Setting Up A Campsite Keg System

[bradsbrew]

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

 

[SJW]

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?

 

[Florian]

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.

 

[MetalRooster]

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.

 

[donburke]

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

 

[donburke]

Front view

 

[SJW]

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?

 

[donburke]

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

 

[SJW]

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:

 

[Shep14]

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.

 

[SJW]

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

 

[Big E]

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.

 

[user 384]

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.

 

[drsmurto]

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

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.

 

[Super8]

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.

 

[Spork]

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?

 

[hsb]

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

 

[Helles]

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

 

[pokolbinguy]

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

i am sure i have read about someone trying it before

 

[hsb]

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

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.