We have left kitchen essentials as well as kitchen towel, etc. plus bathroom essentials as hopefully this will provide you with the basics that you need as you arrive.
However, we do ask that you replace what you use.
UTILITIES
Electricity
The electricity meter is on the wall by the back door in the laundry room. Units need to be purchased at the “Pick and Pay” supermarket in Franschhoek. These are bought at any check out.
You will need the Electricity card number – PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THE CARD OUT OF THE HOUSE – once lost this cannot be replaced.
Please take a photo of the card on your ‘phone or write the number down. At the check out at Pick and Pay, you will need to give them the long electricity card number – you ignore the “6” at the end.
You will be given a receipt with a long number at the bottom of the receipt.
This number is entered using the key pad on the electricity meter. There is no “start” or “end” key – just enter the number and once entered you will see the units increase.
Water
There are two water tanks or “geysers”. For more than 2 people in the house, we suggest that you use both geyers. Geyser 2 can be turned on by flipping up the switch in the fuse box.
Fuse Box
The fuse box is in the laundry room. In the event of a power cut, there are flash lights in the wall cupboard immediately next to the laundry room door as you enter from the mini hallway.
Air Conditioning
There are air conditioning units in all of the bedrooms and in the living room and in the Pool Room. There are remote controls for each air con unit.
ENTRANCE, FRONT GATE AND ALARMS
The house needs to be alarmed and the laser beams turned on each time it is unoccupied. This is a condition of our insurance so please make sure you do so every time you leave the house unoccupied – even for a short time.
The fob is the on/off controls for the alarms and opens the car port gate.
Blue: turns on and off the alarm.
Green: turns on and off the external beams (green for garden).
Purple: opens and closes the car port gate.
Red: unless there is an emergency, DO NOT press RED. This is a rapid response alarm call to the alarm company.
Note: on a windy day, laundry left on the washing line down the side of the house can blow in front of the beams and trigger the alarm. So usually best not to leave laundry on the line when the alarm/beams are on.
Checking the alarms are on/off
As you look at the house from the street, standing directly in front of the pedestrian gate, to the left of the front door, and between the ground and first floor windows, there is a small display which will have one small blue light permanently illuminated. When the alarm (blue) and beams (green) are on, the middle (red) light and the right hand (blue) light are illuminated.
If you trigger the alarm, the alarm company will call Christy who will call you. Please note that the alarm code that you may be asked for is “weatherspoons 36”.
Opening the pedestrian gate
You need to use a key to enter and exit the pedestrian gate from the outside.
To open the pedestrian gate from the inside of the house, there is an entry phone on the middle pillar in the living room.
You can see who is at the gate by looking at the security camera screen in the study.
You open the gate by pressing the button on the wall entry ‘phone.
KITCHEN
Tap for filtered drinking water
The water is perfectly fine to drink. However, if you prefer the taste of filtered water, the kitchen tap is set up for a filter option. The middle lever on the kitchen sink tap, if turned anti-clockwise, provides filtered water. There are 3 glass bottles with stopper tops which can be filled with filtered water and kept chilled in the fridge, if you so choose.
Hob
The hob is an electric contact hob. Buttons are touch activiated (rather than press):
- Turn the hob on, touch and hold your finger on the on/off button (circle with a vertical line in it, left hand side of the controls) until a small red light comes on – at least 3 seconds.
- Select the ring(s) you want to use by similarly touching the “+” button. “P” is the hottest setting. Using the “-“ button reduces the temperature.
To switch off:
- Touch the “ – “ button until it shows zero.
- Touch the “on/off” button.
- If a ring remains hot, then you will see a “ H ” until the ring has cooled.
Ovens
There are two full sized identical ovens. These can operate as fan or conventional ovens. We would recommend the fan oven, otherwise cooking time is slow:
- Turn the oven on using the on/off button – central button on the display, circle with a vertical line. This is touch activated – rather than press,
- On the left hand side of the on/off button, the function control button is the top left hand button. Again, this is touch activated.
- Next to this button, a square will illuminate. As you touch the function button, sides of the square will light up or go off. For the fan oven, the two horizontal sides of the square need to be illuminated.
- Temperature is adjusted using the “ – “/ “+ “ buttons below the function button.
Microwave oven
The microwave oven is in the last, single wall cupboard at the left hand edge of the kitchen.
Fridges and freezers
There are two identical fridges and freezers. On occasion, the vacuum created on closing the fridge or freezer on one side, pops the door of the fridge/freezer on the other side. Please check this on closing the doors. If one of the doors does get popped open a beeping alarm will be activated.
NOTE: Manuals: Manuals for all appliances are in the study.ROOMS
LIVING ROOM
Wood burning stove
The wood burning stove is fully operational. There is a stack logs under the carport if you wish to use it. The logs below the stove are decorative only.
STUDY
The study is behind the sliding panel on the right hand wall, as you enter the living room. If the sliding door comes off its runner, please call Christie and she will arrange for it to be rehung.
Security screen
Franschhoek is a very safe area within South Africa. However, for your peace of mind, the security screen showing various external points around the house is in the study.
