House Manual

 

Captain Morse House Manual

General | Safety |  Trash |Damages |Outside | Events | Heat & AC |  Grill | ParkingToys & Bikes

Inside - Kitchens | Food | Linens | Sleeper Sofa | Technology | Alarm | Internet | TV & Audio | Fireplace

Welcome to the Captain Morse House

Dear Guest:

Thank you very much for choosing the Captain Morse House for your vacation on Martha's Vineyard. We hope that you will have the vacation of a lifetime. The Captain Morse House is a fine example of a Whaling Captain’s home. The house was built in 1840, before the invention of cars (1897), and electric lights (1880) so it requires special care. This manual mentions a lot of dos and don'ts but its principle purpose is to help you enjoy the Captain Morse House and your Island experience while appreciating and caring for the historic mansion you will be occupying. Our guests are expected to read our Welcome Guide (quick Start) and this manual and be self-sufficient. All that we have learned over 200 rentals is in this manual. Here are some Frequently asked questions / FAQs. For other information try the search tool in the upper right corner of our website

Manual Tips

To save the manual for easy access to a iPad or iPhone, open the document link below.
Choose the Square Icon with the arrow going up. Select "Add to Home Screen
You will then have a link to the manual you can access by clicking on the Manual Icon. We also have a QR Code in the manual book that will launch it.

  • For other information on our Website try the search tool in the upper right corner

Quick Start Advice

  • Before Arrival - Please read the manual and share it with anyone you think will read it. If you are bringing a car you will need ferry reservations. Bring as few cars as possible, ideally zero as you are close to everything and we provide you with bicycles. Our driveway is single file. We enter and exit the house from the back kitchen doors. Five days before arrival you will receive a door keypad code, an alarm code, and a security word in case the alarm goes off and the alarm company calls the house.
  • ARRIVAL -  Please check in only after your lease starts at 4:00 pm. The point of entry is through the kitchen doors up the Driveway. The First door is for the East Wing. The 2nd Door is for the West Wing. 
  • DEPARTURE - Please be 100% out of the house when your lease ends at 10:00 am The cleaners will start outside around 9:00 am
  • EARLY OR LATE - Check-In or Check-Out is possible if we do not have another guest on the calendar for the same day.
    Check this Availability Page to see if there is space on either side of your booking for this accommodation.
    If there is no space (it's a back-to-back turnover) then we cannot accommodate an early check-in or late check-out. 
  • ROLLER BAGS SHOULD BE CARRIED ON THE STAIRS Be careful when moving, bags, chairs, or tables on the newly re-finished floors. If protective scuff pads are missing there are plenty of extras in the hall closet.
  • WINDOWS DO NOT STAY UP ON THEIR OWN AND REQUIRE STICKS. Place a stick on the right side of the window in the window channel. If windows slam, they can cause injury and damage. Close windows ahead of rain.
  • STAIRS ARE VERY STEEP – BE CAREFUL – not suitable for small children - bare feet are more stable and less slippery than stocking feet.
  • TABLES ARE VALUABLE – use placemats to protect them. Do not place hot dishes or casseroles on them.
  • FOOT SHOWER AT BACK PATIO DOOR - Please take care to remove sand from feet and pets.
  • NO FOOD OR SODA IS ALLOWED ABOVE THE FIRST FLOOR - This attracts ants and can cause additional cleaning.
  • SHOWER CURTAINS – Place the bottom of the curtain inside the tub and the sides flat against the inside walls. After 30 seconds of showering, re-check the side curtain near the showerhead to make sure that the curtain is sealed tightly against the tile. Some water on the wall is necessary so that the water suction will hold the curtain tight. Ensure that there are no gaps and that shower water cannot go onto the floor. This might seem picky, but it has been a serious problem in the past.
  • HOT WATER - If there is no hot water go to the hot water heater in the back basement and turn the small red knob above the tank temperature from PILOT to ON (do not turn it off!)
  • ICE - Both refrigerators have ice makers. There is also an ice bin in the freezer. Make sure to fill the ice bins so you have plenty of ice for your visit. If you are planning a party, you will need to buy ice at the market. There are ice chests in the basement and a spare fridge too.

