I am using a 240Volt, 4500 Watt hot water heater element to heat recirculating wort. When I raise the temperature on the PID controller, the relay closes the circuit and the heater is on constantly till it gets close to the set point. The the heater "pulses" heat so's not to overshoot.
Since I cant see the heater element, I am curious. When it's on constantly do you think the heater is getting red hot? Also note, I am applying 110, house current and the element is rated for 240. I recently did a decoction and got a stuck mash. I think if I throttle back the flow rate I could avoid this in the future, but have concerns doing so might scorch the hot liquor and/or denature the enzymes.
My beers are turning out OK (aside from an attenuation issue- save that for another thread) I am just wondering what other RIMS brewers are using as a heat source. Thanks for your input