Smelly Elevator Leaks Vegetable Oil

Have you ever noticed a rancid smell on the first floor of Vail? Maybe you were heading down to get your mail or dj-ing at the radio station when you came across the over-powering scent of decay.

The smell comes from the elevator, more specifically it comes from the Hydraulic Fluid used to keep the elevator running smoothly. The school has opted to use vegetable oil instead of traditional oil in efforts to be more enviornmentally friendly.

According to Head of Maintenance, Tom Archer, the smell occurs when the oil leaks past seals in the Hydraulic System.

"The fact that we use vegetable oil does make the smell more likely. This happens because the vegetable [oil] starts decomposing when exposed to the atmosphere," says Archer.

Those working in the mailroom are painfully aware of every time the Hydraulic Fluid has leaked. Rhonda Trucott can only find one word to describe it: "nasty."

"Eventually you get used to the smell," says Trucott, "but any time you have to leave and come back it hits you all over again."

According to Archer, the maintenance team does not cut any corners when it comes to the odor from the elevator. Rather than cover the smell with a deodorizer, the team does a thorough clean.

"The deodorizer is used only when clean up occurs, we never leave oil in the pit and apply deodorizer to solve smell issues," says Archer.

Following clean-up, all of the oils taken from the Hydraulic System are then recycled, something that is easier to do being that the oils are vegetable based.

Perhaps cleaning out the Hydraulic System more often would solve the smell problem, but for now it is a once in a while downside to an organic system that reduces the school's waste.