just upgraded- wort chiller need advice

okay guys...I just upgraded to a 20 gallon single tier system......my current immersion chiller will probably be too small to cool 15 or so gallons of wort fast enough.....I have looked through the reviews on this forum and cant decide what the best way to chill the wort is........should I construct a giant immersion chiller? A counter flow chiller....a plate chiller.....I have read pros and cons all over the net......one of the complaints i read a lot about counter flow and plate chillers is cleaning (can deal with) and DMS.

I am buying march pumps for the system...what do you think?

I was looking at this

http://www.rebelbrewer.com/shoppingcart/products/Chillhog-4000-Wort-Plate-Chiller.html

let me know what ya think

thanks

If i were you i would see what the cheapest chiller you could get or make that could cool 20 gallons is and then use my old immersion chiller in a bucket with ice water for a pre-chiller when i needed it. For 120 that plate chiller looks pretty cool but I dont know how much a comparably sized IC or a good CFC would run you.

I've been using a CFC that cost me around 30 bucks to build for almost 2 years. I'v never had a cleaning issue with it, i just rinse it after each use and run boiling wort through it for 10 minutes during each brew. I probably should cycle cleaner through it after each use but im lazy and maybe do it every 5th use. My only complaint is it takes 15-20 minutes to cool 10 gallons because its 3/8 copper, so im gonna ninja my 1/2 herms coil to build a new CFC for higher flow-rate. Then i might use the new CFC to heat my mash.

If you are meticulous about keeping hops & trub out of the plate chiller that would be a great way to go. Otherwise a CFC like Chillzilla is a close second or maybe even a tie.

I have the ChillHog4000 model along with the RebelSmart add-on and love it. Last night I used it to chill my batch (~6.5 gallons). I did a recirculation chill first, getting the sort down to about 70f in about five minutes (used my march pump). I then used gravity to send the sort through to the fermenter at 60-62f. Valves were wide open during all of this.

To clean, a soak of PBW does wonders (fill the sort side with it).

Your recirculation chill stage will probably take a bit longer with 15 gallon batches. But you should be good to use gravity to feed into fermenter. Without the recirculation step, I had to are least partially close the output valve from the chiller. Total time was about the same. So chilling thats easier on me by making just one slight change is a win in my book. If you're on well water, chances are you won't need to recirculate at all.

BTW, I would need a large IC to match the performance I have from the plate chiller.

okay thanks for the input.....pros and cons to everything in this line of work.

I am thinking though........a wirlpool with a plate chiller .....going into cooler months and then as the temp warms up..... I would pre chillr that water with the old immersion chiller.......I think I am gonna try that chiller from rebel brewer.....it has good reviews and also come with the back flush. I will make sure to post a review of it when I use it the first time.....

that won't be for a while.......this system build is expensive and taking some time to get all the stuff and research...........but in the end doing 15 gallons at a time will be better than 5........having to buy the store bought brew is to expensive........my family, friends, neighbors and get really thirsty

I use 2 immersion chillers to cool my 16.5 gallon batches , if you want the specifics let me know.