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Published 20 Mar 2013

Spring Lambs

Last time I wrote it was the middle of winter. Now it’s the first day of spring but it feels just as cold. I was going to write to celebrate the sale of my 1000th sheep, but that happened the week after I was interviewed on the Radio 2 Drivetime innovation feature and I haven’t stopped since. I haven’t even had time to count sheep, but over 1500 have been sold now and I can start looking forward to selling my 2000th sheep!

What remains gratifying is the positive feedback I get back from customers. Almost every day I get an email from someone to say that they really notice a difference since they put the sheep in their chimney, that the draughts are reduced and the room is noticeably warmer. I like to think that each sheep we send out is doing its bit to plug gaps in houses and prevent heat from being unnecessarily lost.

I’m still looking at the various tests that are on offer, but an energy assessor calculated that an average end of terrace house with a standard open flue would save £21 – £23 per year. This means that a Chimney Sheep™ would pay for itself within a year, and probably within one winter. Compare that with, say, installing solar water heating, which will save £24 per year but costs £5,000 to install! Wall insulation will provide a saving of £272 per year but cost up to £14,000, or would take 52 years to pay for itself. Insulating your chimney really is a cheap and effective means of making great savings on your fuel bills and carbon loss.

It was 3°C today and a cold wind, but spring is more than just a calendar date. Birds are gathering nesting material, daffodils are doing their Lake District thing and lambs are popping out all over the place. I saw some newborn lambs today with little plastic macs on, they do look quite comical as they totter about.

It’s a strange business to be in, when you find yourself hoping for a long cold winter, but it is time for the weather to warm up a bit now. I know this means sales will drop, but as long as you have the central heating on you will be needing a Chimney Sheep™, and in our climate that probably means I’ll be selling a few sheep yet…

Sally Phillips

Inventor of Chimney Sheep

chimney sheep
energy savings
money saving tips
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PlanetCare Microfibre Filter Starter Kit

PlanetCare Microfibre Filter Starter Kit

55.00 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.

No chemicals are used in the construction or the functioning of the filter. 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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