Jockey Box Conversion: Using push-to-connect adapters

A couple of years ago I built a jockey box as part of a portable bar intended for camping. The beauty of it is that no power is needed for it to function. All you need is a supply of ice, so this works for any type of car camping. While I still occasionally backpack, these days my camping is as an RV’er, so this unit rides along with my travel trailer. I built this jockey box in two stages, first as a two-tap unit, then I added on another set of taps. The extra taps were always part of the plans but I had to wait to purchase the additional parts. Four kegs fit on the lower shelf of the portable bar, but due to its compact size, taller ball-lock kegs present something of a knuckle-busting experience when putting the quick disconnects on or off.

Duotight has new ball-lock quick disconnects that are shorter and have push-to-connect (PTC) adapters. The shelf on my portable bar was a tight fit for ball-lock kegs and getting at the quick disconnects (QDs) was proving to be difficult as mentioned. Meanwhile, the beverage lines were connected to the jockey box using wing nuts screwed onto shanks that pass through the cooler walls. Although the wing nuts were meant to be removable they were still bulky and occasionally would stick . . . not my ideal connector. Once the beer is in the cooler, the lines are connected to the heat exchange coils that cool the beer down.

Since I originally built my jockey box many new options have become available, which I took advantage of.

Basically I was looking for a nearly complete overhaul of the connections and soft tubing found in the jockey box. I opted for EVABarrier tubing for both beverage and gas lines due to its performance, limited CO₂ loss, and oxygen ingression. This tubing also has the benefit of connecting directly to the Duotight QDs without any additional hardware needs. Neither the stainless steel heat exchange coils, the faucets, or the shanks needed to be replaced, but everything that connected the carbon dioxide regulator and Corny kegs to the faucet shanks was scheduled to be replaced.

By design, a jockey box is meant to be portable and is not typically going to be in continuous use. This four-tap box is on the heavier side for one person to carry, with the beverage lines being somewhat awkward. Since I originally built my jockey box many new options have become available, which I took advantage of. In this project write-up, I will cover the required changes needed to create the ultimate PTC, version three of my camping jockey box. Obviously if you pour at homebrew fests and use a jockey box, this is a great upgrade to make all fittings easy to connect and disconnect for cleaning and sanitation purposes. The PTC fittings also allow you to create a draft cleaning system such as this one: https://byo.com/project/tap-cleaning-system/

Tools and Materials

• EVABarrier tubing 8-mm x 5-mm x 26 ft. (8 m)
• EVABarrier tubing 8-mm x 4-mm x 26 ft. (8 m)
• (8) 5⁄8-in. BSP x 8-mm tubing adapters
• (5) 1⁄4-in. flare x 8-mm tubing adapters
• (4) 8-mm PTC (push-to-connect) couplings
• (4) Duotight ball-lock beverage quick disconnect (gas-in)
• (4) Duotight ball-lock beverage quick disconnect (beverage-out)
• Shutoff check valve with ¼-in. flare threads
• 8-mm tubing locking clips
• 4-way gas manifold (Komos)

Steps

1. Saying Goodbye to the Old Adapters

The first step was to disassemble the old system in preparation for the new material. I had had issues of a gas leak somewhere in the system, the wing nuts were extremely hard to remove, the worm-driven clamps and barbed fittings were all wished a not-so-fond adieu.

Tip: There are two shank nuts that hold the pass-through shank in place. Pass-through shanks may spin depending on configuration when attaching to the walls of the cooler. To prevent this, thread another shank nut onto either side and tighten it and the next nut against each other. This pair then can be used to keep the shank from spinning when tightening.

2. Gas Manifold Decision

The old gas manifold used barbed connections for all tubing. To use the EVABarrier lines, PTC is needed at the valve connection. I had several possible solutions: 1) Change to a PTC manifold, but limited options are available. 2) Build my own PTC-style manifold out of tees and rigid tubing. 3) Replace the barbed shutoff check valves on my current manifold with new flare shutoff check valves. 4) Purchase a completely new four-way manifold.

It turned out that new four-way manifold was the same cost as replacing the check valves with four new flare fitting valves. A reasonably priced and well-reviewed PTC manifold was not found. Building the manifold out of PTC tees, ball valves, elbows, and check valves was similar in cost but introduced multiple connections and would ultimately be bigger in size. The new four-way manifold also is angled, which I didn’t know when I ordered it but kind of like even though it sticks out a little more. It would be particularly nice in a keezer in my opinion but works here too. I moved the manifold up to the jockey box shelf as well to allow better access on the back side to the keg shelf.

3. CO₂ Regulator

Just like with the gas manifold, my old setup had a barbed shutoff valve on the CO₂ regulator.

My solution was to replace the shutoff check valve on the CO₂ regulator with one with ¼-in. flare threads. This is a great replacement versus the barb as it allows for easy swapping of the tank since I have several tanks and regulators. An additional ¼-in. flare x 8-mm adapter is needed here to allow for the Duotight fitting and the gas line to the manifold was 8 mm x 5 mm. Using zip ties, I also routed the line between the regulator and the manifold to underneath the jockey box shelf and over to the regulator.

4. Pass-through Shank to Coil

The connection was comprised of a beer nut, silicone grommet, and ferrule.

Okay, so this is the connection I chose to keep the same. But I want to discuss as other systems may benefit. More than likely new silicone grommets should be used. I was unable to reuse any as they kept slipping. Also, a 5⁄8-BSP x 8-mm adapter could have been used here but I think the metal nut is a better choice for rigidity. One could also go with a 5⁄8-BSP x 8-mm adapter, a short piece of tubing and a coupling, which here would be 8 mm. This is the way to go if your heat exchange coil and shank does not line up spatially.

If you don’t have a pass-through shank, just a hole for the beverage-in, it’s probably already bigger than 8 mm or 9.5 mm. There are PTC bulkhead adapters that would function like a pass-through but be aware they may be a little short as the ones I have seen measure 15⁄16 in. (24 mm) as the wall thickness maximum. Those might still work but my jockey box cooler wall was 1-in. (25.4-mm) thick. Besides, I already had big holes for the pass-through shanks.

5. Coil to Faucet Shank

In version two, I had two shanks with barbs, and two that used a beer nut, gasket, and tailpiece. The existing connection was 5.5 ft. (1.7 m) of 3⁄16-in. ID vinyl tubing from the coil to either the barb or tailpiece.

I cut the shank barbs off using a Dremel® and cutting wheel. I didn’t realize it, but two new shanks would have cost me about the same as the cutting wheel package, which included the stem necessary for the wheel. I do have a pack of cutting wheels now though. The now mostly flush face accepts a 5⁄8-BSP x 8-mm tubing adapter. The constrictor line is 5.5 ft. (1.7 m) of 8-mm x 4-mm tubing with an 8-mm PTC coupling to connect it to the coils. I wrapped the lines around the two round coils to keep them chilled.

6. The Final Touches to the Shelf

The bar is a wire three-shelf portable cart with wheels. I mounted a drip tray to it using two flat stainless steel bars using a couple of nuts and bolts. The bars slide into the wire shelf and are held down by the jockey box. I added Velcro straps for the CO₂ tank.

All PTC connections have a locking clip except I leave off the clips on the beverage line connected to the cooler’s shanks. I lock them once the jockey box is in operation.

While not completed at this time, I will be adding a hanging chalkboard or whiteboard sign for in front of the kegs combined with some numbered tap tags.