Another HERMS/RIMS question

So, as I am building my brewery, I have been exploring the possible HERMS or RIMS application. I am running into some confusion that I am hoping to have cleared up by the wise sages of HBT

If I am using a rubbermaid MLT, is HERMS/RIMS even worth the time and money to add one? Or is a HERMS/RIMS system best utilized for a rig that has a stainless MLT that needs to be continuously heated?

Thanks for the help!

HERMS and RIMS are two different things. In your application, a HERMS rig would be more beneficial to you since you don't want to directly fire you mash. You wouldn't see a whole lot of upsides from it, but it may cut down and hot/cool spots in your mash since you're continuousy recirculating through your heat exchanger.

In the end, I think you'll like having a controlled temp. The nice thing about using a cooler, is you only need to have two burners on a single tier stand. And only one of those burners needs to be controlled. The only downfall to not having a heated MLT is that it takes a bit longer to brew. You would need to heat your strike water in your boil kettle or HLT, then transfer it. I have a HERMS rig, but I also have a burner under my mash so that I can heat my strike water.

You can also look into the option of a RIMS tube. Just do a search here and you will see some examples.