# Setting Up A Campsite Keg System



## SJW (5/9/12)

So, when we go away camping I want to take a 19L keg with me. I have a C02 charger and a little plastic tap but my question is, whats the best way to keep the keg cold? I could stand the keg in a bucket of ice but that will be a pain filling with ice every day. I figure I only need to keep the bottom 1/3 cold as thats where the beer is drawn from, but I dont want it to get too warm as the co2 will start to come out of solution. 
What about using a little dry ice and insulating the keg so it does not freeze the beer?
Any ideas would be great.

Steve


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## Phoney (5/9/12)

Only way I can think of is to get a techni ice esky big enough to fit the keg laying down, once it's iced up and cool, take it out, put a keg parka on, slide in some ice bricks between the parka and the keg and stick it in the shade. unless it's a stinking hot day it should keep cold for the rest of the day. 


I have a 50L waeco fridge in the back of my van, fits 9L kegs in perfectly. My car has beer on tap :beerbang:


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## black_labb (5/9/12)

What about a flexible esky bag type thing similar to those 100 can coolers. If you get some cheap enough you could use one for the bottom with the ice and one upside down over the top with holes cut in it for the tap and co2. attach them together with some stick on velcro or just duct tape. They won't keep as cool as a proper esky but they'll work.

What about getting ahold of some polypin containers for some cask ale while camping. they should fit into a normal esky.


another tip while camping is to freeze some food for your last days and use the frozen food as ice bricks so by the time the last days have come around they have defrosted. Saves space in the esky an saves buying ice.


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## kymba (5/9/12)

too easy...


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## donburke (5/9/12)

black_labb said:


> What about a flexible esky bag type thing similar to those 100 can coolers. If you get some cheap enough you could use one for the bottom with the ice and one upside down over the top with holes cut in it for the tap and co2. attach them together with some stick on velcro or just duct tape. They won't keep as cool as a proper esky but they'll work.
> 
> What about getting ahold of some polypin containers for some cask ale while camping. they should fit into a normal esky.
> 
> ...



get yourself one of those 23 litre all stainless kegs, like picture here

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2-x-23-Litre-St...=item4abb9533db

they fit perfectly in one of those round rubbermaid coolers (or variations thereof)

a brumby tap fits straight through the existing tap hole, and if you get a small reg and soda stream bottle, it too will fit in the cooler

it will keep for days with a cool keg and some ice going in, because you wont be opening it, and as we know, if its not opened, it will stay cool longer


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## brad81 (5/9/12)

So just make sure kymba goes camping with you every time!

Looks the goods


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## drsmurto (5/9/12)

I supply the beer for the annual boys camping trip at the end of this month.

In the past it was kegs with picnic taps and a small fire extingusiher for the gas. 






This year we have upgraded one of the picnic taps setups to the red one on the right of this pic. Hoping to take the one of the left too (belongs to Raven).






Also bought keg chargers and did a local bulk buy on bulbs reducing the cost per bulb to $1.47. Saves messing about with gas bottles/regs etc

We take a massive techi ice esky which we fill full of ice just before we arrive and it lasts the 5 days easily. Each morning i empty the water out of the keg and add ice, it lasts the day.

This year we will have 4 kegs of beer (2 x golden ale, 1 x german pils and 1 more when i pull my finger out and actually brew it), 1 keg of scotch and coke (homemade scotch/water plus a soda stream cola flavouring) and a keg of black russian (homemade vodka and kahlua, water and soda stream cola) :huh:

EDIT - no power on our camping trip and generators are banned so ice is the only way to cool.


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## Spork (5/9/12)

kymba said:


> too easy...
> 
> View attachment 56929




Hey Kymba - what are your plans for the couple of weeks before xmas this year? I want to invite you to a camping trip...


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## stakka82 (5/9/12)

Just a question with portable keg chargers - is one 16gm bulb enough to charge a whole 9l keg? 

If so is it as simple as charging the keg and then serving until keg's end?


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## Phoney (5/9/12)

stakka82 said:


> Just a question with portable keg chargers - is one 16gm bulb enough to charge a whole 9l keg?
> 
> If so is it as simple as charging the keg and then serving until keg's end?



enough to dispense a 9L keg, and only just.


