Most of your responses are nothing more than speculation.
None mention the most typical reason for that problem. A
weakened neutral wire is the most typical reason. Easiest to
detect with a 3.5 digit multimeter (as sold in Home Depot,
Radio Shack and Sears even for $20). The house is powered
from two incoming wires (that share a common neutral). Some
appliances and lights powered by one wire will see a voltage
increase while others will suffer a voltage decrease. This is
especially destructive to incandescent bulbs that glow much
brighter but fail quickly.

Problem is not a surge. Surge protectors will remain inert;
will ignore a voltage change. Protectors see nothing and do
nothing until the 120 VAC increases above 300 volts which is
not what is happening. Your 120 VAC may be rising to an
unacceptable 130 volts (destructive to incandescent lights) or
dropping to 110 volts (causes lights to significantly dim).

Simplest fact is by measuring voltage with that multimeter
as heavy (120 VAC) appliances on other circuits are power
cycled. If those other circuits cause a voltage change on
this circuit, then you may have a neutral wire problem.
Electrician is required.

Fixing a neutral costs almost nothing in labor and massive
money in electrician's traveling time. So here is what you
do. Make his visit worth while. First, have him upgrade or
inspect your household earth ground system so that
transistorized appliances also have protection. IOW the
building's earth ground system must be upgraded or enhanced
beyond post 1990 National Electrical Code requirements. Most
homes do not meet this requirement. Too many no longer even
have the inferior earth ground that was originally installed.
No earth ground is a threat to both human life and to
transistors.

Also have all incoming utilities earthed to this upgraded
ground as required by code. Furthermore have a 'whole house'
protector installed by that electrician. Home Depot sells one
minimally acceptable protector for less than $50 - Intermatic
IG1240RC. You could have the utility install one at inflated
prices equivalent to the overpriced (and ineffective) plug-in
protectors. Or have the electrician do it right for much less
money and superior protection. IOW here is your opportunity
to also get transistorized appliances protected since the
electrician is already there and inside your breaker box.

If your problem is not a broken neutral, then it is more
complex which means the electrician is required anyway.

Another reason why you want that earth ground upgraded or
inspected. During a failed neutral wire, then earth ground
may be protecting the house from explosion. It is a rare
occurrence but has happened. Gas meter exploded when neutral
wire failed because electricity used the gas line to connect
back to AC electric transformer outside on pole. Yes, that
earth ground is also necessary for human safety which is why
it, as well as neutral wire, should be inspected.

No reason to do most of what others have posted. First an
inexpensive multimeter will immediately put numbers to the
problem. Numbers from meter will later prove that a potential
threat to human life has been solved. Second, those meter
readings will direct the electrician immediately to the
problem since you have made the problem reproducible. Third,
if you have a neutral wire problem, then you may also have the
earthing problem - either due to new code requirements or due
to an earthing ground failure. Either way, only the
electrician will, with certainty, identify and upgrade that
all so important earth ground.

Cheryl wrote:
In the fine newsgroup "alt.home.repair", "xrongor"
artfully composed this message within
on 02 Jun 2004:
it seems to me the first thing to do is talk with the neighbors.
take a look at the wire where it connects up on the pole and
find the people connected to the same line as you, as close to
you as possible. if you're the only one, its probably your
wiring. probably somewhere between the panel in the house and
the line coming into the house.

Thank you. I'll do this!

--
Cheryl