Thomas Crapper invented the flush toilet on this day in 1861 in merry old England. His invention has remained basically the same for more than 140 years. Unfortunately, over the years, while nice to have, Tom's invention has been a big water- waster. In the typical family, flushing toilets is half the monthly water bill and nine out of every 10 flushes are for liquids only. But a new breed of water-saver toilet flappers can save you thousands of gallons a year. This represents about $100 off an average water bill. And new water-saver flapper kits are easy to install. Low-cost versions have rapid-closing flappers that shut down before the tank is totally empty. Other upgrades include dual-flush handles. "Down" gives water- saving volumes and "up" gives full-tank flushes. They pay back the cost in water savings in no time. And that's the On The House tip for today.