PEX for heat exchange?

Has anyone tried PEX as the coil in their heat exchanger? Cheaper, easier to bend, as easy to plumb, good to 200*.

I know its thermal properties are nowhere near copper's, but if sitting in a few gallons of water, will the thermal mass outweigh the lack of conductivity?

Would need to be careful around the heating element too.

Anyway, just thinkin' . . .

Jim

will the thermal mass outweigh the lack of conductivity?

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i wouldnt think so. when you are talking about an in-HLT coil, you have such a thermal mass that changing temperature of it requires a LOT of energy to do so in a reasonable amount of time. adding more insulation by using PEX over copper would even further increase the reactivity time and lessen your control (meaning- the amount of time between setting your HLT at a higher temp, and seeing that temp change in your mash tun). i wouldnt be suprised if there were a several-fold increase in the delay, over copper.

i guess you could counter that by using a much longer coil in the HLT, but then you are going to be taking up a good amount of its volume.