Maybe and question is it really that necessary to be able to control mash temp to within .3c NO
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I think we just like to geek out on these things if we can I know you've got some pretty cool little diy projects in your brewery Alan
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Step mashing is easy with electric I find and if you want a really slow ramp to your next saccrification step you can turn down the wattage on the element so it takes 20mins .
I think doing the whole Hombrew process in the one vessels that plays mash tun and boil kettle is the GO heck maybe I should try fermentation in mine I think I've just got another comparrison brew lol
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Yeah, the one vessel (kettle) for brewing thing is what I was shooting for.
For now, one vessel lets me mash/sparge, and boil (with temporary storage in a re-purposed fermenting bucket), with little else but rinsing the kettle in between to get rid of spent grain residue. I'm even closer to my compost heap since I moved out to the shed for brewing, so it takes me only about 5 minutes to dump the spent grains and rinse out the kettle for boil. A second kettle would be the cat's pajamas as a dedicated mash tun that I could use to actually control the heat with. That would also let me start the boil while I cleaned the mash tun. Something to do while watching the pot boil, if you get my reference.
If my energy costs were prohibitive, I'd possibly look at the Igloo as an alternative. But those things are $100 plus if you buy them ready-made, nearly that if you DIY with stainless fittings. The next issue I have with them is if the wort cools down while mashing or sparging, or if a step mashing process is needed for the recipe. Most anything works for batch sparging, but the temperature control leaves some to be desired and some educated guesswork is required to keep the temperature in line based on heat absorption of the cooler cold versus hot. The wort cannot be reheated in the plastic mash tun, IMO. Some will tell me I'm wrong I know, but I'm a victim of Murphy's law on more than one occasion. Snake bit is a good term, gun-shy is another. If it's possible for something bad to happen, it probably will if I'm involved. An immersion heater in the mash would possibly do the trick, but there's a lot of risk of melting the liner. I don't put hot metal things in plastic if there's a possibility of melting the plastic. The food-grade plastic buckets are fine with boiling liquid, but I don't want a heating element hanging in one of those either.
If I use an external hotplate, then I can put the kettle on it and have the mashing temperature control as well as my boiling source. Is it as efficient as an immersion heater? Probably not. Is the efficiency difference or an additional piece of hardware enough to change my mind? No. Will the sum total cost of what I have be higher than an All-In-One? Possibly, but I've already have a lot of it which I will have no other purpose for. I'm trying to maintain serviceability and make any single part of it relatively inexpensive to replace should the worst happen.
The PID/PWM controllers are not expensive, so that looks to be the direction I'm headed. It won't be my first rodeo with PIDs, especially in a heating process that takes a long time to change. I don't have to worry about scorching with direct contact of the wort on the heating element, and if I do somehow scorch it, I've got a flat surface to clean the caramelized sugars off of and don't have to take anything apart. I try to plan for worst case scenarios with all the different issues in mind. I just like the idea of keeping the pot flat and unobstructed on the bottom with the fewest number of piercings as possible, especially weldless fittings. That may require an extra doo-dad or gadget, but it also keeps the sum of the parts more flexible for process changes.
