Moldy Smell in Office w/ steam heat

156yroldCityHall

I have an office in building that as of recent they have been complaining of a moldy smell in their office. I just got the steam heat in the building working on EVERY radiator for the first time in 15 years.(this is my 2nd winter in the building). There were 2 radiators in this office that did not work before and have now began to work. When they did not work for so many years, the old building Building Supt. instead of fixing the heat problem, hired a contractor to install 4 electrical heaters in their office.The days they complained the most, the steam heaters and the electrical heaters were on, and I was told that the office felt like it was 100 degrees in there...I was not in at the time, but as soon as I got back to work, is the day I had the huge leak I was referencing in an earlier post. For that, the heat was off for 2 whole days, and to try to narrow down the problem, the girls said during those 2 days, they did not get a headache or they didnt smell the moldy smell....

They have about 50 plants scattered throughout the 6 person office and was also thinking that could be a possible cause of the smell...I cannot smell anything they are speaking of no matter what time I go in there...I am not in there 8hrs straight like them either....It's been about about 2 weeks now, and still havent got an approval to get the air tested from my superior and in the meantime everyone in that office is looking to me for answers and I'm not too sure what to do.....Any suggestions?...The city has no money to spend on an air test to be done.....

Robert_25

Move the plants

If you think the plants could be at fault, remove them from the office and see if they still complain. Is there a drop ceiling in the office? Pull a few tiles and look around, it wouldn't be the first time someone hung a bucket under a leak and it got the "green disease".

Jamie Hall

Hate to say this...

but did anyone thoroughly clean those radiators before they got turned on again?  If not, it could really could be mould, happily living in the dust of ages in there.  Wouldn't be the first time...