General Info

CAPTAIN MORSE HOUSE
80 N WATER ST #34
EDGARTOWN, MA 02539-0034
There is no landline at the house

Use the above address for shipping; Ship UPS or FedEx [USPS is not reliable and requires a trip to the post office]
Items shipped to the house should be placed in the front hall closet (East Wing) or the pass-through closet (West Wing)

Email is for questions (if it is not in the manual):  support@captainmorsehouse.com
The phone is for emergencies that cannot wait. 508-693-0809
Please call and text during normal business hours unless it is an emergency

Deliveries: The US Postal Service will not deliver to the house. Use UPS or FEDEX or it may get lost at the Post Office.
Packages get delivered to the house every day. Please store them if they arrive during your stay.
For the East Wing and the Entire House, put them in the front hall closet.
For the West Wing, use the closet next to the kitchen.
For large items, place them in the back west basement next to the hot water heater.
If you want to go the extra mile, you can contact support@captainmorsehouse.com, and we will unpack and put them out for your use and enjoyment.

Support

First, have you consulted the information in the app or the manual?

Second, have you searched the Captain Morse House website? Click on the magnifying glass symbol.

Third, Still Stuck? Please email us at support@captainmorsehouse.com

EMERGENCY ONLY PROCEDURE

FIRE - POLICE - ACCIDENT: 911 - In case of Fire, locate the closest fire extinguisher (closets, under sinks) and use it. Do not use water on any grease fires.

...then call

Platt Johnson  508-693-0809 after 11 am until 11 pm EST

Flauber Souza 781-964-4077

Erick Miller 774-255-0262

TAKE PICTURES OF THE EVENT AND MAKE AN INCIDENT REPORT: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How!
Email them and an incident report to Support@captainmorsehouse.com
Then call or text the below list in this order (text is the best way to get someone)

Cleaner

You can arrange additional cleaning by calling
Miriam <Cleaner@captainmorsehouse.com>
508-627-2871

Trash

Trash missed or overloaded? Call
EL Harvey  508-995-0544 Extension 143 [See Trash ]

 

 

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Safety

FIREPLACES: DO NOT MAKE ANY FIRES - fireplaces will not draw smoke & are unsafe.  GRILL: Make sure the grill is turned off at the bottle.

ALARM & CAMERAS: The Abode Alarm includes a camera and motion detector and is located in the West Wing. Rotate this around towards the wall during your stay. Noise sensors (privacy-safe), exterior cameras, and interior video cameras that point outside are in use for the comfort of our neighbors and for the safety of our guests and their belongings. Guests may not disable any alarm devices or security cameras. Disabling the smoke and CO2 detectors prevents them from working and constitutes a breach of this lease. False alarms from improper use of the alarm may result in a charge to the tenant's security deposit. The house is equipped with smoke detectors and fire extinguishers.  You should not need to use the alarm during your vacation. See below for more on the alarm.

Virus and Flu: We recommend washing your hands in the kitchen sink whenever you return home from an outing. We place hand soap at these sinks for your use.

STAIRS: The stairs in this house are very steep, and in some cases, the treads are quite small. They are not to code and would not be allowed to do so these days.  Please make sure you, your guests, and your children are told to take care. They are not suitable for elderly people or small children. Baby Gates (back basement) should be used even if your child is being supervised.

WINDOWS: The windows in the old part of the house will NOT stay up on their own – use the window sticks and don't trust the brass stoppers. Broken windows are expensive to repair. sticks go in the window channel on the left or right of the window.

DOORS: For general security, during the day, we lock all the screen doors and leave only the #1 front kitchen door open.

LOCKED DOORS: Opening an interior door that you find locked will automatically forfeit your security deposit. The Elevator is one of these doors.

CRITTERS AND OUTSIDE DANGERS: The beaches, tall grasses, and woods are filled with ticks, deer ticks, and poison ivy. Inspect yourself and your children carefully for ticks after an outing and wash thoroughly in the shower.

