<is the food supposed to be totally submerged in the brine? My quartered pickles seem to be floating a bit above the brine.>

In the ideal world, yes they should all be totally submerged. But when they aren't tightly wedged in they will often float. Usually with time and with enough brine still in the jar they will sink down some. If they don't they tend to turn dark and unappealing so once you open the jar just toss those top few.

Tip over should be avoided however you can - just put some water filled jars in if necessary - as not only does the brine get out but the water gets in and dilutes the brine. It is usually recommended that those jars be marked, refrigerated, and consumed first and early since there is no way to know how much the brine was diluted.

Dave