BATHROOMS
All bathrooms have underfloor heating and heated towel rails. These are operated by power switches in the bathroom/on the towel rails, respectively.
WIFI, TV AND MUSIC
Wifi
The wifi network is “MacGinty”.
The password is “1a2b3c4d5e”.
The router is the “study”. It is a small flat, black box, at the left hand side, first shelf, below the security screen.
If the wifi is not working, then the simplest way to reboot is to remove power from the back of the router, wait 30 seconds and reinsert.
TV and sound bar
The TV is a smart TV so you can access DSTV as well as Netflix and Amazon TV or other such accounts you may have signed up for. You can also access the internet (YouTube, etc.). To get sound, you need to turn on the TV and the sound bar.
Turning TV on/off
Step 1
TV On/Off:
Use the universal set of buttons in the top right hand box. The red power symbol in this box turns the TV on/off.
Step 2: volume/sound
Soundbar remote – this gives you volume for the TV: small JBL remote below. Press the usual on/off power symbol, top left hand corner.
Step 3
Select source: use the source button on the oblong TV remote to activate the source – HDM1 for TV and HDM2 for DVD.
Step 4
To watch DSTV, use the DSTV remote – oblong remote, looks like a Sky remote with DSTV engraved at the bottom.
Key actions on the DSTV remote
Button with a book symbol: TV guide. Use the up and down symbols to move between channels.
Button with a red circle: records programmes
Button with dots and lines: lists recorded programmes
Button with blue triangle: DSTV box office – free movies
Button with green triangle: DSTV box office – movies that are charged to our account (so we would request you avoid this please).
Smart TV – access to Netflix etc
The oblong Samsung control is the smart TV control. Unless you want to use Netflix, Amazon TV etc, then you can ignore this remote!
If you do want to use this, then the on/off button is the red power symbol.
Use the coloured pentagon symbol in the centre of the oblong Samsung TV remote – this activates the infra-red pointer. Use the touch bad above the coloured pentagon to move the pointer to TV, Netflix etc.
DVDs
We have a library of DVDs for your use – essentially all the films that won the Oscar for Best Movie since 1967 (when we were born) through to the present day.
The DVD control is the rectangular Samsung remote – as above.
To use the DVD, then follow the steps 1 to 3 above, but choose HDM2 as the DVD source.
Note: the TV in the pool house is set up to play the same programme that is showing in the living room.
Music – iPod docking station
There is an iPod docking station, plus adapter, depending on the age of your iPod.
Inserting the iPod and selecting a track powers up the TEAC docking station.
The amp is turned on/off by depressing the button bottom left had corner. When in standby mode, use the remote, using the top left power on button.
In ceiling Speakers are in the living room/kitchen/dining room, the pool house, the master bedroom and master bathroom.
You can select where you want to hear music by selecting speakers A, B, C and/or D on the amp, bottom left on the amp, next to the headphone jack – the two round buttons.
A: living room
B: dining room
C: master bedroom and bathroom
D: pool room
You can listen to them all together or individually as you wish.
CLEANING – EVE
Eve comes in to clean and to do laundry twice a week – on a Monday and a Thursday, usually at 9am. Her charges are included within your rental costs. We usually provide Eve with a simple lunch, if we are in and she is staying longer than a morning. However, this is your choice!
OUTDOORS
GARDEN
Roy maintains the garden. His team comes on a Thursday morning and Eve will let them in.
POOL ROOM
Folding doors
The doors of the pool room fully open.
The middle two doors fold back and need to click into the hooks at the bottom of the next door before opening the remaining doors that fold in on themselves.
Pool plates and glasses
You will find picnic/plastic plates, glasses in the kitchen area in the pool room, above the fridge. All are dishwasher safe. We find these good for around the pool as the Franschhoek winds have a tendency to blow everything over.
POOL, POOL SERVICE AND OUTDOOR SHOWER
Pool service and maintenance
The pool is a treated salt water pool, not chlorine.
Sylvia maintains the pool. Sylvia and her team come on a Thursday morning and Eve will let them in.
Electronic pool cleaner
NOTE: there is an electronic pool cleaner on a timer in the pool. This activates twice per day. Please do not remove totally from the pool as the motor will continue to run and will burn out if not connected. But you can remove on a temporary basis if it is your way when swimming.
If the pool cleaner becomes detached, then reconnect the hose but ensure that it is submerged so that there is no air in the tubing. If the pool cleaner is not working, then please call Christy who will ask Sylvia to come and fix it.
The pool scoop for in-between pool services is kept at the right hand side of the pool house.
Pool cover
To limit evaporation from the pool, particularly in the summer months when there are water restrictions in Franschhoek, please use the bubble cover at night.
Outdoor shower
The outdoor shower is on the right hand side of the pool house (as you face it from the main house).
Pool towels
Pool towels are provided. These are the multi-coloured partly striped towels in the laundry room.
BIKES
We are keen cyclists as you will see from the bikes in the pool room. Sadly, these are not for sharing! But if you would like to cycle whilst you are here, Franschhoek Cycles rents bikes and can suggest to you some great scenic trails to follow e.g. over the Berg River Dam.