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Trash & Recycling - Tuesday / Saturday

Tuesday and Saturday is for trash from 5/1 to 10/15 - Trash is anything that is not recycling.

Saturday is the recycling pickup for Yellow labeled Recycle Toter - Single Stream recycling is used. No plastic bags in Toter.

On Monday and Friday (the day before trash days) make sure all trash in the house is in the bins. They come by very early
LEAVE TOTES WHERE THEY ARE Trash collectors will come up the driveway to get them
PARK
so that the large Totes can be rolled past the cars to North Water Street. The first car near the street MUST be pulled in as close to the fence and as close to the sidewalk as possible.
There are small white paint lines on the brick to show you where. Other cars must be parked up the driveway beyond the trash bins.
Completely fill each Tote before placing anything else into the empty totes. You are charged for all TOTERS over 1 trash and 1 recycling.
No Plastic Bags or food should be placed into the recycling Tote (yellow labels).
Departure - when you leave make sure that all trash is out of the house and in the bins.

Put all refuse in the trash cans inside of the trash bin. Skunk are a problem. Nothing should be left outside of the bins.
For extra pickups call EL Harvey at 508-995-0544 Ext 143 for Nancy
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Damages & Security Deposit

The House Captain or person in charge of the rental should carefully inspect the premises upon arrival. Any previous damage to the premises must be reported to support@captainmorsehouse.com via email with pictures within 6 hours of the start of your lease.
We strive to keep the home in great shape for every guest's arrival and double-check it on each turnover however we are only human. If you see anything amiss (for example 3 candlesticks when 4 is normal, a broken window etc.) please bring it to our attention.

The best thing you can do to prevent damage is to make sure that the other people in the house are familiar with this manual. With a large crowd of people, there is the chance that some will not be as careful as you are. If there is damage please discuss it with the caretaker in advance of our discovering it. We want to be as fair as possible with all of our tenants while still keeping the house at its current level.  Please treat the house just like it was your own home and try to leave it "better than you found it."

 

Furnishings

This is a stately home with many antiques and fragile items in it. Please treat it with the respect it deserves (think Lincoln’s bedroom at the White House) and remember my grandfather’s advice to “always leave a rented house better than you found it”. Now you are reading this but many of your guests may not. If they won’t it is your responsibility to educate them, especially children, as to the value of many of the furnishings. For children roughhousing is not something that you should allow. There is an enormous backyard that is perfect for that. On a rainy day, the front attic is a great spot for active kids.

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Outside

Flag: We normally leave the flag out. If it gets stormy or windy, please take it in until the storm passes, as it will keep you up at night and wreck the flag. Make sure you note how the flag is tied up before taking it down so you can tie it up the same way. Flag and house etiquette are on the main site.

YARD: We installed a sod lawn at great expense. Due to the high traffic and the amount of shade in the back yard, the lawn can be beaten up and take months to recover. With an average of 25 tenants per year, this lawn cannot withstand heavy use. I ask you to please treat it gently and not allow gatherings or rough play that could damage the lawn. Just use some judgment. The lawn needs to be in the same condition when you leave as it was when you found it, or better. No water toys, such as pools, Slip 'n Slides, or hoses, can be used on the lawn. Please also keep the tool shed closed to reduce the chance of theft. Lower and secure the umbrellas each evening, or if it's windy, to prevent damage to furniture. Please bring in cushions from the front porch if it rains.

Utilities: If you want to track the Electrical usage the meter is just outside of the Morse Street garden door. The Gas meter is under the black plastic lid on the right side of the lawn.

Grill: We have two Bull BBQ Gas Grills. Spare bottles are in the tool shed. Do not change until empty. Detailed notes on the operation are here.

Gas Grills are located near the tool shed

TO LIGHT: Turn on the bottle first, then the grill. The igniters should all work.

TO TURN OFF: Turn off the grill first, then turn off the bottle. Please return the grill to the condition you found it in.

DO NOT use the rotisserie element (small knob) unless you are using the rotisserie. To rotisserie, remove the center grates only and place an aluminum foil pan to catch the drippings. There are two separate rotisserie irons in the tool shed. A chicken takes 1 1/2 hours on average.

