Kegging and Military Moves (PCS)--what can go?

[stealthfixr]

I've been a die-hard bottling brewer for many years, but for some special events a keg would be far easier. I've been looking at basic keg setups and contemplating getting one. One potential problem: I am active duty military and will be moving this summer to who knows where (no idea, could be overseas, might not be). A few searched on HBF did not reveal which kegging things can be military moved or not.

Can the CO2 bottles be purged for the move, or are they just forbidden like so many other things (i.e. propane tanks, paints, solvents, etc). I assume the kegs can be moved if empty, but you never know with military movers. I also have a fair number of wine bottles (full) now and unsure if those move easily or not.

Any military brewers out there that have PCS'd with a keg setup?

 

[Wolfbayne]

You'll have to move all the filled kegs yourself. Read the SOP in regards to the movers and see what they can actually move for you. Alcohol is one thing on the list that they cannot. Once you get your orders make an appointment with travel and they can give you the low down to your questions.

 

[Bryan83taco]

Good question, I'm gonna be PCSing this fall to Hawaii. This will be my first time PCSing with kegging and brewing stuff (just started brewing/kegging). I was going to plan on having my kegs empty by then so they should be OK to ship. As far as the CO2 tank goes, I was just going to make sure its empty and hope they pack it (or hide it...). If not I'll buy another tank when I get there.

 

[Biscuits]

CO2 tank cannot go. The moving company might let you pack it if you show them it is completely empty, but depends on the company. Like someone else said, they will not ship alcohol, so you will have to empty your kegs or transport them yourself if you're able to.

 

[RedlegEd]

First, thank you all for your continued service! I'm sure there are changes since I retired, but as Wolfbayne said, wait until you get your orders. If it's a CONUS move, you can usually drag along stuff like alcohol, CO2, firearms, etc. in your POV. If your orders are OCONUS, that's a whole different ball game, especially if it's to another country. Then all kinds of different rules come into play. Wherever your PCS takes you, I wish you the best of luck.

 

[Zepth]

I work with a moving company. Though my particular company is Canada based, we are part of a multi-national company with DND / DoD contracts. We have an allotted number of bottles for home brewing / winemaking that are allowed to travel. I doubt anyone is actually going to count and care. If you have over the limit (in my experience anyways) we'll gladly pack them up and be on our way.

Full alcohol containers of any sort are not permitted. That said we often will move contents of the liquor cabinet with a "no responsibility" clause, though that usually comes down to the particular driver. I would recommend most clients take it in their personal vehicle. Most of the time the amount at residence would fit in a 2 cu ft box or less.

The CO2 tank can be considered a pressurized vessel and not permitted. If you were to open the valve up and drain it in front of the movers, they may be more likely to take it. An empty propane tank still has propane inside - just at atmospheric pressure. CO2 will be the same ordeal. Though the CO2 isn't flammable or explosive. If that fails you could leave the valve wide open on it during shipping. There will never be a pressure build up possible, but it would be recommended to get a proper purge upon refilling. Failing that, put it into your personal vehicle.

As far as the kegs go, having them empty is the way to go. Particularly if carbonated. While it might be 12 PSI at your kegerator temperature, as soon as it starts to warm up in the back of a moving truck, all bets are off. Should it need to release pressure to prevent explosion, there's a pretty good chance of beer coming out of the PRV. What a mess that would make. Then left days, potentially over a week in a dark, warm environment. It wouldn't be pretty, and it would take out whatever got sprayed as well.

I hope some of this info helps.

 

[8MoreMiles]

PCS'd from Germany, left the lids off the kegs and showed the movers the CO2 tank was empty. No problems here. Just my experience.

Did a CONUS move and kept full kegs under gas in the pov, add ice on arrival.... no HHG but have cold beer.

 

[schokie]

Same here. I've moved my kegging equipment through two overseas PCS moves. 100% success with empty kegs and opening the CO2 valve to demonstrate empty tank in front of the packers.

Only downsides are 1) having to restart my pipeline and 2) refilling my CO2 tank post-move. My location was the UK. Couldn't find a place that would just refill the tank, so ended up getting a 20lb tank from a place that didn't refill, but swapped out empties for a full tank as long as you left them a deposit. However, the British tanks (both CO2 and Propane) use a different thread, which required me buying an adapter for both my keg and my grill.