My Aunt Carol in Cleveland had a hot water heater give out on Christmas Eve a few years back. She tried to fix it herself and I ended up driving an hour to help her drain the basement at midnight while the rest of the family watched a movie. That whole experience taught me that some talks are just better than repairs in the middle of a holiday. I get what @carr.xena says about old stuff lasting long, but at some point the risk of failure during a big meal or cold snap just isn't worth it. My mom still uses a microwave from the Reagan years and I'm honestly scared to touch it. Have you thought about setting up a small fund with her now, even fifty bucks a month, so she feels more in control of the choice later?

Oh man, that's the worst feeling isn't it. You spend days chasing ghosts and the whole time the answer is right there in front of you. Sandra's totally right though @the_sandra, we always think it's gotta be something complicated when it's usually just the cheap part.