Ha, it barely fit, but I got it in there. I control the temperature with a temperature controlled which is rigged to the probe inside of the stainless thermowell inside of the must. When the temperature gets too high, it kicks on the freezer until the must temp gets back down to where I want it.
I plan on taking it dry, but if it taste like it needs some sugar to balance it after aging for a year or so I will add sugar to balance it out.
They do it when their acid is too high. The French grapes tend to be higher in acid than the grapes on the westcoast, so to get similar TA and the such they do MLF sometimes. Typically, MLF is not done on aromatic whites since it can take away from the aromatic center of them.. But, who said you couldn't if you wanted too.....
MLF is common on most reds and chardonnays since it is good from a stability perspective and also since the flavor profile that evolves from it is generally seen as beneficial for these wines ( depending on the kind of chard you are making).
If you want some more reading, give this PDF a read. I will be reading it through when I get a chance to further expand my knowledge of the process before I get way too far into it.
http://www.apps.fst.vt.edu/extension/enology/downloads/463-017.pdf