Heating element question

[S-Cackalacky]

I'm in the middle of a pot still build. I decided some time ago to use an internal heating element to heat the boiler (5 gal. stock pot) and went out and bought a 1500w 110v elment. The element is only about 6 inches long and only reaches about half way across the inside of the stockpot.

I'm a little concerned that this element might cause scorching at full power because it's so short. Would it be better to exchange it for a 5500w 220v element - the type that doubles back on itself for extra length? I would run it with 110v for an adjusted wattage of 1375w.

Will the 125w less wattage and the heat being distributed across a greater length cause a significat increase in intial heatup time? I was figuring on somewhere around an hour with the 1500w element.

Am I being overly paranoid about the shorter element?

Thanks,
S-C