WE NOW HAVE A WOOD BURNING SAUNA!!
WE NOW HAVE A WOOD BURNING SAUNA!!
We do not live on the Island but we are here to help at anytime of day. We have a Property Manager and helpful neighbours who are willing to help out if needed.
For any issues, urgent or not please call/text:
Justin @ 647-469-8696
Tina @ 416-917-6107
Prior to your stay you will be provided with a unique door code that can be used to unlock the front door. All other doors/windows can be unlocked from inside. To unlock the front door please press anywhere on the keypad to activate the screen. Then press '#' then 'the code provided' then '#' (i.e. #1234#). You will then be able to turn the lock and enter the cottage! If you have any issues, please call us and we will walk you through it.
Everything should be ready for you! Time to relax!
If there are any issues, you can always call us and we would be happy to help.
If you turn the light switch on and the lights don't come one, please follow the 'No Electricity?' instructions below.
If you show up and there is no power (not likely) or you have been there for a while and the power goes out (again, not likely unless you are using a lot of electricity or there hasn't been a lot of sun lately) please follow the following steps:
- Go to the Utility Room (Room behind the wall that the TV is on).
- On the South wall, beside the water tank you will see a black knob (valve) on the wall. This is a timer valve that turns the propane on for the generator. Turn this knob to halfway between 0 and 1. This will allow the generator to run for approximately 30 minutes which should be enough time to get a good charge.
- Beside the valve you will see a remote with 'ON' and 'OFF' buttons.
- Press and hold the 'ON' button. This will turn on the Generator and that will charge up the Solar batteries. This will give you power back within seconds.
- If for some reason the remote doesn't start the Generator, you have 2 Options. The first is to go outside and start the generator manually. The second is to call or text us and we will send someone over to get the Generator started for you.
- The Generator is located just outside the back door, beside the water tank on the South side of the building. To start the Generator manually you can press the 'ON' button on the Generator. If that doesn't work, you can try using the pull cord to get it going
***NOTE: Run the Generator for 30 mins to 1 hour. After this, the batteries should be mostly charged. The propane valve will turn off after the alloted time is complete. This will shut down the generator. You can also press the 'OFF' button on either the Remote in the Utility room or on the Generator itself.
This likely means that the Inverter has tripped. This doesn't happen often but occasionally can happen if you use too many appliances at the same time.
To reset the Inverter head out to the white shed out back. There is a black screen that says MAGNUM on it on the back wall at the top right. When functioning properly this should read 'Inverting' or 'Charging' on it. If it says off, then the Inverter, which supplies power from the batteries to the house is off. As long as it is reading over 12V then you have enough power to supply to the house. Try pressing the ON buttons for the Inverter and the Charger on that screen. If you now have power then you are all good! If not, then you will need to reset the Inverter
To reset the Inverter look on the bottom side of the white MAGNASINE box on the back wall. There is a very small black button. Press and hold this button for about 10 seconds. This will shut the Inverter off and reset it. Let go of the button and then press it again to turn the inverter back on. At this point you should have power and everything should be good!
The water used for showers, toilets, sinks and the washing machine is drawn from the large tanks on the South side of the cottage. These are filled with lake water and with moderate use should last over a week.
If you run out of water there is a back up supply tank above the main tank outside. There is a red valve that is labeled 'Backup Water'. Please open this valve. This will provide you with water for 1-2 days. Once you do that please text us and we will have someone come and fill up the tanks again. It takes 30-60 minutes to fill up the tanks and we will text you prior to showing up.
We apologize for the inconvenience if you do run out of water.... but it's all part of the adventure that comes with living the Sustainable, Off-Grid Life!!
Feel free to use water as you normally would at home. We have no issue coming to fill up the tanks if needed.
If you want to get into the sustainable lifestyle and conserve water you can do any of the following things to help:
- Use the outhouse whenever possible. Toilets are one of the biggest water consumers in a house
- Focus on conserving water while doing dishes. Don't leave the tap running!
- Don't leave the tap running while brushing teeth.
- It may sound a little gross, but when using the toilet, only flush solids
- When using the shower, keep it short! The longer the shower, the more water used.
