For some residents of San Francisco, the robotic future of driving is just a tap away. Ride-hailing services from GM subsidiary Cruise and Alphabet company Waymo allow them to summon a driverless ride with an app. But some riders have become perhaps too comfortable with the technology.

In a letter filed with a California regulator yesterday, city agencies complained that on three separate occasions since December, cruise staff called 911 after a passenger in one of its driverless vehicles became “unresponsive” to the two-way voice link installed in each car. Each time, police and firefighters rushed to the scene but found the same thing: a passenger who had fallen asleep in their robot ride.

The agencies’ letter complains that the incidents wasted public money and potentially diverted resources from people truly in need. “Taxpayer funded emergency response resources used for nonemergencies undermine their availability to members of the public in true nee[d],” wrote the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, and the Mayor’s Office on Disability.

The letter was one of a series sent to the California Public Utilities Commission this week by transportation officials in San Francisco and Los Angeles seeking to pump the brakes on Cruise and Waymo’s requests to expand their paid robotaxi services in both cities. The cities say they’re worried the technology isn’t ready. And they want the companies to be required to share more data about the performance of their cars, and meet specific benchmarks, before service can be expanded.

The San Francisco agencies cite a number of unsettling and previously unreported incidents, including the false alarms over snoozing riders and two incidents in which self-driving vehicles from Cruise appear to have impeded firefighters from doing their jobs.

One incident occurred in June of last year, a few days after the state gave Cruise permission to pick up paying passengers in the city. One of the company’s robotaxis ran over a fire hose in use at an active fire scene, the agencies’ letter says, an action that “can seriously injure firefighters.”

In the second incident, just last week, the city says firefighters attending a major fire in the Western Addition neighborhood saw a driverless cruise vehicle approaching. They “made efforts to prevent the Cruise AV from driving over their hoses and were not able to do so until they shattered a front window of the Cruise AV,” the San Francisco agencies wrote in their letter.

San Francisco Fire Department spokesperson Jonathan Baxter confirmed that the two incidents occurred. He says that in the most recent it took approximately two minutes for the autonomous vehicle to stop, and that the department is in touch with Cruise about both encounters with firefighters. Cruise spokesperson Hannah Lindow says the vehicle was stationary by the time a firefighter broke its glass. WIRED previously reported that a Cruise vehicle blocked one of the department’s fire engines on the way to a major blaze for roughly 25 seconds last spring.

Lindow says that some data Cruise provides to regulators must be kept private for customer safety, and to protect “proprietary information.” She wrote in a statement that the company has “driven millions of miles in an extremely complex urban environment with zero life-threatening injuries or fatalities.”

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A new problem may be bubbling up for residents of the lurching Millennium Tower in downtown San Francisco.

The building’s tilt — now about 22 inches to the west due to the northwest corner sinking about 18 inches — may be causing lateral sewage pipes to not drain correctly and has already resulted in “some plugging” on the third floor, according to a letter from the chief engineer to the city, obtained by NBC News.

A separate San Francisco Department of Building Inspection report filed Aug. 27, obtained by SFGATE, saw “evidence of water intrusion through the basement walls of the subterranean levels and signs of past settlement,” from the tower’s earlier sinking.

“The team identified several areas in which seals on building drains exiting the building appeared to be leaking ground water from outside the building to the inside,” the report reads. The team also observed “water seepage from the basement wall into the sewage ejector room.”

The letter states that the inspectors “did not find any observable variation” from their previous inspection in March.

Doug Elmets, spokesperson for the Millennium Tower homeowners’ association, told SFGATE that the document “clearly states that DBI found no changes in piping since their last inspection which occurred in March 2021.”

Chief engineer Ronald Hamburger added, “there are not current effects that compromise either building safety or habitability. As settlement and tilting has now returned to pre-construction levels, we do not anticipate any will occur.”

In the email from Hamburger, obtained by NBC, the engineer told the city that “sewer lines must slope (minimum of 1/8” per foot) to enable efficient flow of material,” and that at-risk drains “will experience slope decreased and may become a problem.” He added that third floor drains that have seen plugging must be “maintained with periodic chemical flushing.”

The news comes after the tower abruptly sank another inch over a period of weeks in July in the middle of the massive foundation fix on the tower, causing work to stop. A report found that the fix itself was likely causing further sinking. The moratorium came after 39 of the 52 new piles had been installed as part of the $100 million “perimeter pile upgrade.”

Supervisor Aaron Peskin has called for a new independent review of the project. “I would like there to be a pause until we know what we’re doing, and I think that construction should not resume until we can panel the best experts that this country has,” Peskin told KPIX.