We attempt to keep spare gas bottles in the tool shed. If you run out, you can refill at either Vineyard Propane at 6 N. Line Rd., Edgartown, MA (near the airport, open only Monday - Friday) or DeBettencourts Garage, 83 New York Avenue, Oak Bluffs, MA 508-693-0751 (open weekends) - Drive through Oak Bluffs as if going to Vineyard Haven. DeBettencourts is on the right with brick columns in front of the gas pumps.

MANUAL LIGHTING: There is a long-neck lighter in the drawers to the left of the stove. We keep the grill accessories there as well.

  1. If you have a low flame or low power, it may be due to not doing the 1st step correctly. This is how to reset a propane regulator.
    1. To correct a low flame, do these steps EXACTLY IN THIS ORDER.
    2. Turn off the gas at the propane tank.
    3. Disconnect the gas line from the tank.
    4. Open the grill lid.
    5. Turn all control valves to high.
    6. Wait for about a minute. Some advise that you rap the regulator with a screwdriver - sometimes it sticks.
    7. Turn all control valves to off.
    8. Reconnect the gas line to the tank.
    9. VERY SLOWLY turn on the gas at the tank.
    10. Light the grill normally. Your grill should now heat normally.
    11. If it doesn't work then repeat the above steps..

Parking

Parking at the house and in Edgartown is limited

See this link for Parking Information

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Toys

No inflatable pools, slip-and-slides, or water toys of any kind are to be used on the lawn.
The tool shed needs to be kept closed at all times.
If you wish to use any of the Captain's bicycles, you must sign and return this agreement.
Otherwise, you and your guests do not have permission to use them.
The rules and suggestions for bike use are here. https://www.captainmorsehouse.com/details/bike-rules/

You are responsible for repairs. For additional bikes or accessories, we recommend any of these shops.

We have a toy box opposite the tool shed. There is a croquet set and some other lawn games. Please put them away when you are done.
You can use anything in the tool shed, but please put it all NEATLY back when done.
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[ez-toc]Heat, AC & Energy

THERMOSTATS

We have installed new Ecobee Premium thermostats in the house. There are 6 of them, two on each floor.

They run on auto and are designed to provide you with comfort during your entire stay.

You can control your thermostats during your stay with the SET APP - refer to the email with your lock information for access to the SET APP

NEVER SET THE 2ND FLOOR THERMOSTATS IN CONFLICT WITH EACH OTHER - IF ONE IS ON COOL THEN THE OTHER SHOULD BE ON COOL

These two thermostats control one system with a diverter and cannot supply heat to one zone and cool to the other.

If you activate the thermostat (Press COOL or HEAT to start) make sure ALL windows, storm wndows and exterior doors are closed.

You may not need the HVAC system at all during your visit. In the previous 170 years of the house, they managed without. If you wish to open the windows and doors for the natural island cooling breezes, please turn off ALL 6 thermostats. If you are in a wing then it is just three thermostats

Please close windows and doors if rain approaches.

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  1.  

 

Icon Ecobee Thermostat and Sensor

SENSORS

The little space-age gadget in this picture

The Ecobees can detect your presence in a room and adjust the temperature accordingly. There are four sensors in the house.

The 2nd floor sensors are located in the East Primary Bedroom #1 and the West bedroom #6

The 1st floor sensors are located in the West bedroom #11 and East Media Bedroom #12

For Example, during heat waves:
When you are away, the setting for cooling is around 78 degrees
When you return, the sensor will automatically sense your presence and lower the setting to 74 degrees
For sleeping, it is set automatically to a cooler temperature
If the outside is cooler than the attic, then open the windows at the East and West wings of the house. Be sure that the door near the bathroom is open.

During colder temperatures
When you are away, the setting for the heat is set to 63 degrees
When you return, and the sensor sees your presence, it will automatically rise to 67 degrees
For sleeping, it is set to 64 degrees

Let us know if you are not comfortable, and we will adjust the automatic settings until you are.

ENERGY TIPS: Smart energy management at the house is done as follows. This is what was done before the home got central AC in 2009. I lived here, and it was fine as long as you did the following.

