Appliance guides
Quick walkthroughs so you spend your week relaxing, not troubleshooting.
☕ Coffee maker
A Kenmore programmable drip maker. Open the top lid, add cold water to the cup line, drop in a filter, and add grounds — about 1 tbsp per "cup" to start. Seat the carafe on the warming plate, close the lid, and press BREW ON/OFF.
Small batch: press 1–4 Cup before brewing for a better result on a partial pot.
Coffee ready when you wake up: load water, filter, and grounds at night → press Set Auto → set the time with Hour and Minute → press Auto On and check the indicator is lit. Press Auto On again to cancel.
🍽️ Dishwasher
Built-in GE. Scrape plates (no need to pre-rinse everything), load plates low and glasses up top, add dishwasher detergent — not hand soap — to the door dispenser, and latch the door firmly.
| Normal | Best default for everyday loads |
| AutoSense | Senses soil level and adjusts |
| Heavy | Pots, pans, baked-on food |
| 1 Hour | Light loads when time matters |
Options: Heated Dry, Steam Sanitize, Wash Temp, and Delay Hours. Plastics dry best on the top rack — and cracking the door open at the end helps everything dry.
🔥 Range & oven
General: turn knobs to ignite/heat the burners; for the oven, set the temperature dial/pad and wait for the preheat tone before baking.
🌡️ Thermostat / HVAC
General: set to COOL in summer, pick your temperature, and let it run — opening windows while the A/C runs wastes energy and can fog things up in island humidity.
🧺 Washer & dryer
A stacked GE unit — dryer on top, washer below, both with dial controls. Sort lights and darks, add detergent, and choose a cycle. Clean the dryer lint screen before every load — it matters in a wooden beach house.
Beach towels and swimsuits: shake the sand out outside before anything goes in the washer.
📺 TV / Wi-Fi / streaming
General: power on the TV and streaming device, connect to the listed Wi-Fi, and open the app of your choice.
🧊 Countertop ice maker
A black PowerXL that makes small or large bullet ice in a few minutes. Lift the lid, pull the basket, fill the reservoir with drinking water below the MAX line, replace the basket, close the lid, and press ON/OFF. Press SELECT for S (small) or L (large).
ADD WATER light = refill. ICE FULL = empty the basket and it resumes. The first couple of batches run small while it chills, and fresh ice comes out wet — that's normal.
It's not a freezer. Move ice you want to keep into the freezer, or it'll melt back into the reservoir. Never chip at it with a knife.
🍟 Air fryer
PowerXL — great for frozen foods, reheating, and roasting veg. Pull the basket by the handle, spread food in a loose layer (crowding kills the crisp), slide it fully back in, set temperature and time, and shake or turn halfway through.
| Frozen fries | 375–400°F · 12–20 min |
| Chicken nuggets | 375–400°F · 8–12 min |
| Reheated pizza | 325–350°F · 3–6 min |
| Roasted vegetables | 375–400°F · 10–18 min |
| Bacon | 350–375°F · 7–12 min |
Keep it clear of walls and paper towels, and don't put loose parchment or foil in the basket unless food is weighing it down — it can hit the element.
📟 Microwave
White Galaxy with a number keypad. Put food in a microwave-safe dish, close the door, punch in the time, and press START. STOP/CLEAR pauses or clears.
There are Quick Touch presets plus Auto Defrost and Auto Reheat — watch the first time you use a preset, since they can overshoot. No foil, metal, or sealed containers; vent lids before heating, and stir leftovers so the middle isn't cold.
🍞 Toaster
A black KitchenSmith with four slots in two independent pairs — each side has its own dial and lever, so two people can run different settings at once. Dial 1–2 is light, 3–4 medium, 5–6 dark. Push the lever for the side you're using; CANCEL stops it early.
Nothing dripping with butter or icing, and never a knife or fork in the slots. If something gets stuck, unplug it and let us know rather than prying.
🚿 Outdoor shower
The enclosed shower is right off the deck — flip the latch to get in. Two lever handles control hot and cold; the blue-handled valve below the shelf runs the low hand-held sprayer, which is the fastest way to blast sand off feet, boogie boards, and the dog before anyone tracks it inside.
Rinse sand and salt out here after every beach trip — it keeps the cottage (and the plumbing) happy. Hooks by the door for towels and suits.
🔌 Breakers & basics
The breaker panel is in the dining room, on the wall near the door to the deck — grey metal cover, just pull the door open.
If an outlet suddenly dies, check the GFCI reset button on nearby bathroom, kitchen, or outdoor outlets first — that solves it most of the time, and outdoor outlets near the shower trip easily. If that's not it, look for a breaker sitting between on and off; push it fully off, then back on. Still no luck? Give us a call rather than digging further.
