Decking Coping Joint?

zollinmj

Member
May 6, 2024
22
Virginia, USA
The joint between the concrete "patch" seems bad to me, it looks like it's starting to pull away which seems really problematic. I'm planning to reach out to the builder/renovator, but wanted to confirm and to learn what I should be concerned about here first as this is not an area I know much about. I'm still VERY NEW to pool ownership, feel free to speak to me as a novice.

Thoughts?

Backstory
We had pool renovated in 2022. The pool existed when we purchased the house years ago and was in disrepair at the time. During the renovation, they did some work on the light and return on the far end of the pool and needed to remove and replace a section of the concrete decking. They replaced it with the tile (I think?) you see. The part that looks different. Our decking is all in mediocre state and this doesn't match, but we can live with it. BUT, it looks like they used something different (mortar) than everywhere else that the decking meets the coping (caulk?).

1717405789744.pngIMG_20240501_101048.jpeg IMG_20240501_101131-sm.jpeg IMG_20240501_101113-sm.jpeg

This picture is only for vanity's sake 😆. The water is clear, the first picture was pool opening ... which clearly shows I need to do some more reading about winter pool care.
cleanedup.jpg
 
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There needs to be a flexible expansion joint between the coping and the decking. The pool shell and decking expand and contract at different rates and so that joint needs to be ~3/8” to 1/2” and filled with a flexible sealant. If not, the deck can expand and crack the pool bond beam at worst or open up cracks like that which collect water and then the soil under the deck erodes and the deck sinks. It seems very common for contractors to not know about that detail.
 
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