The August halted on the construction fix was initially planned to last two to four weeks. It is now unclear when it might resume.

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A new problem could emerge for residents of the tumbling Millennium Tower in downtown San Francisco.

The slope of the building – now about 22 inches to the west as the northwest corner drops about 18 inches – can cause side sewer pipes to not drain properly and, according to a letter from. Already led to “some blockages” on the third floor, the city’s chief engineer, received from NBC News.

A separate report from the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection, filed Aug. 27 and received by SFGATE, saw “evidence of water entering through the basement walls of the underground levels and signs of previous settlement” from the tower’s earlier sinking .

“The team identified several areas where seals on building drains exiting the building are causing groundwater to seep in from the outside of the building,” the report said. The team also observed “water seeping from the basement wall into the wastewater ejector room”.

The letter stated that the inspectors found “no observable discrepancies” from their previous inspection in March.

Doug Elmets, spokesman for the Millennium Tower homeowners association, told SFGATE that the document “clearly states that DBI has not seen any changes to the plumbing since its last inspection in March 2021.

Chief Engineer Ronald Hamburger added: “There are currently no impacts that do not affect building security or habitability. Since subsidence and inclinations have now returned to the pre-construction level, we assume that none will occur. “

In the email from Hamburger, received by NBC, the engineer told the city that “sewers must be sloped (at least 1/8” per foot) to allow efficient flow of materials “and that drains are at risk” reduced slope “. and can become a problem.” He added that third-floor drains that are clogged must be “maintained with regular chemical flushing.”

The news comes after the tower abruptly sunk by a further centimeters over a period of weeks in the middle of the massive foundation fixation of the tower in July and work was stopped. One report noted that the fix itself likely resulted in another drop. The moratorium came after 39 of the 52 new piles were installed as part of the $ 100 million “all-round pile upgrade”.

Supervisor Aaron Peskin has requested a new independent review of the project. “I want there to be a break until we know what we’re doing and I think construction shouldn’t resume until we can interview the best experts in this country,” Peskin told KPIX.

The construction freeze in August was initially planned for two to four weeks. It is now unclear when it could resume.

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Question: Our chimney is badly polluted by the weather. A chimney sweep told us that chemicals and power wash would not guarantee the removal of these stains, and a strong power wash could even damage the brick. How can we safely remove the stains?

Answers: The stains could be mold, dirt, algae, or soot, according to reviews from four Maryland chimney sweeps.

“Trust me, it’s mold,” said Jim Shortley, owner of My Chimney Sweep Service in Potomac, Maryland. The remedy, he said, is to spray with a bleach-based product labeled to remove mold and mildew, wait 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse. Sometimes he also needs to remove stubborn stains with a synthetic fiber brush. So that nothing more than the chimney fades, he first covers the nearby roofs with a heavy tarpaulin.

Carlos Aragon, owner of Aragon Chimney Services in Derwood, Md., Also said the stains are likely mold. He checked that the bricks and mortar were in good condition, then used a pressure washer to remove the stains. This is the “easiest and fastest” way to clean the outside of a chimney, he said.

Carmine Ferraro, owner of Colonial Chimney in Germantown, Md., Said he believed the problem was algae and he would use an algae removal cleaner, “the same stuff we use on the roof,” and a pressure washer. Both Ferraro and Aragon said they would also coat the bricks with a water repellent after cleaning to prevent the problem from recurring.

Steve Coates, owner of Chimney Masters in Germantown, said the black spots could be dirt from a nearby tree, soot, or a combination of soot and dirt. He would use an acidic cleaner that bubbles up as he does his job and requires a lot of attention to safety and washes everything from the bricks to the floor afterwards. “Dilute these things,” he said, adding that he would run a hose down the drain to ensure good dilution if the rinse water looked like it was going down a rain drain. When asked if a stain that is just dirt could be removed with a gentler cleaner, he said that this might work if the stains are not deeply embedded, but otherwise, it’s a waste of time. “You’d be up there all day doing nothing.”

Both Shortley and Coates warned against using a pressure washer, especially with old bricks. “When you machine wash old brick structures, you blow out the mortar or peel off a layer of brick,” Coates said.

Which approach makes sense in view of the different opinions? There’s no way you want to damage the bricks or mortar while you’re fixing a cosmetic problem and you’re dealing with high-altitude surfaces that are difficult for you to inspect. So proceed carefully.