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## SJW (5/9/12)

stakka82 said:


> Just a question with portable keg chargers - is one 16gm bulb enough to charge a whole 9l keg?
> 
> If so is it as simple as charging the keg and then serving until keg's end?


My understanding is it wont carbonate up a keg, but I plan on using just enough pressure to pour the pre carbonated beer. Not sure how many litres of co2 are in those little suckers, but I am guessing I would need a couple to dispense one full keg.


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## MattC (5/9/12)

Would love more info on these. Where to get them or how to make them. Materials etc?? Please??



DrSmurto said:


> I supply the beer for the annual boys camping trip at the end of this month.
> 
> In the past it was kegs with picnic taps and a small fire extingusiher for the gas.
> 
> ...


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## drsmurto (5/9/12)

A 16g bulb 'should' dispense one fully carbonated 19L keg.

That said i am taking a pack of 30 just in case one of the (other) drunken yobbos decides to feck about with the keg charger and waste a bulb or 7. In the past i have had to open a keg and pour it into a bucket then 'dispense' that into glasses after the gas ran out. Hopefully by allowing for 5 bulbs per keg i have that issue covered! The mates went through 4 bulbs dispensing 1 x 9L keg recently after i crashed. Only found out recently they wasting them by trying to inhale the bulb like you would N2O...... 

The 'portakegs' in the photo are made from 300mm stormwater pipe with a base fixed to it that is watertight. The lid is wood and has a hinge on the back to flip open. The taps are very cheap flow control jobbies.

I am a DIY tool tard so the only thing i did was spray paint mine red and stain the wooden top, the rest was done by Raven19 whose baby shit brown coloured portakeg is the one on the left :lol: 

The information on the building/pimping of these portakegs can be found on the BrewAdelaide forum - Link

From memory there are more than 10 of them locally after one of the brewers got his hands on a large amount of stormwater pipe. If you peruse pictures of the recent case swaps you will see a line of these things.


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## stakka82 (5/9/12)

Thanks guys. I was aware that the keg needed to be carbonated first, but didn't know if you needed just the one bulb or more than one to dispense the full 9l. 

Dr Smurto, you mentioned a bulk cartridge buy, what was the supplier and how many were needed to bring the price down to $1.50?


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## drsmurto (5/9/12)

stakka82 said:


> Thanks guys. I was aware that the keg needed to be carbonated first, but didn't know if you needed just the one bulb or more than one to dispense the full 9l.
> 
> Dr Smurto, you mentioned a bulk cartridge buy, what was the supplier and how many were needed to bring the price down to $1.50?



Boxes of 300 and company is called finewhip. 300 food grade is $439.95 with free delivery ($1.47/bulb), 10 of us went in so a box of 30 cost us $44 each.

For those wanting to save even more coin, 300 non food grade is $349.95 with free delivery ($1.17/bulb). I've used the non food grade in the past but for an extra 30c we decided to go the safer option.


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## stakka82 (5/9/12)

Ah, thanks for the info. 

300 is quite a few and I wouldn't have anyone else to split with, so I think I'll just pick them up from Keg King - 1.95 for singles. Can't wait to get the 9L out and about.


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## stevemc32 (5/9/12)

If you follow the link provided by DrSmurto and browse around it looks like they actually sell lots of 30 for $45 plus shipping now so no need for a group buy.


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## dent (5/9/12)

I use a Diemen cylinder for portable applications - since you can get regulators so cheap nowadays I find it a bit of a false economy going for the bulb chargers. The cylinders are about $100 to buy retail and $15 to swap for gas at your LHBS. Working out how many bulbs that cylinder is equivalent to is left as an exercise for the reader.


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## kegs23 (5/9/12)

heres my 19L keg set up and my 9L kegs set up


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## Batz (5/9/12)

I can't find the pic or thread, but Florian puts a 19lt keg in a foam box from the green grocers. Like a broccoli box, he duct tapes up the lid, it's filled with ice and lasts a couple of days. Brilliant! Oh and free!


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## MaestroMatt (5/9/12)

kegs23 said:


> heres my 19L keg set up and my 9L kegs set up



Loving that 9L keg setup there, mate! Nice use of a cheapo Big W wheelie cooler


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## mmmyummybeer (5/9/12)

My camp kegerator.





