Laverne

Sometimes every dollar saved can count in the long run, and cutting down on the cost of elective utilities like phone, TV, and Internet service can add up to big savings in the long run even if you have to cough up a little cash to get started, or try something new. With all of the new technologies available for elective utilities, it can get a bit frustrating trying to dig through the hype to find the end price.

Promotional offers for Phone, TV, and Internet related services are a great way to save a few bucks on the cost of new service, but deciding what the monthly cost is going to be after the promo period is going to be the real money saver. Some may say saving twenty bucks a month on the cost of phone service is no big deal, and this is probably true in most cases but if you saved that much on two or three services you could put between 480 to 780 dollars a year back in your pocket.

One way to optimize the cost effectiveness of elective utilities is to introduce new technologies into your home, and your budget. Broadband phone service is by far the cheapest phone service on planet earth today, but you'll need to have a broadband Internet connection like DSL or cable Internet to use it. By using broadband phone service you will save money on your phone bill, and help pay for that new broadband Internet service. Add Dish Network satellite TV for $19.99 over the next ten months and you have yourself a pretty big drop in the monthly cost of your overall elective utility bills.

Another way to save a few bucks is with bundled package deals. Bundled packages can be from either your local phone service provider or cable company which may offer phone, TV, and Internet service at a discounted rate, and on the same monthly bill. There are a couple of differences between bundles from your phone and cable company. While your cable company may offer cable TV, and cable Internet, their phone service is digital. Your phone company on the other hand has traditional landline phone service, but may also offer satellite TV, and though the Internet is indeed broadband, it is different from cable Internet in that it is DSL ran through your phone line. Your phone company may even provide cellular service as part of your bundle.

New technology and bundled packages are likely going to be your saving grace when it comes to cutting the cost of elective utilities. If you're on the fence about services you have never used, a great place to get information from other people who are already using those service are through forums, or message boards which might discuss different technologies, quality of service, even provide some technical help. Individual companies are always going to praise their own products, but you can find out the good, bad, and the ugly from other people just like yourself.

Daymon Hoag is the founder of Cheapest Service. If you have questions, comments, or useful information about phone, TV, and Internet service, or a few ideas of your own on how to save money on elective utilities, please visit Cheapest Service Forums, and we'll look forward to seeing you there.

One of the most frequent problems I am called on to solve at the apartment complex is toilets that turn on by themselves. The tenant will say, It keeps turning itself on.

Whats happening here is the toilet is slowly leaking around the seal of the flapper, and its draining the tank. In order to maintain the water level in the tank the toilet turns itself on, so you get this on and off again syndrome. Its easy to determine if this is the problem by looking into the toilet bowl. The water in the bowl should be calm and smooth, but if you see tiny little ripples of water then your flapper needs to be replaced.

So, how do you replace a flapper?

1. Reach down by the base of the toilet (on the outside of the toilet) and find the water supply to your toilet. Its usually on the left hand side. Slowly and carefully turn the faucet valve to the right. This will turn the water off. I say slowly and carefully because many of these faucets are old and cantankerous, and you dont want to spring a leak in your faucet.

2. Remove the lid of the tank and gently set it someplace out of the way. Sit down on the toilet seat facing the tank. Youll notice that the handle for flushing the tank is attached to a bar that runs above the water line to about the center of the tank. At the end of this bar is a chain that runs down into the depths of the tank and is attached to the flapper. This is where your problem is. If you press down on the flapper you may be able to stop the leaking. (Ive tried cleaning them off where they seal, so as not to have to replace them, but I havent had any luck with this, so I always replace them with a new flapper).

3. Your hard plastic flapper is removed by gently lifting up on the ears that are attached to the pegs on the pipe that your flapper is attached to. If your existing flapper is a soft rubber type then pull the ears off of the pegs from the side. Remove the flapper and detach the chain from the handle bar.

Now heres some good news. The cheapest flappers work the best. The ones I use are blue and made of soft rubber. (They cost around $3). Even if your flapper is made of hard plastic it can be replaced with a soft blue rubber one, and if your old flapper had a flotation device on the chain you dont have to use it on the new flapper. Just the chain and the rubber flapper are all you need.

4. Reattach the flapper ears to the pegs at the base of the pipe and reattach the chain to the handle bar. (A new chain comes with each new flapper). When you reattach the chain leave a little slack in it so that the flapper easily closes all the way, but you dont want to leave too much slack or it wont pull the flapper up enough to drain the water out of the tank, and youll get an abbreviated flush. The way to get the correct balance is to experiment flushing the toilet over and over, and readjusting your chain length.

5. Turn your water back on slowly and gently. Dont put any more strain on these old pipes and threads than is necessary. Let the tank refill and then try flushing. Your flapper should open, stay open for a few seconds and then as the water in the tank drains about two thirds of the way the flapper should plop back down and seal the hole. Its magic.

6. The chain length adjustment is sometimes tricky to achieve, but I assure you it does exist. Also you may have to move your chain on the handle bar to one of the different slots. On the handle bars there are three different holes you can put the chain through to perfect your adjustment. A combination of the correct slack in the chain and the positioning on the flush bar are going to bring you the results you want. Each toilet is unique in its requirements for balancing the chain length.

Flush the toilet and look into the bowl. After a minute or so the water should settle down and be as still and placid as a pond. If after several minutes you continue to see ripples your flapper is still not sealing well. If this occurs try cleaning off the lips of the base where the flapper seats itself. Readjust your chain so theres more slack and try flushing it again.

Youll get it.

In review, here are the seven steps to replacing your flapper:

1. Shut water off.

2. Remove lid from toilet tank.

3. Remove flapper, chain and float from handle bar.

4. Install new flapper and connect chain to handle bar.

5. Turn water back on.

6. Test flushing. Make adjustments to chain length and location if necessary.

7. Check water in bowl to make sure there are no ripples.