I've been on the prowl for an immersion chiller and I happened upon this guy (bigger chillers here, and definitely check out the video). My first thought was "that looks ridiculous", my second thought was "that might actually work". All that extra surface area would likely increase the effective heat transfer per unit length, plus the coil is spread more completely throughout the wort so there would be more uniform cooling. If it works as advertized, you could achieve the same chilling effectiveness as more expensive chillers, which would make it more cost effective (I'm all about that). BUT, I would really rather not stand there for 15-30min and move that thing around just to increase my efficiency. AND it's probably still cheaper to build my own. Doing 5gal batches by the way. I tried to find BA and HBT reviews/threads but no one seems to have bought one. Thoughts?
design wise, it will probably be more efficient than a standard coil chiller. How much more... ? I read the page but in practical terms? And if moving it around is necessary that would be a no-go for me. I like to keep the lid on when cooling cuz I brew outdoors.
From the ad... "This design chills single and double batches of wort with over 300% more water efficiency than traditional1/2" copper designs, using only a fraction of the water to reach the same yeast pitching temperature in nearly the same amount of time, saving you money and waste!!!" So... if I don't mind bouncing it up and down the whole time, it will chill wort almost as fast as a normal stationary coil chiller. Interesting concept, but I think I'll pass.
if it were taller and the same design, I'd be more sold. But then it'd be a lot more tubing, so it would pretty much have to work faster anyway. My wort chiller is about a foot tall, and can be stretched somewhat. That one looks a lot shorter, so it wouldn't work at the top of the wort (without moving it around). If you are circulating the whole time it'd be almost a moot point.
F that. I couldn't whirlpool as it chilled to have my trub in a nice little cone in the middle of my kettle.
I have to give him credit for ingenuity, but I agree overall with your comments. No surprise I wasn't able to find any chatter about it I guess