You can't see in the picture but the drain plug is at the top. I drilled a hole through the plug and ran a line through with gas disconnects for the kegs then hooked up a portable keg charger on the other end, that way I can put more gas in without opening up the esky. Both kegs have to run the same pressure though. I fill it with about 5 bags of ice around the kegs and it easily stays cold for a couple of days.


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## Online Brewing Supplies (5/9/12)

mmmyummybeer said:


> My camp kegerator.
> 
> View attachment 56936
> 
> ...


Brilliant.
Nev


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## Helles (5/9/12)

Heres my camping set up
2 Stainless steal coils in an esky one fits inside the other
2 taps and use a soda stream bottle to dispense :beerbang:


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## manticle (5/9/12)

DrSmurto said:


> Only found out recently they wasting them by trying to inhale the bulb like you would N2O......



Hope you told them that's a really, really bad idea?


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## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_ (5/9/12)

helles said:


> Heres my camping set up
> 2 Stainless steal coils in an esky one fits inside the other
> 2 taps and use a soda stream bottle to dispense :beerbang:




YES!!!! YES!!! YES!!!

The last time i saw something like this was at chappos bogan brew day! What diameter is the SS tubing???


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## Helles (5/9/12)

_WALLACE_ said:


> YES!!!! YES!!! YES!!!
> 
> The last time i saw something like this was at chappos bogan brew day! What diameter is the SS tubing???



It is 10-12mm but slightly flat
Came out of old Temprite


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## Hoyt (5/9/12)

this i s what i have for my caravan




but have now just about finished my offroad camper trailer with slide out 80 litre waeco fridge and gas fired pizza oven ... and 4 keg system on the drawbar lined with cool room panelling


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## drsmurto (5/9/12)

manticle said:


> Hope you told them that's a really, really bad idea?



Not a great idea but 16g of CO2 is unlikely to be lethal.


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## SJW (5/9/12)

sensational stuff lads. I have a length of heavy duty 300mm PVC sewer pipe that would be perfect. Just need to buy an end cap and glue it on and make a lid. Maybe even pick up another Celli tap.

Steve


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## pk.sax (5/9/12)




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## manticle (5/9/12)

DrSmurto said:


> Not a great idea but 16g of CO2 is unlikely to be lethal.




Possibly not lethal although if you've ever known anyone who's really into N2O bulbs, they may do a few in a row without pausing.

Let's leave it at 'not a great idea.' A fine compromise.


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## SJW (5/9/12)

Now I just need to buy a shank that I can use with one of my Cellis from home. If I just bought a length of 3/8" BSP threaded pipe with a nut on one end I think I should be able to just screw my Celli onto that for camping applications....?

Steve


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## Dave70 (6/9/12)

DrSmurto said:


> Boxes of 300 and company is called finewhip. 300 food grade is $439.95 with free delivery ($1.47/bulb), 10 of us went in so a box of 30 cost us $44 each.
> 
> For those wanting to save even more coin, 300 non food grade is $349.95 with free delivery ($1.17/bulb). I've used the non food grade in the past but for an extra 30c we decided to go the safer option.




Since, I assume the beer's already carbed up, could you jury rig any source of pressure up to the quick disconnect? 
Like say a 4x4 size compressor (regulated of course) or even a bike pump in a pinch?


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## Phoney (6/9/12)

Dave70 said:


> Since, I assume the beer's already carbed up, could you jury rig any source of pressure up to the quick disconnect?
> Like say a 4x4 size compressor (regulated of course) or even a bike pump in a pinch?



Pumping air into the keg will work, and they sell hand pumps for that purpose, but the beer will go flat after a day or 2. Fine if you know you're going to finish the keg that day or the next. Shit if you dont finish it all.


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## drsmurto (6/9/12)

Dave70 said:


> Since, I assume the beer's already carbed up, could you jury rig any source of pressure up to the quick disconnect?
> Like say a 4x4 size compressor (regulated of course) or even a bike pump in a pinch?



Yes, that would work fine if you, like us, are going through the keg in less than a day. Bulbs of air would work fine too or N2.

