PASSED: Kitchen & Boiler Inspections

Once every three years the State of Michigan conducts boiler inspections. State certification is a three step process.

1. A licensed HVAC company needs to complete an annual CSD1 inspection and necessary repairs. (Half to full day on-site.)
2. An insurance agent needs to complete a separate boiler inspection. (15 minutes on-site.)
3. A state inspector needs to certify each boiler based on the previous inspections. (Off-site if other inspections go as planned.)

We have a lot of equipment to maintain at 16 houses and 21 properties. Maintenance Staff ensures that the boilers are ready and house members ensure that the house is clean & presentable and that nothing is stored in the boiler rooms. This year 5 houses needed to be inspected.

Boilers were ready, the houses were not. Clutter was abundant and delayed initial passing as we needed to submit photographs for compliance of cleanup to the city. Pictures below show blocked entry/exit paths in addition to flammable materials.

Special shoutout to Owen & Escher House for being clean and clear.

The goal is not to be paternalistic and harp on clutter. . . . the goal is to remain safe, compliant, and extend our inspections for as many years to serve as many members as possible. This allows for cost savings, stewardship & pride and redirects funds & labor to critical tasks that require the expertise of our maintenance staff.

The cool thing about living in our coop is learning skills one might not have. . . such as what is a boiler and why do I need to maintain it. Our Director of Maintenance, Geoff, provides maintenance managers with hands on learning throughout the term. Boilers would have been covered in October. . . peep the schedule below and if you’re interested, run for Maintenance Manager next election cycle.

Maintenance 101

Sept 12 “Navigating the ICC Maintenance System”; Toolbox Check-Out
Sept 26 Housing Inspections & Emergency Preparedness
Oct 10 Heat Systems
Oct 24 Vacuums & Food Disposals
Nov 7 Doors & Locks
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Jan 9 Work Holiday Projects
Jan 23 Basic Plumbing: Supplies & Drains
Feb 6 Basic Plumbing: Toilets & Faucets
Mar 6 Basic Electrical
Apr 18 Wrap-Up Surveys; Toolbox Returns (No Training)

We have 11 industrial kitchens and 10 were inspected this year after the backlog due to covid. Shoutout to Luther House who had a housing inspection last year and had their inspection at that time.

Maintenance Staff works on equipment issues – sanitizers, refrigerators, freezers, and ovens, as well as the chemicals, test strips, and thermometers for their respective appliances. House members are to ensure that the kitchen is clean & presentable. Every surface needs to be sparkling clean. From the walls, to oven doors, to stainless steel counter shelving and legs, to the sides of cabinets to kickplates underneath cabinets, to countertop appliances, to underneath and behind the ovens and refrigerators, etc, etc. Every surface. The Facilities Management Committee provides support via mock kitchen inspections to help houses be prepared. The Maintenance Staff provides detailed information for each house to be able to manage their own kitchens.

Typically when these inspections take place they are during housing inspections and maintenance staff ends up doing the bulk of the cleaning. Even with help from members this level of prep usually ends up requiring 40+ hours of labor between all of the maintenance staff. With all of these houses on deck for inspection in such a short timeframe, members needed to make plans to be prepared. This works shows the University Health and Safety folks that we know food safety code, and we work to minimize food borne disease in our houses every day.