To chill or not?

[Syncman]

2 gal Electric BIAB recirc.

Because I only do 2 gal brews, the level of the wort is not too high above the element. Not much space to use a chiller. I tried building one that lays flat on the bottom, with a "tunnel" to bridge the element. I was wondering if there was a downside to just letting it cool by itself?

 

[RPh_Guy]

Yes, there are disadvantages to "no chill", but some brewers do still skip the chilling step and work around the issues.

See here:
https://modernbrewhouse.com/wiki/Wort_chilling#Passive_Chilling_AKA_.22No_Chill.22

 

[jschein]

No chill even though it sounds like a good idea would be my last resort for chilling.
I haven’t had an immersion chiller for over 20 years. Since you have a pump I would invest in a stainless CFC or a plate chiller. I have both but prefer the CFC.
An ice bath would be my go to for a small batch without the CFC or plate chiller.
I believe the faster the chill the betterThe product