What happens if the coping separates from its mortar bed?

[anthonypool89]

Hi,

I was just told recently by my PB that this has occurred. Thing is, a complete renovation was done 2 years ago. Apparently the mortar bed and tile are still attached, but from going around the pool with a hammer it seems all the coping sounds hollow. What will happen with this renovation? I had my original tile and coping for 25 years and not a single coping stone was loose right up until the time that they got jackhammered out. What could have caused such a disturbance? Will the coping eventually come loose? Anyway, this situation is what prompted the discussion raised in my other thread - that of chipping out the grouting above the tile line and substituting polyurethane caulk. Thanks for any thoughts...

 

[pooldv]

Coping sounding hollow doesn't mean it is loose from the mortar bed. Often the space under the coping isn't completely filled with mortar and it can sound hollow and still be adhered. We have a few coping stones like that.

 

[anthonypool89]

Coping sounding hollow doesn't mean it is loose from the mortar bed. Often the space under the coping isn't completely filled with mortar and it can sound hollow and still be adhered. We have a few coping stones like that.

Interesting...so there is really no way to know if the coping is actually loose from the bed or not (unless of course the stones are indeed loose and can be moved around I suppose). A pool guy once told me my coping sounded hollow (several years before renovation already) and like I said not a single stone ever became loose.