New to the forum and need advice!

[Jaustin333]

Hi All,
I have a 3 year old 18 x 40 ft rectangle salt filtered pool. I have a gap in between the blue stone coping and the pool liner. I have an electric cover so that is the metal track you see. I was looking for advice and wondering if I should seal it with a cement/silicone caulk, leave it or do something else. My fear is over the winter more water will get in there, freeze and pop up the coping....

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

It looks like you have cantilevered coping. But I can't tell for sure without seeing a broader view of the deck and coping. See Expansion Joints and Coping - Further Reading

That gap is a “decoupling” expansion joint. Any rigid caulk in that joint will cause cracking. If your PB left it open I would leave it that way.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

What about flexible silcone caulk?

Maddie

 

[ajw22]

What about flexible silcone caulk?

Maddie

In my view, if that joint was meant to be closed the PB would have caulked it. Leaving it open was not an oversight.

Water is not going to get in there, freeze, and pop off the coping. First of all the pool water level needs to overflow to get up to that opening. And if it does it will drain down the backside.

Putting silicone caulk in there will become a maintenance item and a place for algae to stick onto.

 

[duraleigh]

Welcome to the forum
Can't see it without a wider view but it looks as if coping may have settled in the rear? I can't think of a valid reason for the gap.

 

[Jaustin333]

Thank you for the responses. Here is a slightly broader view and a view with some caulking. I started but then started to have second thoughts. I do not think it was left there on purpose as it does not go around the entire pool. It looks as if the coping is pushed up slightly in some places and the cement used to mount the blue stone just washed away. I was going to use a flexible caulk but some gaps are over an inch.

 

[Jaustin333]

Here is the shot with some caulking.

 

[SouthwestOhio]

The pool is 3 years old? Call the PB and ask him to take a look and give his advice and possibly correct, if needed.