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Published 05 Oct 2016

Winter is coming! Stop heat loss in older homes with a Chimney Sheep® draught excluder

Many older properties in the UK with open fireplaces are costing homeowners hundreds of pounds in lost heat each year. Homeowners are being advised to block the draught with a chimney draught excluder from Chimney Sheep, especially if the fireplace is only used occasionally over the winter months.

So, it’s October now and the heating is switched on! The leaves are turning colour and beginning to fall. As the temperature drops, and autumn sets in, homeowners in properties with open fires start to feel and hear the draughts coming from their fireplaces. These draughts bring a chill into living spaces. Draught proofing is one of the cheapest and most efficient ways to save energy in the home. Investing in a Chimney Sheep Draft Excluder will keep living spaces comfortable over the winter months when the fire isn’t being used.

 

We offer a range of fireplace draught excluders to fit different variations of open fires – not only do they keep the draughts away, they also help make a home more energy efficient by providing a simple, effective, easy-to-fit and inexpensive solution to a draughty fireplace.

If central heating is on when a fire isn’t lit, a roomful of / 40 cubic metres warm air will disappear up the flue within an hour. This escaping air needs to be replaced, so cold air is pulled in from under doors and round windows, creating cold draughts. Insulating the chimney doesn’t just stop draughts, but reduces draughts from other parts of the house too. Chimney draughts can be blocked and chimney heat loss is reduced with a Chimney Sheep®.

How to install chimney sheep diagram

The chimney sheep is a 100% sheep wool product designed to keep warm air in a house and cool draughts out. It is the only truly sustainable chimney draught proofing solution on the market. We will be working closely with the insulation industry to include chimney insulation as part of the raft of standard measures. Visit the online shop here for Chimney Sheep Chimney Draught Excluders, accessories and more.

Sally Phillips

Inventor of Chimney Sheep

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PlanetCare Microfibre Filter Starter Kit

PlanetCare Microfibre Filter Starter Kit

44.00 GBP

How does it work?

This ingenious washing machine microfibre filter kit uses cartridges to physically catch and retain the fibres that come loose when you wash your laundry. Each cartridge will last around 15-20 loads of laundry and is easily replaceable in just a couple of minutes.

Fibre retention is based solely on physical retention with the help of clever patent-pending technology.

You can also send the used cartridges back to us and we'll forward them on to PlanetCare. They will ensure that they are reused or recycled.  This ‘closed loop’ system ensures that there is minimum wastage throughout the whole process.

Something to think about:

Doing the laundry can have a huge environmental impact, whether that be using tonnes of energy running the washing machine and tumble drier - or the pollutants that are released from the products you use. Using a microfiber filter is just one way of reducing that impact. Why not make a few more changes - we've tonnes of handy tips in our blog.

 

What's in the box?

You'll get everything you need to fit your PlanetCare washing machine filter with these handy starter kits, meaning you can get it in place and start catching microfibers straight away.

The Mini Starter Kit includes:

  • 1 housing top with a cup, 1 holder, 4 screws, 1 tube (1.5m), 1 silicone lubricant, 1 counter, and 3 filter replacement cartridges.
  •  3 cartridges. These can last up to 60 washes.

The XL Starter Kit includes:

  • 1 housing top with a cup, 1 holder, 4 screws, 1 tube (1.5m), 1 silicone lubricant, 1 counter, and 3 filter replacement cartridges.
  • 13 cartridges. These can last up to 260 washes.

    Note: All the filter cartridges are 100% recycled and refurbished for use again and again via a closed-loop service.

       

      Is it easy to install?

      The microfiber filter is very easy to install. In fact, for most washing machines this process takes less than 10 minutes. The filters are compatible with all types of washing machines.

      There's actually a handy how-to video and a useful installation guide  you can take a peek at if you need a little bit more guidance.

      It’s a good idea to position it high enough above the floor/surface so the cover can be removed to change the filter and position the device so that it is easy to screw the cover back after each filter change.

      Please note: you will need 13 cm on the side of the washing machine and approx. 60 cm in height clearance so that you will be able to easily unscrew the housing and change the filter comfortably.

      The filter must be placed outside the washing machine on the drain hose. It should not be raised above the height of the drain hose exiting the washing machine. The hose length should be held to a minimum. Raising the filter and a long drain hose will both reduce the efficiency of pumping and filtering and should be avoided.

       

      What are the dimensions of the filter housing?

      The filter housing alone, without any attachments, measures the following:

      • height 325 mm, width (hose attachment direction) 122 mm, and depth 130 mm.

       

      Is the microfiber filter easy to use?

      For the first load, just make sure the filter cover is replaced correctly and screwed tight before using the washing machine. Try a short wash and make sure all connections and covers are fixed and watertight.

      It’s also a good idea to hold the top of the device when replacing the filter cover to avoid putting pressure on the bracket fixings when unscrewing the cover.

      After that, you do not need to do anything until the cartridge is full.

      >Easy!

       

      How does the closed-loop system work?

      When your cartridge is full you can send it back to us directly, simply go onto the delivery website Parcel2Go and produce a label to send the cartridges to us, don't forget to include your order details as we'll refund you the postage cost. We then send these off to PlanetCare who disassemble the cartridge and remove the fibres and filtering medium.  This is done in a controlled environment, ensuring that caught fibres do not pollute water or the environment.

       

      What does Planetcare do with the fibres?

      >At the moment PlanetCare is safely storing the used filtered materials. Once they have sufficient quantity, they will reuse/recycle it all. At the moment they are planning to reuse the materials by converting them into insulation mats. But, they're always on the lookout for viable solutions and will choose the best available option to reuse/ recycle the fibres.

      The waste will never be burned or sent to a landfill!

      The remainder of the cartridge is cleaned, and fitted with a new filtering medium ready to be used again.

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