My grandmother called & said she had to replace her frig, tv, washer & dryer, and was heading out to do it as all 4 appliances failed (told me they were old). I told her to STOP, and let me get my electrician over there, as my chance of winning the lottery was better than the chance that all 4 appliances just stopped running because they were old! My grandmothers cabin had the same problem that Retired Fire Chief mentioned....due to some wiring my grandfather had done years & years ago and had run under steps in the yard without conduit! Coating on the wiring failed and the amps going into the house went way up. The electrician said she was just minutes from having the entire place go up in flames. This place had the knob type wiring, too, built in the early 30's before there were even codes. Please have your wiring checked carefully by an electrician - its worth it to be safe!