Good idea?

[Laurin]

Hi
I am not a beer brewer and only did a couple of wine/cider experiments but I study design and I love some DIY. I had two different ideas which might have been already done or not because they are hopeless.

1. I have seen that wort chillers have been placed in a bucket full of water and ice and the wort been run through the copper pipe instead of the cooling water. I was just thinking wouldn't it also be possible to just place a wort chiller in a 10l bucket, fill it up with water and just place it in a chest freezer over night and then let the wort run through? It should chilled it down real quickly and save more water than using running water in the chiller.

2. To make hot water for the mash wouldn't it be possible to use one of these "boilers" which are used in showers and heat up the water as its runs through with electric heating elements. I don't know if they would reach the desired temperature but it would be easier and safer to have one of these installed than carrying large pots around. If they don't get hot enough it might be possible to let the water heat up in a second one.

Just some ideas my brain was coming up with please ignore them if they are useless.

 

[bobsbeer]

Good ideas in theory, but:
1. Steralisation would be a problem. For a regular coiled chiller you put it in while the wort is boiling to steralise it brfore you cool.
2. I doubt a shower would get anywhere near mash temp, but it could be used a a pre heater.

 

[Laurin]

Wouldn't sanitising a chiller pretty much be the same as a syphon or any other tube. Plus it could be done before its put in the freezer and than just sealed of.

 

[bobsbeer]

It would, but you would need to pump the fluid through and then rinse. Far easier to dunk it in the boiling wort. Unless you use a pumped system in which case most use a plate chiller.