Upgrade to 10G or 5G x2?

[V-Fib]

SO my equipment on hand is 2 10 gal pots, 1 burner, 2 10 gal coolers that I use for mashing (one round with a false bottom and one square with a homemade manifold), one 5 gal round that I use for a HLT, plenty of kegs and carboys.

For those that have made the jump from 5 to 10 have you done it by going straight 10gal or two separate 5 gal setups? I leaning towards 2 5 gallon systems since I'd only need 1 more burner instead of buying a 15 gallon kettle. The disadvantage is more clean up time, more gas and the potential for more mistakes by brewing 2 different 5 gallon brews at once. The advantage would be I can brew 2 different beers with my limited brew times, less upfront cost, the ability to experiment with slight changes.

Has anyone made the change and regretted either or?

 

[jafo28]

Haven't made the jump to ten gallons yet, but I've done several double batch days. When I do them, I have my grain crushed for both brews ahead of time, then when I start the boil on the first batch, I'll dump the grain and get the mash tun ready for the second batch. I have a ten gallon HLT, so in addition to my sparge water, I'll heat extra for the second mash. Sometimes the second mash will run a little longer while the first is chilling, which doesn't bother me.

If I were you, I'd just get a second burner, so you can heat strike water for a second batch, while you get the first batch ready to boil. Hope this helps.