Jockey box

[burnsie8791]

I know this is not the right place for this but i did not see anything in the DIY forum. My club is planning to build a jockey box. I was under the impression this was going to be an easy decision, but have been proven wrong. Im seeing a great deal of conflicting info. Some say copper is poison and should be avoided but BYO did a DIY section on one and used copper. I know copper is much easier to work with then stainless but the difference in cost is obviously significant between the two. We also have an option of using a 8 product cold plate, but some are concerned that cold plates have a reputation for being difficult to clean as well as not cooling as well as coils when the beer is warmish. The intent is for this box to be used at brew fests and club events. If we go with coils what type and how much tubing is needed. I was thinking 25 feet per tap, but Im starting to question if that is enough. Any input is welcome and appreciated. Thanks

 

[swmalone]

I just made one using a used cold plate I picked up. I used two of the passes for an IPA that was at about 65 degrees when it started going through. One bag of ice and the beer was the perfect temperature coming out. The cold plate wasn't overly fun to clean in the first place but that is because it had been used for soda and had been sitting around for years. I'm not sure why it would be any harder to clean as long as you clean in a timely manner.

 

[b-boy]

I second the cold plate. It makes the build process so much easier. You can get a used one relatively cheap. I got a 5-pass for ~$50. I spent another $75 or so for fittings, and I was in business.

I've used it during the summer and never had any temperature problems. I alway chill the kegs before I hook them up.

I usually use 1 20-lb bag of ice for a day. Last year I left it out overnight and into the next evening and it was still pouring ice cold beer.

 

[Homercidal]

Cold plate. They *can* be difficult to clean, but if you rinse very well with hot water when you are done and don't let the beer sit in there to create mold, you should be fine. In any event you can run hot cleaner through it and then bake it to sterilize it if need be.

Stainless coils will work but they are more expensive and have a somewhat lower performance than copper or a cold plate. You still have the same concern about cleaning as a cold plate.

Copper is fine IF you aren't concerned about acid and alcohol sitting in the copper long enough to leach the bad stuff from the copper. I have no idea how much one would get from drink beer at a single event, but I know I wouldn't want to use copper for my kegerator. A lot of folks say that you dont' have enough contact time during a single event to get enough bad stuff to matter, but I'ven never seen any kind of study proving or disproving the concern.

A cold plate is pretty easy to set up, they are just more expensive than the other options.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

I use cold plates. They are awesome. You don't need nearly as big of a cooler with them.