Nav in cold Edmonton, Alberta, writes: "We are trying to build an ice rink in the backyard. Our tap has frozen over and nothing comes out of it at all. Are they any solutions to this problem?"
The easiest way to unfreeze the hose bib is to wrap rags around it and keep pouring boiling water on the rags. Start with the faucet open, or at least open it as soon as it thaws out enough to turn the handle. As soon as the water begins to flow, it will thaw out the rest.
The real solution to this is to have a recessed hose bib as shown in the second photo. Here, the valve where the water stops is actually about 16 inches inside the warmth of the house. Sloping the installation towards the outside is important because it will assure the outer portion of the valve empties completely every time you turn off the water.