TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

That’s a good idea for checking breakers in panels - I may have to check my main panel as it’s been there for 60 years and most of the breakers are original. I did change every outlet and switch and open every box when I bought the house - I’ve seen one fire and that’s enough!

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I hate the stab connections!!
They can be prone to arcing.

Desert Gecko Loc: desert southwest, USA

***ALERT***

First and foremost, DO NOT open up and poke around inside the microwave oven's sealed electronics. All of them have a capacitor that can stay charged for days after the oven is unplugged, and the capacitors can have enough of a charge to kill you.

Three appliances burning up on the same outlet is not a coincidence (extraordinarily bad luck maybe, but I doubt it). I also doubt that it's a problem of too-high voltage, as that should burn up an appliance rather quickly. Rather, I suspect voltage that is too low, and surely that low voltage is transitory. Perhaps the outlet is on the same circuit as the air conditioner or some other device, and rarely do they operate simultaneously. Devices do not have to be on the same outlet to be on the same circuit.

You probably know not to use a cheap extension cord with power-hungry electronics. This is because the cord won't allow enough electricity (amps, or derived watts) to flow to the device. This restriction generates heat, and something will fail when it gets bad enough. Sometimes it's the cord, and sometimes it's the device. Now replace "extension cord" with "house wiring" in what I just wrote. Count your blessings; your devices burned up, and not your house.

Please do have a qualified electrician investigate, as surely there's an issue.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I had a problem a couple decades ago. Some of my outlets would see high voltage occasionally, but were usually OK. It was a loose neutral out at the pole so the neutral was floating. Half of the outlet is the neutral, and your outlets are mixed, some on one side of the 220 and some on the other. If more things are running on one side of the 220, it would push the neutral up and half your outlets would see high voltage and the other half would see low voltage. Usually there's a ground somewhere in the system so the neutral voltage won't go all the way to 220 but it can be more or less than designed.

ecblackiii Loc: Maryland

Maybe it's climate change.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Burning up the same outlet?
I thought the device was smoking.......

Desert Gecko Loc: desert southwest, USA

This restriction generates heat, and something will fail when it gets bad enough. Sometimes it's the cord, and sometimes it's the device.

I didn't write anything about burning up an outlet, same or otherwise. My mention of an outlet was in describing a scenario where the failing appliances could be sharing limited watts with some other household device. Such a limitation could cause the appliances to burn up.

Had you even a fundamental understanding about what I wrote, you'd agree that restricting watts (amps and/or volts) to an electronic device often burns up the device (or restrictive wiring that supplies it).

The OP could have any number of issues. Based on the info given, I suspect a low wattage issue, but of course I'm not certain. It's just a plausible scenario. I wouldn't even say probable, but since it's an easy check, I'd start there.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Possible, maybe squirrels or mice ate the wiring in the attic, crawl space, or walls also.
A friend had a table fan running at a campground where the overall power drain was so heavy for the old distribution lines one summer (lots of people running A/C) that the line voltage to their camper was about 90V. The fan did not like that at all. It started to smell.

Yea, being an electronics engineer, I know a bit about electricity.
And I did miss-read your words- "burning up on the same outlet", I skipped the on.

Desert Gecko Loc: desert southwest, USA

nervous2 Loc: Provo, Utah

Please give us a follow-up when you discover the problem. We would like to know what it was. And be safe! We don't have so many UHH friends that we can afford to lose any. Good luck!

LeRoy V. Loc: Oro Valley, Az

Sorry to hear about your problems, hope someone on UHH can help you out. Happy 😊 it wasn't one of your cameras

Horseart Loc: Alabama

Thank you all so much.
I probably never should have brought up the microwave problem. I think there is a LOT more to it than that.
It's going to take a while to find out. I'll let you know when I find out how much trouble I really have and what I have to do about it.

Ed Commons

I bought one from Montgomery Wards back in the late 7o's. It still works fine and has out lasted Montgomery Wards.

I think that the manufactrers have determined if they make a good quality product, you won't need to replace it often, so they build crap. so you have to replace it every couple of years.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Guess you will have to stop using that cheap napalm from the surplus store for cooking oil.

Horseart Loc: Alabama

LOL!!! I think the real solution would be to give up, sell out and go to senior housing. I think I'm whipped.