Turn This Off Before Missouri’s First Really Big Cold Snap

We've enjoyed a relatively mild fall here in Missouri. However, before we get our first big blast of cold weather, ensure you do this one thing to protect your home.

According to the Missouri Climate Center at the  University of Missouri, we can expect two to five days of temperatures below zero in the north part of the state, and only one to two days below zero in the south. Additionally, the entire state averages about 110 days a year below freezing.

This is important to know because water can freeze any time the temperatures dip below 32 degrees, although according to Angi.com pipes are more likely to freeze when the temperature dips below 20 degrees and stays there for a prolonged period.

While sub-zero temperatures aren't that common in Missouri, it's not unheard of for us to experience a cold snap that could cause your outdoor faucet to freeze, and perhaps even cause a burst pipe.

No one wants to have to deal with that, so before we get our first real blast of arctic weather this winter here's how you can keep your outdoor faucet from freezing and potentially causing you an expensive problem.

Lifehacker says you should do the following to winterize your outdoor faucets:

• Disconnect your hose and store it in the garage, basement, or mud room. Your hose just provides another place for water to freeze and cause damage.
• Many homes have a shut-off valve to any outdoor faucets, if your home has this shut it off, turn on the outside faucet and drain any water left in the line.
• Finally, install an insulated faucet cover over the outdoor faucet. A Google search turned up plenty of options. Check them out here.

One other thing you can do is install a frost-proof outdoor faucet. You can learn more about them here from Billy.

It's not that hard to winterize your outdoor faucets and in the long run, it could save you time, money, and even your stuff.