- Instead of using the shower, you can bathe in the lake. Make sure to use biodegradable soap and shampoo
The fridge is powered by propane and should be on when you get there. If for some reason it is off please follow the steps below to turn it back on
- Below the fridge door (at ground level) are the controls for the fridge.
- If the orange line is in the green then the fridge is on and running. If the orange line is in the red section then the fridge is off
- First turn the gas knob to the 'ON' position
- Press and hold the red pilot button. While doing this press the starter (sparker). This button is on the left side. Press it every 2 seconds while continuing to press the gas knob. Once the orange line moves to the green section then the fridge is running. You can now release the gas knob.
- If the orange line moves back toward the red section on the gauge then please repeat the above steps.
- If the fridge has been off for a while, it may take a number of tries to get it going. If it has not been off for long it usually starts up pretty easily.
If you want/need to turn on the furnace, there is a thermostat plugged into the outlet behind the furnace in the living room. Please set this thermostat to your desired temperature and the furnace will turn off and on to meet that temperature.
The cottage does NOT have WIFI Internet
However, the cottage is equipped with an LTE/5G signal boosting antenna that will help with your phone's reception.
The TV comes with many streaming service accounts that you are free to use. You will need to Hotspot your phone to the TV in order to use the streaming services. To do this:
- Please make sure that Hotspot is active on your phone
- On the TV, go to the settings tab (Gear Icon) and then to the WIFI settings.
- Select your phone from the list and enter the password if you have one set up
- You should now be able to use the streaming services
Of course!
The washing machine operates just like any other washing machine. Feel free to use it during your stay. We do not have a dryer, but there is a clothes line outside that you can use.
Keep in mind that the washing machine uses a fair amount of water. Using it may mean that you will have to call/text us to fill up the water cistern during your stay.
If it is not sunny out, you may want to start up the generator while running the washing machine to make sure you don't run out of power.
We have tried to think of all of the essentials for you to have a great stay! If we don't have it, Gore Bay is about 20 minutes away and all of the essentials can be found there.
The following items are included:
- Standard cleaning supplies
- Drinking water
- Clean linens
- First Aid Kit
- Cooking Utensils
- Cutlery/Dishes
- Toilet Paper
- Paper Towel
The best thing to do is RELAX! This is one of the quietest places on Earth so sit back and enjoy the sunsets, sunrises and the peace and quiet.
If that doesn't quite do it for you we also supply the following:
- Board games (in the coffee table)
- Foosball Table
- Smart TV (You need to connect it to your phone as we do not have Wifi)
- Kayaks (One adult and One child/small adult kayak)
- A Sauna!
As long as there is no Fire Ban, please feel free to use the fire pit by the cottage or the fire pit down on the beach. There is firewood available for both.
Please keep an eye on the fire signs on Manitoulin as you drive in. They will let you know the danger level and if there is a fire ban in place.
It is very simple.....
- Start a fire in the wood burning stove (from the outside of the sauna). Feel free to use the fire starters in your welcome package if you wish!
- Let the fire burn for about 30 minutes to heat up the rocks. The bigger the fire, the faster it will heat up.
- Fill up the wooden bucket that is in the sauna with water
- Use the provided ladle to pour water on the rocks until you get to the desired temperature.
- Enjoy!
- When you are done, make sure that the door to the woodstove is closed and the vent on the door is closed as well. This will contain the fire so that there is no chance of it spreading.
If you are up for it, then go for it? It is a little complicated but if you have operated a pump and understand how to prime it then you will be fine!
There is a gas powered pump down by the water that pumps water from the lake to the cistern. Please follow the following steps:
If the pump is not moving any water then it has likely lost its prime. If this is the case please do the following:
The pump will now start pumping water up the hill into the tanks. When the main cistern AND the backup tanks above the main cistern are full please close the Red valve and then go back down to the lake and shut off the pump by turning the ON/Off switch to the 'OFF' position. It is important to close the red valve first
If you are still having issues please call or text us and we will send someone to help you out. If you plan on trying this make sure to do it once you have drained the backup tank into the main cistern. This way if you run into any issues you will still have 1-2 days worth of water while we get someone there to fill up all the tanks.
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