i guess i missed that one; thawing ice breaks the pipes??at least thats when they start leaking, for sure..
the "freeze proof" faucets that go thru a wall, have to be installed with a downward tilt toward the output; and it must be long enough to get the shut-off part of it inside the warm/heated area of a building; this allows the water inside the faucet to drain out when the pipe is shut off; if you forget and leave a hose or something on the faucet, so it can't drain, it can freeze and break. now, the free standing faucets, that you can put out away from the buildings, is suppose to have gravel installed around the pipe to allow the water to drain when the faucet is shut off; the depth of the pipe naturally depends on how deep the ground will freeze, around here, 6-8 inches is usually enough. i have 4 of this type on my place; i have had to replace 2, because when i went to turn them on, the threads on the rod that goes down to the bottom of the pipe and does the actual on/off function, rusted and pulled out, so i couldn't turn the one on, and the other turned on, but then i couldn't turn it back off..i replaced both with a different brand, and they work a lot easier than the originals; i have used them when the temp was @ 10f; with no problems..i have never had any problems with the faucets i installed without using "freezeproof" faucets, except i can't use them in the winter, they freeze..
heehaw