Electric Boilers & Heat Control

[matt_b]

So I'm using a Still Spirits T500 electric boiler with a copper pot still head. Electric is handy for me, since during winter I'm distilling in my basement sometimes. I'll attach a pic of my very basic rig to the post. But I'm curious just how much attention experienced folks pay to the temperature of the vapor in the condenser. Still Spirits makes a very big deal of keeping a steady temperature in the manuals that came with my boiler and still head. And all three books I've read on distilling seem to place a lot of importance on temperatures as well. With an electric though, I'm kind of along for the ride. With a pot still head is this ok, or should I build a voltage regulator and try to hold the vapor temp smack in "hearts range" for as long as possible? I've read everything from "just take it all in small containers and mix later" to the SP manuals which have laser focus on keeping the temp steady.

Building a regulator would be easy enough for an old Navy electrician (yeah, my last name is Barnickle... no kiddin'). But I'm curious if it's of value, or if I'm making it to danged hard.

T500 PS.jpg

Advice appreciated.