  • Lower all shades on the Morse Street (SOUTH) side of the house during the day.
  • Turn off all lights when not needed. They produce a lot of heat.
  • Raise the windows (especially on the Northside) using the sticks and open the attic windows and the doors at the base of the attic stairs.
  • Close windows when rain is coming or if evening fog is thick.
  • Do not run the HVAC with the windows, storm windows, and exterior doors open - this will result in wasted energy and may turn off the system
  • Fill the dishwashers and clothes washing machines before using them. Do not overload.
  • Hang towels up to allow them to air dry. There are practical antique towel drying racks in several bedrooms.

ATTIC SPECIAL NOTES: The roof is NOT well insulated. It is common for the attic temperature to exceed 90 degrees on any sunny day without the AC running.  Doing the following will cool the area to the high 70s without using the AC.

  • Walking on the Roof is not allowed.
  • The scuttle to the roof is not designed to stay open on it's own and is fragile. A 6" stick can prop it open. Do not open on a windy day.
  • WINDOWS - Open the dual crank windows near the back stairwell.
  • DOORS - keep doors at the top of the front stairs open for airflow. Open 2nd-floor attic doors for airflow if the entire house AC is off.

Detailed HVAC information for interested people and contractors is here

The Captain Morse House has contracted with Con Edison Solutions through Cape Light Compact. This program uses 25% Biomass & Solar and 75% low-impact Hydro, and charges 11.1 cents/kWh; however, YOU make the biggest difference in energy use. You will know how many kWh you used during your stay.
For more information, see http://www.capelightcompact.org and also http://www.conedsolutions.com
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Inside Spaces

Kitchens

If you rent the entire house, you will see that there are two kitchens. The back Kitchen is typically used for breakfast and for hors d'oeuvres around cocktail time. The front Kitchen is typically used for lunch, which we prepped on trays and took to the back patio. We also made and served all our dinners from it. The refrigerator in the front should have the freezer set to 0 and the fridge set to 37.

The front kitchen has a very nice GE Monogram range. The knobs were not strong enough for a prior guest. Please use them gently, and remember you need to push them in to go past the indent and into the ignite position. If you don't, you can damage the valve.

Microwaves: The microwave uses an LCD screen to control and is very powerful. Some tenants have cooked the interior by starting the microwave with nothing in it or running it for too long. Read the screen carefully. Children should not operate the microwave. The East Wing Kitchen microwave operates a bit like an iPhone. Use the three-line icon to access options. Manuals for both of these are located in the cabinets near them.

Dishware and utensils: These are all inventoried and accounted for. Breakage will be charged to the tenant.
We hate dull knives, so we have supplied excellent, sharp knives - DO NOT place in the dishwasher - simply dry and return to the rack.

Kitchen Tips
Cast-iron skillets, wooden utensils, and Wooden Bowls should NEVER be put in the dishwasher or washed with soap. Simply clean immediately after use with hot water and a sponge or stiff BRUSH. Dry completely and leave to air dry on the stove.

If there is any remaining food stuck to your pan, scrub with a paste of kosher salt mixed with water, then rinse clean. You may also try removing food debris by boiling water in the pan.

Season cast iron after every use with olive oil.
Heat the pan so you cannot touch it, but not too hot
One teaspoon of oil rubbed in with a paper towel.
Use what is left on the outside of the pan

Grill Cleaning
Use the search icon for complete grill cleaning steps

Ants are a problem on a sandy island. Terminix comes to the house several times a season but you will probably still see some ants around. Try to reduce their food intake by keeping the kitchen extra clean and by not bringing food to the rooms upstairs. Please report any other pests so we can take care of them.
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Parties, events, and retreats

You are renting the Captain Morse House exclusively for your under-roof guests to use as living space.

If you wish to host an event at the house, please see our events information. Additional charges apply depending on the size of the event.
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Linens & Laundry

The beds are all made. Extra towels and linens are located in each wing. In the East Wing, they are outside the 2nd bathroom from the front of the house. In the West Wing, beach towels and spare linens are located in the closet next to the kitchen or in the bench in green bedroom #5. Please note that the more laundry you use, the higher the turnover cost will be.

