I own a forty five year old house. It began with the lights momentarily flickering. Over a week this progressed to the electricity in 80% of the house going out for a few seonds (long enough for the clocks, timers, cable box etc. to go out). We had assumed it was a neighborhood problem and called our neighbors. They had no problems. We called electrican #1. When he came everything was fine. He checked the breakers (we have two boxes, a new "main" with only a few breakers and the old panel with about 18 old type breakers no longer available new). The old box had two bad breakers we could not replace due to not having any replacements available at that time. All wiring on the two bad breakers had previous to our buying the house two years ago, been doubled up on other good breakers. Electrician #1 tightened all the wiring in the old box and said he could not identify the problem due to nothing being wrong while he was here (very nice guy). The problem got worst with more and longer lapses. Electrician #1 was not available. We called electrician #2. At this point 80% or our house would go out for hours several times per day. The day prior to electricial #2 arriving my wife made a discovery!!! When she turned on the stove the lights came back on. She called me at work and I told her it was probably coincidence but if it made the lights work great. I come home around 9:00 p.m. and the 80% is out. She tells me she has not turned on the lights (stove) so I could do it. I walk over to the stove and turn the stove on. Yes, all the electricity instantly now worked. By this time I had drop cords leading from the 20% of the electricity that worked to the critical lights and small appliances(all the wall outlets on one and a half walls of the house) due the outages lasting for hours). Electrician #2 came, replaced the four circuit breakers that he said were bad with used circuit breakers, charged $400, said the "stove turn on" was impossible and left. Sure enough the within a couple of hours 70% of the electricity was out. Yes, 70%. With the replacement of the breakers we now kept an additional 10% when the majority went out. Now the interesting part. I got home my wife had me walk over to the stove, turn on the stove and the lights came on. She had waited for me again, to again prove her system worked. Electrician #2 came back the next day. He had Edison come out and open the main box, he checked out the main box, changed the main breaker utilizing a used breaker because the new he had with him was the wrong type, took my perfectly good main breaker he had taken out, and charged me $185. Sure enough within a few hours it was out again. This time the same amount of circuits was out, no improvement. The next day Electricain #2 came back with his brother who was both an electrician and general contractor. He seemed to have much more experience. They looked around, opened the junction box leading to the stove, this time both testified to the "stove turn on" being a total coincidence or there might be a junction box under the floor that by walking over the stove we were fixing the problem but no the "stove turn on" was impossible. They then said I needed to pay $8,300 to rewire my house plus I had to have the holes repaired they left. Nothing improved, the problem progressed and the lights would go out every few hours and my wife would turn them on with the stove. The next day I called and asked Electrician #2 if he would come back based on the warranty. He said no but he did return my second payment of $185. Now we had recommended to us Electrician #3. He was booked and could not come out for five days. We waited. The problem progressed as to frequency with our 70% going out within hours each time. Once during this period (yes I was here to observe and now testify) turing on one burner of the stove did not fully turn on the electricity. The previously out lights came on dimly. My fifteen year old son suggested I turn on a second burner. Sure enough the lights came on full intensity. Since that times the "stove turn on" has worked instantly and 100% with only one burner. During the period we waited for Electricain #3 we determined all the areas of the house going out were on circuit breakers #12 & #14. Electrcian #3 came,checked out everything, changed a couple of wires to heavier stock, he said one wire was definitely loose in the old circuit box, and said the "stove turn-on" was impossible due it being on a totally different circuit. He also charged very fairly and did not recommend we rewire the house. We did get a bid and it was 30% of Electrcian #2's bid. He said if we had additional problems he would rewire the circuit for only the circuit breakers #12  at minimal cost comparatively. Last night the electricity in the 70% went out only once and the "stove turn on" worked.
I am now very curious about the "stove turn on" since I know from observation it works (at least 25 occasions and only once partially until the second burner was turned on) and three electricians have said it is impossible. We of course trid walking over to the stove and not turning on the stove nothing happened. Turning the knob definitely activated the circuits. Additionally I appreciate any insight into the solution to my problem. My apologies about the length of this post but felt all information was necessary in order to understand the problem. Yes, I was venting about Electrician #2.
I am now very curious about the "stove turn on" since I know from observation it works (at least 25 occasions and only once partially until the second burner was turned on) and three electricians have said it is impossible. We of course trid walking over to the stove and not turning on the stove nothing happened. Turning the knob definitely activated the circuits. Additionally I appreciate any insight into the solution to my problem. My apologies about the length of this post but felt all information was necessary in order to understand the problem. Yes, I was venting about Electrician #2.