A Florida condo board finds a water leak under the front walk. The concrete is lifting and bubbling like a hydra volcano. It is the building main. The fix takes a jackhammer, most of a day, and the water off for hundreds of residents. No showers. No toilets.

The building manager calls an in-house plumber who has worked the property for almost 30 years. He knows the hidden shutoffs. The crew starts with a small hole, then chases the leak ten feet up the walk. The villain is galvanized pipe from the 1970s, buried in salt air at the beach.

While the water is off, the board pushes the news to 60-inch lobby TVs and a building-wide email through SoShiny.com. Instant notice in three lobbies. No dry-faucet surprise.

This file is about the leak, the old pipe, and why the veteran who already knew the building beat a crew that would have stood around. We debate the shutdown, the notice, and whether waiting would have cost more.

From SoShiny.com