Yep, plate has 2 channels, 2 ports in, 2 ports out as you say. None of my guests would try to "help" in that way because they all know I can turn into a crazy woman when people mess with my stuff. Only time the lid was opened was when I was showing them the inside, and I just opened the drain once or twice over the 12 hours it was set up.

All went fabulously for the party!! Ended up I couldn't get a sixtel of Yuengling lager so I got a slim quarter, but that went in the 55 gallon drum first and then the sixtel of Sam Summer went down as far as it could with the whole thing packed with ice and a blanket on top. I still had ice floating in it almost 24 hours later.

I put that pool noodle type pipe insulation around the exposed lines from kegs to back of JB and all was great. Kicked the sixtel so I didn't have to worry about bleed pressure off that, just took the quarter down a bit and put it back in the kegerator. I didn't hook it up yet because I'm rerouting lines to take CO2 tank out of the kegerator to be on the outside in a cabinet and will be doing a full cleaning since I just kicked another keg that stayed in the "special reserve" in the basement that only a few knew about lol!! Also, I've been chasing a VERY VERY VERY slow gas leak (shows up on my plato readings over MONTHS) so I may just get rid of the ball locks on all lines and only keep it on the one I keep open of the 4 taps for when friends may bring homebrew in. I THINK I know which ball lock (all CMB) is the issue but for now, I've got the tank on and both manifolds have their out ports totally off so at least I'll know if it's at the tank/regulator/in side of the manifolds or not and start chasing from there. (Going back to this thread CMB Ball lock QDs, wonky or just me?)