HERMS question

[Coffee_Creek]

When you mash out using a HERMS do you bring your mash up to 170 degrees by heating your HLT water and running it through the coil or just mash out by sparging with 170 degree water from your HLT?

 

[MalFet]

Either will work fine, assuming your equipment can manage it.

If you're taking a general survey (rather than asking which will work), I personally do a mashout and skip the sparge (or sparge cold if I need the extra volume).

 

[Yooper]

I generally do a mash out by raising up the temperature of the HLT to 171, and run the wort through the HERMS coil. It takes about 10 minutes to get to 168 with a 10 gallon batch for me, with my 5500 w element. Then, since the grainbed is at 168 (I have a 3 degree differential from my HLT temp to my mash temp, I just sparge with the water in the HLT.

 

[Coffee_Creek]

Thanks, that's what I was wondering.
I brewed a batch by mashing at normal temps and doing a fly sparge with 170 degrees water. I was wondering if it would be better to raise the mash temp to 168-170 before doing my fly sparge.
I'm brewing a 10 gallon batch this weekend, I'll give it a try.
Thanks again for your help,