[Philbrew]

Bingo. The more time I spend running around setting everything up, the less time I spend brewing.

True, but don't underestimate the time you will spend hand transferring strike water, sparge water and 1st and 2nd runnings into the boil kettle.  I like a pump...but I'll have to admit that I'm lazy. 

Doing it by hand, it takes ma total of 15 min. to get 7.5-8 gal. preboil volume from the time I start my mash runoff, through stirring in sparge water and running off the sparge.  Not too bad.

That is quick...but then, I'm older and slower than you. 

[denny]

That is quick...but then, I'm older and slower than you. 

Older than ME?  Damn, that's old....

[Philbrew]

Phil_M (us Phils gotta help each other out),
I would recommend that you transition to Denny's system.  It's beautifully simple, very inexpensive and it works! 
Here's a possible upgrade if you should (heaven forbid) have to have back surgery like me.
I'm currently going BIAB due to lack of storage space for a large mash tun.  But someday I'll put Denny's big rectangular tun on a table next to this setup and a 5 gal. round cooler on a short stool on the table.  Then I will be able to heat strike water and pump it into the tun.  Then heat sparge water and pump it into the cooler above the tun.  Then drain both mash and sparged mash into the kettle, boil, cool and pump the wort into the fermenter.
 NO LIFTING!  And all done with one burner and one kettle.



This little pump is 1/20 HP.  Draws a little more than a 40W light bulb.


Notice the 3/8" street elbow on the recirculation port.  Makes a nice whirlpool.


Edit:  This is a 10 gal. kettle.  I'm guessing you're going with 15 or 20 gallon.
The pump with hoses unhooks quickly from the kettle and stores in the kettle.

[Phil_M]

Denny, I take it a 48 qt. cooler would work fine for 10 gallon batches? It's implied on your website, since the recipe you used was ten gallons.

Phil, I'll definitely be getting another pump again at some point in the future. My current electric system works well, but there's enough that I'd like to change that if I go electric again, I'll end up building a new control unit from scratch. Figuring that'll be a good project once I've finished my degree in a few years. (Electrical Engineering.)

[denny]

Denny, I take it a 48 qt. cooler would work fine for 10 gallon batches? It's implied on your website, since the recipe you used was ten gallons.

Phil, I'll definitely be getting another pump again at some point in the future. My current electric system works well, but there's enough that I'd like to change that if I go electric again, I'll end up building a new control unit from scratch. Figuring that'll be a good project once I've finished my degree in a few years. (Electrical Engineering.)

The recipe was for 8 gal.  I'd say a 48 qt. cooler is OK for 10 gal. up to about 1.045-50.  But at that gravity it will be so full that stirring will be a problem.  I'd recommend a 70 qt. if you plan on doing 10 gal.