The Middle Bedroom (4) and the back bedroom (5) can be made up either as twins if you specify this in advance; normally, they are made as kings.

Missing or damaged towels, robes, and linens will be charged to the guest's security deposit.

The Laundry is located in the west basement. Access the stairs behind the west patio door with the small round porthole in it. Be careful on these steep stairs.

You may use the older washing machine for your washing needs, for beach towels, and for anything but delicates.

Cleaners = ONLY HE detergent is to be used in the LG machines. The manual is available here. Do not overload the washers or dryers, and use the bulky-item settings.

When you depart, please take any towels that you can. This helps with our turnovers.

The cleaners work very hard to prepare the home for you. If you like their work, please express your thanks with a tip.
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Food and Shopping

If you have ever rented a house before and found it devoid of everything, including salt & pepper, then you will be pleasantly surprised. We aim to always have some basic kitchen staples on hand, so to eliminate duplication, please check the kitchen before you go shopping.

There are many farmers' markets on the island. The local spots we use are at this link.

Bedrooms and Sleeper Sofa

We have provided an "Air Dream" sleeper sofa in the front family room. This uses air technology. The pump is located at the right head of the bed. Detailed instructions are in the manual and available online here. These are some pics of the sofa being inflated. The sheets, pillowcases, etc., are normally stored in the closet in the same room. Make sure that they all come off before folding the sleeper sofa back up.

If you are a late sleeper, I would recommend earplugs and maybe even eye shades. Edgartown wakes up early, and it will be noisy with so many people in such a large house. We have complimentary earplugs in the front hall closet, and a complimentary items basket.

If there is noise from parties or passersby, you have my encouragement to call the Edgartown Police. It's their job.  After Hours call 508-693-1212 / Daytime 508-627-4343 Dial 0 / In an emergency dial 911

We make a concerted effort to ensure that all of our beds are properly made up with quality sheets, but sometimes the laundry will mix up our beds with others. Let us know if this occurs so that we can take care of it.

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Alarm

Most people do not use the alarm during their stay; however, if you set it, it applies to the entire house, not just a wing. All doors will have to be locked, and all the windows closed.

The home uses a keypad-style entry system on the back kitchen door. (not the key locker)
The guest security code for the door and alarm is on the welcome letter and is provided before your lease starts.

The security word in case of smoke or if the alarm goes off by accident is on the welcome letter. You will need that if the alarm company calls you.
Pay attention to the screen on the alarm panel. The code “toggles” the alarm state. Entering the code with the alarm off will set the alarm to on and vice versa. We rarely use the alarm but if you do then all doors will have to be locked. Monitoring is by Rapid Response Monitoring (800) 932-3822. There is an emergency key above the door header in the tool shed in case the door's keypad fails.

TO ARM: Press and hold the Away button for 2 seconds or enter your access code. If you use the alarm, then all doors will have to be locked. See the Manual for more info. There is an emergency key in a key locker on the toolshed and in the key locker above the toolshed door.

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Technology

The Captain Morse House has the latest in technology. Communication services are provided by Xfinity/Comcast 800 COMCAST - Account # 8773105170026798

Wireless HP Printer is accessible as the Photosmart TS6000 series via WiFi or BLUETOOTH with 0000 passkey. The printer is located in the back of the living room. The paper is in the sideboard near the kitchen island. If you use the last inkjet cartridge, please replace it. Spares are in the sideboard.
More paper is on the back shelf of the west cellar. We have plenty of it.
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Internet

We have a Hosted wireless network. Wi-Fi is provided as an amenity, with no guarantee of service due to the remote and flaky nature of delivering high-tech services on an island.

Do not attempt to modify these settings unless instructed by technical support. The system consists of the following.
Gateway - 2025 Xfinity TB-8 providing fast and full coverage at 800+ Mbps. The Modem is in the West basement on a shelf at the bottom of the stairs.

Access Points - We use three Ubiquiti access points. They are all linked to create a mesh. Ubiquiti is an enterprise-level hardware and Software provider.

