Performance Data

Competition

Let's face it, if you've got ice cold cooling water and high flow rates, it's a short punt to design a cooler to get the job done. The brewer's reality: fall, spring and summer bring higher ground water temperatures and brewers struggle cooling wort to acceptable levels. For ales, if you can't chill to 68F, your fermentations will produce higher levels of esters, fusels and other compounds that you may not want in your beer (except for those esoteric Belgians!). For lagers, the effect is even more pronounced.

At Blichmann Engineering, we've leveraged 15 years of Engineering experience designing cooling systems, and coupled it with 14 years of homebrewing experience to develop the Therminator^TM. The result is a chiller that works well all year long. Not only did we provide raw cooling horsepower, we also provided the things brewers want:

	broad operating range at fast cooling rates
	low water usage (high efficiency)
	low restriction for gravity feed at high flow rates
	compact size for easy use and sanitation
	heavy duty mounting brackets for simple installation
	convenient straight-through water connections to prevent kinked hoses
	resistance to plugging
	substantial reduction in ice usage for chilling below cooling water temps

We've tested and analyzed the competition at our facility using precision thermometers, flow meters, and a cooling water blending module for precise control. The results? The Therminator is the best overall value and still the king of coolers!

Feature	Therminator	Shirron	Convoluted

Capacity @ rated (58F)	2.0 gpm	1.1 gpm	0.9 gpm
Capacity @ 66F	1.0 gpm	0.5 gpm	0.4 gpm
Gal of water to cool 10 gal batch	24 gal	44 gal	59 gal
Typical retail price	$199	$100	$115
$/gpm of cooling at rated	$99/gpm	$91/gpm	$128/gpm
Number of plates	40	10	n/a
Total surface area	6.5 sq ft	2.4 sq ft	n/a
Number of wort flow channels	18	4	n/a
Mounting bracket included?	yes	no	yes
Size (not incl. fittings or bracket)	7.5" x 4.1" x 3"	12.4" x 1.1" x 2.75"	9.5" x 6 dia.
Weight	6.8 lb	2.8 lb	9.4 lb
In-line water/wort connections?	yes	no	yes
Flow restriction	very low	moderate	moderate
Plugging resistance	good	fair*	good
Sharp edges?	no	yes	no

* due to the limited number of wort flow channels (4)

Last modified: 03/01/08