Need advice: Fix Coping Over Skimmer

[jeremysm1]

The pool is 15 years old and the coping has held up this long..but my pool guy must have stepped on the edge of the pool coping over the skimmer which caused it to pop loose. Now it leans down--see pics. Would you just chip away the cement and redo it as is? Or should I have a stone place cut a double piece so it is supported? Suggestions?

 

[ajw22]

I don't know what the "double piece" would look like that you are thinking of.

If you popped off the stones to the right and left of the skimmer then you can lay a piece of metal over the skimmer mouth and mortar the stones back on.

Otherwise I would clean up the mortar and relay the stone and see if it holds. Paint "NO STEP" in red on the edge.

 

[flynwill]

Amazing that it lasted as long as it did. That was a failure just waiting to happen.
I assume by "double" piece you are thinking you can get a piece of coping long enough to replace both the loose piece and the piece that is spalling above it in the picture. That would work better than just putting it back as it was but I would worry that it was still cantilevered. It will depend on how closely you can match the existing coping, and your tolerance for the mis-match, that does look like a pretty standard coping style (nearly identical to what is on my pool, except my sections are 24" long).

If the mortar under the stones is thick enough that you can make room for a piece of metal as Allen suggests that will work as well. I recommend 316 stainless and at least 1/4" thick by 1.5" wide. onlinemetals.com is a good source for small pieces like that.

Another idea is a pair of short SS angle irons, fastened to the side edge of the existing pieces with concrete anchors such that the loose piece can then rest on the angles.

 

[beakerlab]

I think the plate is aluminum on mine. It was too light to be stainless. Search for skimmer tile plate, can find them online.
I took this pic for the hole in the plaster but it shows the plate.