Help me select my morebeer immersion chiller please

[eyedoctodd]

Hey all, I've gone the route of homemade IC before with 25' of copper coil and it works 'ok' but I'm looking to upgrade to one of the 50' 1/2" chillers from morebeer, and I want to go with the whirlpool option. I do 5 and 10 gallon batches in a 15gal boilermaker kettle so the size of their big chillers is not a problem.

I'm just wondering if anyone can find a tangible difference in the normal one WC45 (http://morebeer.com/view_product/89...vy_Duty_Kettles_50_x_1_2"_with_Brass_Fittings) and the one labelled '5/10 split' WC 50 (http://morebeer.com/view_product/19523/102204/Wort_Chiller_-_SuperChiller_-_The_5_10_Split). I am just not seeing what difference it makes to have the little interruption in the middle of the coil, unless there is some sort of diverter to bypass the top half of the coil for smaller batches.

Can anyone else make sense of this?

Thanks

 

[phoenixs4r]

You realize that the recirculation option is just a small piece of copper, and you need to have a pump for it to work right?

I also have no idea why morebeer pushes that split coil design, especially because they like to push recirculation, if your recirculating, heat doesn't rise to the top it gets mixed together, lol.

 

[eyedoctodd]

Yes I do.

 

[phoenixs4r]

The more I look at them, I would go with the first one. I have issues currently with my chiller sitting on tip of my dip tube. With the first one you can thread the dip tube over the first couple coils and the chiller won't look retarded and crooked in the boil kettle.

 

[user 4295]

The split version is for doing 5 gallon batches in a large kettle, where the liquid level is not high enough in the kettle for the un-split design to be fully submerged, or so the theory goes.

 

[eyedoctodd]

Thanks for the replies. Again, I am not seeing what difference it makes having only half of your continuously coiled chiller submerged in 5 gallons, versus only half of your split-coiled chiller submerged in 5 gallons. One would think the only possible improvement would be if you could divert flow from the top half of the coil when it's not submerged (and even then I feel like the effect would be negligible.) Maybe I'll call B3 tomorrow.

 

[eyedoctodd]

Ok, I called and got an explanation, which I tried to put into the attached image. The split in fact does nothing unless you consider it to "push down" more coils to a lower position. Looking at the WC45 I didn't really consider the big gap at the bottom. Probably because using my 25-foot, 3/8" chiller, it's quite springy and adjustable. I'm guessing the 1/2" tubing is a fair bit stiffer.

I think I'm gonna opt for the WC50 with the split because I do both types of batches. Thanks again for your input.

 

[HDIr0n]

I have the WC50 and it works well. I do recirculate, and pump ice water through it. I generally get down to pitching/below pitching temps (even with lagers) in about 15 min.

-G