2 tap mini-keg draft box complete

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Baron Ken · #1 Post by **Baron Ken** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 2:23 am

Finished my draft box. It seems to be holding pressure and I can't find any leaks, so I think I'm good to go. Will fill the mini-kegs with my beer gun (since the beer is already carbed in a corny). It uses a co2 injector w/ flare fitting to dispense the beer and keep the beer carbed. I'll be taking it on a trip next weekend for a family reunion and will report on how it performs.
Each tap has 6 feet of liquid line to keep the foaming down. Will adjust if needed.

** Click a picture to see a larger version **
Here it is travel ready.

Here it is assembled and ready to pour.

Inside. Note there is only water in the lines right now to check for gas and liquid leaks.

Force carbing can be done by using my co2 tank (actually a paintball tank).

Blktre · #2 Post by **Blktre** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 8:21 am

Great work. Its good to see members building cool stuff!

Jensen · #3 Post by **Jensen** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 9:48 am

Now that is a party in a box. great job! What a neat presentation to have at a party, especially for those first timers being exposed to homebrew-- takes a little skepticism out of their sails

Baron Ken · #4 Post by **Baron Ken** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 2:56 pm

I took it on a trip to a family reunion. For the most part, it worked great.

Some things for consideration/revision:

The co2 charger worked ok except that I tried to use the cheap walmart 12g cartridges instead of buying the expensive 16g cartridges made for it. The 12g cartridges were the same length but had a smaller diameter (but that wasn't a problem) and a smaller neck , so about 1 of 4 cartridges didn't seal properly and leaked. Rather than have the co2 charger leaking co2 while connected (and having people ask about it), I just immediately drained it and tried another cartridge.
Another problem is if for some reason the kegs aren't emptied, there isn't a valve to release pressure on the keg(s), so I had no way to remove the keg(s) except to pull the fitting/diptube assembly from the bung and let the pressure release that way. I'll be adding pressure relief valves somewhere in the system soon.
Schrader valve failed (leaked). I replaced a failed one before this trip and it failed again. I will be trying a ball check fitting instead of the Schrader valves. This wasn't a big problem as I have ball valves (no checks though) in-line with the Schrader's. If I didn't close the valve before removing the co2 injector, it would release pressure on the keg. Yes, this is a potential solution to the above problem, but without a check valve, there is the possiblity of getting liquid in the gas line so I prefer having a check valve.
Needs ball check valves on the liquid side too. Once the fitting/diptube is put in and the system is pressurized, the only thing stopping liquid flow is the faucets. If I were to have a leaking faucet or other liquid side problem, I have no way to stop the liquid flow (since I currently can't release pressure). Also, if I leave the system set up and want to transport it, I have to have the faucets on. I would prefer to transport with faucets off (no desire to bang up the Perlicks!).
I didn't have a drip tray. Not a big deal as I just put a paper towel down, but that didn't look slick. A mounted one would look great, but would stick out too far (hmm, perhaps a flip down?).

Anyway, the beer poured great for the most part. Every time it would start to slow, I would give the co2 injector a quick pull on the trigger and flow would jump back up (sometimes some foam, but not bad).

Glenn · #5 Post by **Glenn** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 9:25 pm

That is very, very cool!

Baron Ken · #6 Post by **Baron Ken** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:29 pm

Another thing about the draft box I forgot:

The minikegs will start floating after they start getting empty. When they get empty enough, they will push the top open on the cooler. I need to tie them down inside somehow rather than have tape or a bungee cord around the outside of the cooler (I need to be able to open the top to get to valves, etc.).

fergmeister · #7 Post by **fergmeister** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 3:17 pm

Have you noticed any negative flavor effects caused by the brass fittings??
Chuck

Baron Ken · #8 Post by **Baron Ken** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 10:15 pm

Beer does not touch any brass. There is a copper tube inside the brass fitting (it was a pain to get that bent and in there too).

See this website for details. Here is an example pic from there:

Bill · #9 Post by **Bill** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 11:14 pm

Baron Ken wrote:Another thing about the draft box I forgot:

The minikegs will start floating after they start getting empty. When they get empty enough, they will push the top open on the cooler. I need to tie them down inside somehow rather than have tape or a bungee cord around the outside of the cooler (I need to be able to open the top to get to valves, etc.).

You could fashion a thin 'lid' of sorts for the kegs on the inside of the cooler. Use a thin piece of plastic that goes across the tops of the mini kegs and maybe you could use velcro or something to hold it in place?

maybe?

and that's a great portable tap tower