When i pull beer through the handpump i simply leave the pressure relief valve open, you could just as easily pump from a cube albeit slightly less clarsey. I could take that with me but other than the weight my megaswill drinking mates would disapprove of warm, flat beer. I tolerate the heathens as they do drink my beer even if it's served ice cold.


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## Filfy (6/9/12)

Just google 'draft jockey box' 

http://byo.com/stories/article/indices/20-...ey-box-projects

http://www.kegworks.com/draft-beer-equipme...ockey-boxes-831


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## Baulko Brewer (6/9/12)

DrSmurto said:


> The 'portakegs' in the photo are made from 300mm stormwater pipe with a base fixed to it that is watertight. The lid is wood and has a hinge on the back to flip open. The taps are very cheap flow control jobbies.




300mm Stormwater pipe would be very expensive wouldn't it. It looks great, but at what cost?? :huh:


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## SJW (6/9/12)

Yes 300mm PVC Stormwater pipe is very expensive but I picked up about 1.5m of it from a building site that was dumping it. I priced a slip on end cap for it today and they want $50 just for that. So I will make something up for a base.
Thinking I may just need to go with the little plastic Bronco tap with about 2 metres of beer line behind it to slow it down.


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## dent (6/9/12)

The other thing you can do is get a second empty keg, purge it with CO2 and pressurise it to 80psi or so with CO2 - then use a gas to gas tube with a valve to keep pressure in the dispensing keg when required. Fussy but it will work.


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## drsmurto (6/9/12)

Baulko Brewer said:


> 300mm Stormwater pipe would be very expensive wouldn't it. It looks great, but at what cost?? :huh:



I have no idea of the cost, mine and the rest of the local lads got ours for free. The biggest cost was the tap.


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## Nick JD (6/9/12)

dent said:


> The other thing you can do is get a second empty keg, purge it with CO2 and pressurise it to 80psi or so with CO2 - then use a gas to gas tube with a valve to keep pressure in the dispensing keg when required. Fussy but it will work.



Great idea.


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## Amber Fluid (6/9/12)

dent said:


> The other thing you can do is get a second empty keg, purge it with CO2 and pressurise it to 80psi or so with CO2 - then use a gas to gas tube with a valve to keep pressure in the dispensing keg when required. Fussy but it will work.



Assuming you mean kpa and not psi..... that's a good idea...... have you tried this?... if you have then how long would you expect it to last?

Then again you might as well just take the gas bottle if you have a small/ish one.


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## Phoney (6/9/12)

dent said:


> The other thing you can do is get a second empty keg, purge it with CO2 and pressurise it to 80psi or so with CO2 - then use a gas to gas tube with a valve to keep pressure in the dispensing keg when required. Fussy but it will work.




Yeah or you could just get a sodastream c02 bottle & adapter. Takes up shitloads less room in your vehicle than carting along an empty keg.


Damn all this talk of camping, beer and it being 28C outside makes me want to pack the van & piss off up the coast for a week B)


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## the_new_darren (6/9/12)

MattC said:


> Would love more info on these. Where to get them or how to make them. Materials etc?? Please??



They dont seem to be insulated?

How long do they last in hot weather (30C+)?

tnd


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## the_new_darren (6/9/12)

mmmyummybeer said:


> My camp kegerator.
> 
> View attachment 56936
> 
> ...



Would be my choice as it is insulated (and cheaper).

Just one question, does it leak or do you use "okky" straps to ensure it stays closed?

tnd


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## Helles (6/9/12)

phoneyhuh said:


> Yeah or you could just get a sodastream c02 bottle & adapter. Takes up shitloads less room in your vehicle than carting along an empty keg.
> 
> 
> Damn all this talk of camping, beer and it being 28C outside makes me want to pack the van & piss off up the coast for a week B)




Its 18c in Melbourne and shit no ones thinking of camping here


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## treefiddy (6/9/12)

helles said:


> Its 18c in Melbourne and shit no ones thinking of camping here



I am!

I am supprised the jockey/miracle box has only been mentioned once or twice? It is surely the most efficient ice cooling solution with a reasonable size footprint. Is there a reason you guys have gone for a single keg cooling setup?


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## jacknohe (6/9/12)

I can see there's lots of good options here. But if you're short on time then you could try the Bullet Bin solution. Its not flash like the fully kitted up drain pipe, but its cheap, easy, and quick... (just like me :lol: ) I found the insulation worked a treat.

