Lower the water level before the freeze hits.

The one precaution that actually works is dropping the pool water level below the tile and coping before the pool freezes.

Ice expands about 9% by volume. If the water sits above the coping, that expansion pushes sideways and upward against the tile. Once it finds a crack or seam, it pries behind the tile and pops it off. You don’t need a thick ice sheet — just enough water trapped between the tile and the shell to freeze through.

So your early moves, in order:

• Lower the water level a few inches below the bottom of the waterline tile before any freezing weather. That leaves an air gap, which ice can’t push against.
• Turn off the auto-fill. You don’t want it topping things back up in late fall.
• Install weep holes or make sure the existing drain system behind the tile is clear. Those let