I'm pricing options for building a Jockey Box for our Homebrew Club. The club is going 50-50 with a local brewer who would want to borrow the jockey box for a couple of events a year. It's a 5-tap cooler box.
The thing is, adding the shanks, tailpieces, nuts, washers, clamps, etc. to get the beer lines INTO the box raises the price a LOT.
I'm wondering what people think about:
a) Cutting grooves into the top of the edge of the cooler and setting the lines in there, so that when you close the lid it almost seals the cooler.
b) Drilling holes through the side above the level of the ice water and pushing the lines through.
For an event where we'd use the jockey box having a watertight seal isn't a concern, since it will likely last a few hours, tops. As long as the water isn't leaking out all over, I think it would be ok, and maybe less of a hassle to have to clean and reduce the potential for agitation too.
Then again, I'm not sure it looks as professional. This may not be ideal to a brewer who wants to appear in the best light possible. (Then again, it's not hard to build a box to cover the "jockey box", which many consider inferior in appearance to begin with.)
What's the consensus? Any other ideas?
I'm going to submit a price sheet with options to the club members and the brewer to gauge their concerns.
The thing is, adding the shanks, tailpieces, nuts, washers, clamps, etc. to get the beer lines INTO the box raises the price a LOT.
I'm wondering what people think about:
a) Cutting grooves into the top of the edge of the cooler and setting the lines in there, so that when you close the lid it almost seals the cooler.
b) Drilling holes through the side above the level of the ice water and pushing the lines through.
For an event where we'd use the jockey box having a watertight seal isn't a concern, since it will likely last a few hours, tops. As long as the water isn't leaking out all over, I think it would be ok, and maybe less of a hassle to have to clean and reduce the potential for agitation too.
Then again, I'm not sure it looks as professional. This may not be ideal to a brewer who wants to appear in the best light possible. (Then again, it's not hard to build a box to cover the "jockey box", which many consider inferior in appearance to begin with.)
What's the consensus? Any other ideas?
I'm going to submit a price sheet with options to the club members and the brewer to gauge their concerns.