AP1 is a U6-LR-US and is located on the 1st floor in the West Living Room SW corner. It should point at the West Kitchen door

AP2 is a U6-LR-US located on the 1st floor, in the Media Room, bedroom 12, inside the twin doors next to the stereo. It should point towards the corner of Morse St & North Water St

AP3 is a U7-Pro located on the third floor behind the door to the middle HVAC unit outside bedroom 9

You can test the internet speeds at the house by using the website www.speedtest.net

Our system serves three SSID network names.

  • CMH Guest for your use while at the house. It requires you to enter the last name on the reservation and the last 4 digits of the first registered mobile phone. See your Welcome Email
    Once granted access, you will need to enter your name, email, and phone # This will last for your entire stay.
    The internet is quite secure as it is shared just for you and your guests throughout your stay. No prior or future guests at the house will have access, only you and your guests.
  • CMHNETX is for our 2.4 GHz devices, such as locks and alarms. If you have a projector, baby monitor or personal device
  • VRadmin is a private network for workers

Security is provided by WPA2-PSK (AES); we do not support lower security. You can read why here.

If you think there is a WiFi failure, first make sure it is not a local problem. Click on

https://www.xfinity.com/support/statusmap
and then enter

80 N WATER ST EDGARTOWN, MA 02539

If there are no local outages and more than one device cannot access the internet, try rebooting the system. This requires turning off the system, waiting a few minutes, then turning it back on and waiting a few minutes more for the system to propagate.

Quick Reboot - just the modem

  • Go to the back of the basement and unplug the power from the Xfinity modem. This is a white cube that sits atop the network switch.
  • Wait 1 minute and then plug it back in
  • Wait five minutes and then try the internet again.

Complete Reboot - all devices if directed by tech support

  • Go to the back of the basement and unplug the power from the Xfinity modem. This is a white cube that sits atop the network switch.
  • Unplug the POE (power over Ethernet) injector
  • Go to the front media room and turn off the power strip so all internet devices in the room disconnect. This includes  the POE (power over Ethernet) injector
  • Go to the third floor and unplug the POE (power over Ethernet) injector located to the right next to the circuit breakers.
  • Wait two minutes
  • To turn everything back on, start back downstairs to the basement and plug the power back into the Gateway and POE (power over Ethernet) injector
  • Turn the power strip back on in the East Wing media room
  • Go to the third floor and plug the POE (power over Ethernet) injector back in

POWER FAILURE
If you experience a power failure, please turn off all computers, monitors, and attached peripherals, then turn off the UPS in the basement. You may notice a beeping from downstairs that will continue until the UPS is turned off. To restore cable and internet service, you may need to go into the basement and reset the system.

If you have attempted these troubleshooting tips, then call the emergency numbers.
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TV and Audio Video

We provide Comcast internet service at home. We use Sling TV to serve standard cable channels, movies, and provide DVR service. Modern entertainment systems are complex, and we have found that guests will often "play" with settings and make the system unusable. We recommend one person in the party be designated the chief geek and be responsible for understanding the systems. There are system "cheat sheets" in each media room. Here is a link to the Cheat Sheets. Here is a link to the same thing in pdf
There are 4 zones in the house. The Amplifier is in the East Wing. If you are renting the wings we suggest using the distribution block to the left of the amp to turn off the sound for the West Wing zones 3 & 4

The Captain Morse House
(all terms and conditions subject to change without notice)
(Note that this online version of the manual is always the most recent version)

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West Wing Electric Fireplace

The West Wing has an electric Fireplace.

It operates from the controls at the lower right.

There is an On-Off rocker switch in the upper-right intake slot.

There is also a remote control. The system sometimes does not turn off quickly, which is why the rocker switch is there.

The heat is not necessary to use. It is expensive to run, and there is a chance the heat will NOT be turned off.

Please make sure that it is off at the end of use by using the rocker switch.

The Captain Morse House
(All terms and conditions are subject to change without notice)
(Note that this online version of the manual is always the most recent version)

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West Wing Fireplace
West Wing Fireplace
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