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=60711


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## sama (6/9/12)

so with these units,with a pre carbed keg,you just screw it on and it provides serving pressure?will one do a keg?no reg required?


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## SJW (6/9/12)

gas is not the problem, I have a keg charger and tap, its just the unit to keep it all cold. I have the 300mm PVC stormwater pipe so I just need to find something for a base and a lid.


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## drsmurto (6/9/12)

the_new_darren said:


> They dont seem to be insulated?
> 
> How long do they last in hot weather (30C+)?
> 
> tnd



Ice is cheap. :icon_cheers: 

We sit them in a shady spot and they seem to last most of the day but then again we camp in early spring in country Vic/NSW (Swan Hill region). We take a massive techi ice esky that holds 6-8 bags of ice so enough to last us for cooling down these for at least 5 days. It's a half an hours drive to civilisation from where we camp on a private property.

Every other time i use it it is for half a day and with 1 bag of ice that is more than fine. 

That said, i am impressed by the more high tech versions. Would love one an all in one unit.

We have no electricity (and generators are banned by choice) so temprites/fridges are out so ice is the only way of cooling.


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## Nick JD (6/9/12)

sama said:


> so with these units,with a pre carbed keg,you just screw it on and it provides serving pressure?will one do a keg?no reg required?



As long as no dipshit squirts the whole bulb in, yes. 

Remove the QD until someone complains it's pouring too slow. Attach it and give one or two little squirts. Disconnect it and hide it until someone complains again.

Then, and only then, will it dispense one keg.


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## blotto (6/9/12)

Nick JD said:


> As long as no dipshit squirts the whole bulb in, yes.
> 
> Remove the QD until someone complains it's pouring too slow. Attach it and give one or two little squirts. Disconnect it and hide it until someone complains again.
> 
> Then, and only then, will it dispense one keg.


LMAO that's exactly what I did the first time  
My beer was flying out the keg!


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## stakka82 (6/9/12)

> Remove the QD until someone complains it's pouring too slow. Attach it and give one or two little squirts. Disconnect it and hide it until someone complains again.



Ahhhhh. Now it makes sense.



> LMAO that's exactly what I did the first time
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yeah I totally would have done that too.


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## Phoney (7/9/12)

DrSmurto said:


> We have no electricity (and generators are banned by choice) so temprites/fridges are out so ice is the only way of cooling.



The fridge in my rig can run for 4 - 5 days in summer (if parked in the shade) off a dedicated deep cycle battery that's under the hood. Then I've got a 500W fold-able solar panel that charges the battery during the day and that will keep the fridge going indefinitely.


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## dent (7/9/12)

Amber Fluid said:


> Assuming you mean kpa and not psi..... that's a good idea...... have you tried this?... if you have then how long would you expect it to last?
> 
> Then again you might as well just take the gas bottle if you have a small/ish one.



No I do mean psi - when the flow starts to trickle from your dispense keg just open the valve a tiny bit to let some CO2 in. It is helpful if you have a gauge on the dispense side of the valve. You will have to do this less and less often as more room is made in the dispense keg.

Obviously it is less ideal than a gas bottle, but requires no extra parts for those of us with less wallet to play with.


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## bradsbrew (7/9/12)

Hers is my portable gas unit. couple of hits of the button to bring pouring back up. Fits in esky next to keg.


Cheers


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## SJW (7/9/12)

So what is that thing that has the gas in it? Soda Stream?


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## Florian (7/9/12)

Batz said:


> I can't find the pic or thread, but Florian puts a 19lt keg in a foam box from the green grocers. Like a broccoli box, he duct tapes up the lid, it's filled with ice and lasts a couple of days. Brilliant! Oh and free!







Note the cut out corners on top around the keg, take the four triangle 'lids' out, fill with ice, put 'lids' back on.
There are those long plastic flow restrictors sitting in the dip tube for a good pour even on a highly carbed Hefeweizen. 



The Christmas edition:


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## bradsbrew (7/9/12)

SJW said:


> So what is that thing that has the gas in it? Soda Stream?



Yep. The gas gine fits onto the stem of the soda machine. I dont usually leave the gas line on the keg, just put it on couple of squirts........



