RIMS and HERMS?

So I was thinking about this while collecting stuff for my build. Does anyone see any use to have a HERMS setup AND a RIMS setup both functional in one build? Just a waste of money? Can you think of anything having both available would allow you to do that you cant do with one?

Lets assume you have a 60amp circuit to your brewing rig and its wired to be able to run two elements at the same time.

Mark

Are you planning to have electric only?

I have a HERMS/RIMS propane-fired rig. I have all the wiring for my EHERMS and ERIMS upgrades completed. I'm almost finished with the EHERMS upgrade (elements in the HLT and BK). After that I'll finish the ERIMS upgrade (an ERIMS tube).

Having both HERMS and RIMS is a waste of money. It's fun and exciting for me to install these upgrades. I actually enjoy designing and building more than brewing and drinking! Having both available does allow you more versatility. I think Boerderij_Kabouter said it best:

Boerderij_Kabouter said:

They are not redundant at all. They provide distinct advantages and disadvantages that can be utilized to make brewing any particular beer easier. For example, I use HERMS for a single temperature mash because it gently heats and maintains an extremely constant temp. I use RIMS for step mashes or any multi-temp schedules including ramps or whatever the hell I can dream up.

Click to expand...

Yes, I'm planning to only run on electric. I have everything to run a RIMS setup but I decided on that when I thought I was going to do the Brutus 20 style setup with two vessels. I've since decided that I wanted to do the whole 3 vessel style brew rig and I like the HERMS style as well.

I too love designing and building these sorts of things which is why I'm really enjoying this process. I think I'm going to design my control box to be capable of doing both RIMS and HERMS since im only needing the HERMS coil at this point to have it as well. At least this way I will be able to try both and decide what I like.

Mark

I use both RIMS and HERMS in an electric system. I use the RIMS to heat my strike water while my HLT is heating to temps. I don't run wort through my RIMS though. Also, a RIMS really helps for cleaning and rinsing with warm water.

@Ranger9913, are you getting consistent temperature output on your RIMS?

I'm looking to do something similar. My build thread is here:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/its-time-hybrid-rims-herms-ebuild-327669/