b'TECH TALK then placed between the cop- of coping is generally attached ing and the top of the pool tile. byfastenerstostructuralsys-2. Cast in place concrete coping:temsspanningoveratrough Concrete coping formed on topdesigned for water to flow into. ofabondbeam,extendingThecopingisflushwiththe over the edge of a pool by 2 todecking and the top of the tile, 3 and generally terminates inallowing a slot of 1/4 to 1/2 line with the back of the bondin width for water flow.beam.Anyconcretesub-base or decking that butts up to the coping and/or pool shell must haveanexpansionprovision between the two.3. Pre-Cast Coping: This coping is generallycastintomoldsoff-siteusingconcreteorpressed clay, allowed to cure and then brought to the site for installa-tion. Its made in straight piec- Mechanically Fastened Coping, image es, end caps, and varying radi- courtesy of CTIOA.usesthatwillaccommodate different pool shapes. The report notes that the inter-faceofcopingandtileasthey relate to the bond beam of pools andadjoiningdeckingbehind them can account for a significant percentageofpooltilefailures when installed improperly often a result of pressure applied to the poolshell,coping,and/ortile, frompooldecking,andadjoin-ing structures. To avoid tile/cop-Pre-Cast Coping, image courtesy of CTIOA. inginterfacerelatedproblems, thereportprovideskeypoints 4. QuarriedStoneCoping:Stonetokeepinmindwheninstalling of various species, sizes, shapescoping: and thickness installed onto theToavoidputtingpressureon top of the bond beam. waterlinetile,cantilevereddeck-5. Mechanically Fastened Coping:ing must be free to slide over the CommonlyusedinRimFlowtop of pool bond beams or must and Slot drain pools, this typeberaisedandbondedmechani-74TileLetter | April 2019'