Cheers


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## SJW (7/9/12)

bradsbrew said:


> Yep. The gas gine fits onto the stem of the soda machine. I dont usually leave the gas line on the keg, just put it on couple of squirts........
> 
> Cheers



Very nice mate.

Oh and Florian, that is the cats whiskers. I love it. So when the ice melts it just drips out the bottom?


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## Florian (7/9/12)

When the ice melts, the cold water stays in there and keeps the keg cooler for longer! 
You could punch holes or just not be too anal with the duct tape if you wanted it to leak out, but I prefer to just top the cold water up with more ice if need be. 

We get veggies delivered in these boxes every fortnight so we have an abundance of those.


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## MetalRooster (7/9/12)

This is my setup:








Simple but effective. Majority of beer line sits inside the esky which is filled with ice. I use a sodastream gas bottle with a harris reg. Snaplock tap on the front.


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## donburke (7/9/12)

This is my party setup
4 taps with provision for a 5th
soda stream bottle and reg will dispense all kegs
with a bag of ice will stay cold for days
fits 3 x 23 + 2 x 9 l kegs or
2 x 23 + 3 x 9 l kegs


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## donburke (7/9/12)

Front view


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## SJW (7/9/12)

I just picked up a Brocoli box from the fruit shop so I plan on making a Florian party keg cooler. Does anyone add rock salt to the ice to keep it cooler for longer?


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## donburke (7/9/12)

SJW said:


> I just picked up a Brocoli box from the fruit shop so I plan on making a Florian party keg cooler. Does anyone add rock salt to the ice to keep it cooler for longer?


Adding salt to water will lower the freezing/melting point so it would melt quicker

most of the cooling power of ice comes from the change from solid to liquid


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## SJW (7/9/12)

donburke said:


> Adding salt to water will lower the freezing/melting point so it would melt quicker
> 
> most of the cooling power of ice comes from the change from solid to liquid


I thought that salt just slowed down the reation between water and ice. ie a buck of ice with water then thrown in a handful of salt would lower the freezing point of the water keeping the keg cooler for longer.............??????? 
Now I am talking shit. :blink:


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## Shep14 (7/9/12)

Adding salt will cause the ice to melt quickly initially, and will lower the temperature of the surrounding water. Handy if you want to cool something quicker.

However, heat will transfer more readily into the solution now and will not last as long as if the salt wasnt added.


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## SJW (7/9/12)

> _Salt definitely works, but has its drawbacks. I'm sure the amount of salt used is important! One Xmas with loads of relo's over tried the salt method out. One esky, one case of beer(as emergency supply; had plenty in our two fridges!), enough party ice to cover the beer and about a third of one of those big Saxa salt plastic containers over the ice. Result- Still completely frozen the next day. In fact the salt had caused the ice cubes to form one solid block of ice. This was in the middle of Summer on the Far Nth Coast of NSW so the air temp was about 28. An excellent result I thought except for the drawbacks; you had to struggle to get a beer from the solid block of ice and if you forgot to rinse around the bottle-top with fresh water your first mouthful of beer was salty_



From another web site. Might me worth a side by side


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## Big E (7/9/12)

Here are some pics of my portable/camping setup, fits 19L keg and small diemen gas bottle. Have just bought a new reg to plum into the setup so as to use the diemen bottle, have been using it with the bigger gas bottle sitting outside (not ideal). 

I used a half size wheely bin and an old fermenter handy pale bucket joined togeather. The whole thing has been insulated with expanding foam and packing foam shoved into the air spaces. Expanding Foam sprayed into the bottom then a mdf base put down for buckets and keg to sit on. Then the space aroud the buckets filled with foam and another piece of mdf for the top to cap it all off. Can fit about 2 1/2 to 3 bags of ice around the keg. First test was with one bag of ice and worked a treat ice lasted 2 days but was in winter. Still have to work on insulating the lid.


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## MAH (7/9/12)

SJW said:


> Does anyone add rock salt to the ice to keep it cooler for longer?



Salt will make the ice melt quicker. This is why in country's like England, they salt the roads in winter to make the snow and ice melt.


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## drsmurto (7/9/12)

SJW said:


> From another web site. Might me worth a side by side






MAH said:


> Salt will make the ice melt quicker. This is why in country's like England, they salt the roads in winter to make the snow and ice melt.