Spraying on a bleach-based product, waiting a few minutes and rinsing it away with water from a hose will not damage the bricks or mortar. Hire a chimney sweep and indicate that the stains should be treated with a bleach-based detergent first. Or, if your chimney isn’t too high and you’re comfortable on a ladder, you can make a test patch yourself. The cleaner that Shortley uses, Mold Armor Instant Mold & Mildew Stain Remover, is $ 5.98 for a 32-ounce bottle at Home Depot. If you want a synthetic fiber scrub brush that he uses, also buy the HDX Gong scrub brush for $ 6.98. Be sure to wear safety glasses in case the spray drifts, as well as rubber gloves and clothing that covers your skin.

Using an acidic cleaner puts you at greater risk to both your plants and your chimney. On new masonry, these cleaners are great for removing smeared mortar, but this is not your situation. The Brick Industry Association, a trade group, warns against using unbuffered hydrochloric or hydrofluoric acid and says always test first. This is especially important with light-colored bricks that you have, as they are more prone to staining from acidic detergents than dark bricks.

If the person you’re hiring insists on using a pressure washer, make sure the pressure isn’t so high that it could damage the bricks or mortar. Under the “Reading & Research” section on the Brick and Tile Industry Association’s website (gobrick.com), an introduction entitled “Technical Notes on Brick Building” suggests first taking the dirty bricks and the ones underneath with water at very low pressure (less than 100 Pound per.) To soak square inch). It is said to apply cleaning solution with a brush or pump sprayer at no more than 30 to 50 psi, followed by a thorough rinse at low pressure (100 to 400 psi). They say never exceed 400 psi.

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SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) – When people reach for disinfectant wipes to protect themselves from the coronavirus, we are reminded to throw them in the trash and not to flush them down the toilet.

These wipes and other toilet paper substitutes can lead to an increase in clogged plumbing in San Jose.

Those still hard to find, disinfectant wipes that kill cold and flu viruses are now widely used for wiping door handles, countertops, TV remotes, and other touch sensitive surfaces.

They shouldn’t be flushed in the toilet, but it still happens, says Colin Heyne of the City of San Jose.

“We’re seeing an increase in service requests, mostly for cleaning people. That is the underground sewer access in their homes. Fortunately, we are not seeing an increase in sewer drains,” Heyne said.

While disinfectant wipes are great at killing most bacteria and viruses, they don’t break down as easily as toilet paper.

In large quantities, they can plug pipes, secure sewers, and cause major problems for sewage treatment plants, says Jennie Loft of Environmental Health.

“It won’t flush, it won’t go through the system, it won’t dissolve properly like toilet paper, it will get stuck in your pipes. We have devices that shield the cloths and any solid materials that get through the system. Therefore we would like to ask residents not to put this material in the toilet at all, ”said Loft.

In relation to this lack of toilet paper in recent weeks, there has also been an increase in clogged pipes and cleaning with materials even more problematic than wipes.

“We’re also seeing more non-flushable items like cloth, T-shirts and cotton fabrics. When people run out of toilet paper, we want to make sure they use something else,” Heyne said.

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SAN RAFAEL (KPIX 5) – In the midst of the fear of the coronavirus, sterilizing cleaning wipes fly off the shelves. Unfortunately, many of these wipes end up in sewer systems.

Many people keep using these wipes more and more to avoid the coronavirus problems. Workers in plumbing and sewage districts in the Bay Area want this to stop because the wipes are clogging the pipes.

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Wes Fredenburg operates one of the vac trucks for the San Rafael Sanitation District. Its job is to clear sewer pipes. He’s been fighting cloths for the past few days.

“They get caught in the pipes and cause deposits, blockages and overflows. Or they can get caught in a pump and stop the pump, ”said Fredenburg.

He showed a KPIX 5 example of how rags and towels can clog and completely block a pump. Not very hygienic for sanitary towels.

“You just don’t break down. It’s like flushing rags in the toilet, ”said Fredenburg.

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To demonstrate the usefulness of KPIX cameras, a bowl of water was set up. After inserting equal parts of toilet paper and equal parts of wiping and stirring, the TP quickly begins to collapse. Meanwhile, the wipe remains intact in one piece.

“It’s a pretty big issue for sewage authorities,” said Jason Dow, general manager of the Central Marin Sanitation Agency.

He says a problem with the wipes is the labeling. Some brands actually say they are “flushable”.

“There are laws that require wipe manufacturers to use the correct labeling. If the wipe contains synthetic material like plastic or regenerated cellulose, you will no longer be able to label it as “flushable”, ”Dow said.

The bottom line is that regardless of what the label says, these wipes should be thrown in the trash rather than the toilet.

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“Help us out. Keep your towels off our pipes!” Said Fredenburg.

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