MAH is on the money.

I use salt and ice in the lab to control the temperature of chemical reactions that are highly exothermic (release large amounts of heat energy). Works a treat, getts down to -7/8C very easily but melts very quickly and needs to be changed over regularly. Adding too much salt might actually cause your beer to freeze.


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## Super8 (7/9/12)

phoneyhuh said:


> The fridge in my rig can run for 4 - 5 days in summer (if parked in the shade) off a dedicated deep cycle battery that's under the hood. Then I've got a 500W fold-able solar panel that charges the battery during the day and that will keep the fridge going indefinitely.


Yeah, smart setup. 
I have a similar set-up but no Solar, I just rely on the alternator charging up the battery while driving each day and I take along a spare battery in the tray.


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## Spork (2/12/12)

Reading this thread to find inspitration for portable keg / beer cooling.
Could a plate chiller be used instead of a coil in a jockey box type setup? 
Would the ones (plate chillers) the site sponsors sell stand up to the pressure of carbonated beer, or would it split the seams?
Obviously some adapters / reducers to fit beerline onto the barbs would be needed, any other reason/s not to consider this option?


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## hsb (2/12/12)

Foam? The plate chiller is designed to disturb the flow to aid cooling, but not so good for carbonated beer maybe?


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## Helles (2/12/12)

hsb said:


> Foam? The plate chiller is designed to disturb the flow to aid cooling, but not so good for carbonated beer maybe?



Your thinking about a Plate chiller ( wort cooling)
He wants a Chiller Plate( beer cooling)
Chiller plate will work fine they say you need to drain water out of esky
So ice sits on plate for best results 

Edit: although i have 2 stainless coils and 2 taps in an esky for camping


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## pokolbinguy (2/12/12)

i think the ridge surfaces of the plate chillers would cause mega foaming.

i am sure i have read about someone trying it before


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## hsb (2/12/12)

helles said:


> Your thinking about a Plate chiller ( wort cooling)
> He wants a Chiller Plate( beer cooling)
> Chiller plate will work fine they say you need to drain water out of esky
> So ice sits on plate for best results
> ...


Do site sponsors sell Chiller Plates? 
I find I burn through the little 16g CO2 bulbs on the road.
Contemplating bottling this time out, but there are some top drawer set ups above. Could be a marketplace for broccoli boxes soon, and two coil setup is 5* service.


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## Sammus (2/12/12)

don't try using a plate chiller designed for wort, they're not meant to be run at high pressure, and you will split them (it's been done!) and they won't work well anyway since they're designed to have counterflow liquid. Instead get a cold plate, these things are designed for jockey boxes. Reasonable price from the chi company


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## billygoat (13/5/13)

This my camping/portable set up. It is a mini wheelie bin ($10) which has been insulated on the outside with two layers of camping mat and then wrapped with duct tape. The lid is insulated with camping mat and inside it has expanderfoam. Has a drain to get rid of melting ice. The tap is a Perlick 525SS and the gas bottle is a 540 gram Dieman. It can fit a 9 litre corny or the 23 litre keg in the picture.
Works well and a bag of ice will last a day or so on a hot day in the shade.


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## Edak (13/5/13)

I love your set up, looks great but appears to have cost you only a small amount.


A+ for effort...


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## tanukibrewer (13/5/13)

Billygoat that looks awesome!Going to try and build something similar for sure


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## Edak (13/5/13)

What did you use as a mould for your expander foam? I want to make one this week..


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## billygoat (14/5/13)

I hunted high and low for a bucket or container of the right size (around 300 mm dia) and couldn't find one. Went to the tip one weekend and someone had thrown out a swimming pool filter and pump set up. The housing for the filter was the right diameter, it was a bit high so I trimmed it to fit with a jigsaw. It is made of a really hard plastic of about 6 mm thickness.
Some people have used 300 mm PVC pipe but I couldn't source any.

Edit - The mould I used is 340 mm dia, using that size meant I could fit my 23 litre keg in, if you're only going to use a 9L or 19L corny keg, 300 mm dia will do. Gives enough room to fit ice around the keg.


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## Edak (14/5/13)

Cool, thanks.


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