DedTired: My vote is for the auto-defrost system. That is a heater that melts the frost from the freezer. When it runs, it can produce the clicking, snapping, pooping and maybe hissing or maybe sizzling sounds. I like your characterization of them as like what you hear from a toaster oven as it heats up. My old Maytag has been doing that every once in a while since I bought it 15 years ago. It mostly runs the defrost cycle late at night, but every once in a while, it runs a self-defrost in mid-afternoon or mid-evening. Cavimum: As an aside, that 12 year-old Amana SxS was made when Amana was owned by Goodman Global (who had acquired Amana at the end of 1997). Maytag bought Amana in 2001. Maytag management had about destroyed both brands by 2006 when Whirlpool (which already owned Kitchenaid) outbid Samsung to acquire the two brands. Whirlpool now owns Kitchenaid, Maytag and Amana. (Sounds like a plot synopsis for an episode of SouthFork or Dallas, doesn't it?) Anyway, back when your Amana SxS was made. Amana still made good quality products. I've got a 15-year old Maytag that was built to 2001 Energy Star standards. It has been problem free the whole time. The Kill-a-watt meter tells me it is very nearly as efficient as most of the current Energy-Star fridges. (Hard to think of 1997 as "the old days back when they knew how to build things to last!")

Does this happen only at night or early morning? Do you notice any flickering in the lights at any time? Like David said, large appliances in the house could cause transients, but so could the starting or stopping of large loads nearby. Also, utilities often do a lot of switching at night, as generators go off-line, and in early morning, when generators are coming on-line. Done right, you'd never notice the difference. But, especially if you are in a transmission/distribution cul-de-sac, poorly done switching can cause momentary outages, or dip voltage low enough that digital clocks act like they've lost power. The starting of large loads nearby would also cause this (for us, it was a cement pump at a nearby gravel mine that caused daily outages for those further down the line). Since you are having the problem on multiple circuits, I'd bet the problem is with the incoming service, but it could also be in your main panel. Definitely call your service provider and let them know the problem. You may have to connect a chart recorder/voltmeter to see what type of disturbances are occurring, and when. Brick? This is your bread and butter. What say you?

It's important in cases like this to check the biases of the people doing the writing. These folks are approaching the problem from a stated priority of the primacy of energy efficiency, passive houses (i.e., ones that don't require energy for heating and cooling, but use mass, shade, sun, etc.), and other environmentalistic factors. The author said the following in response to someone who quoted the GW line on hoods. Note how it dismisses the need for getting rid of HOGS if it means using more energy. You are correct that a 700-cfm fan will do a better job removing grease, smoke, and cooking odors from your home than a 200-cfm fan. But there is no getting around the energy penalty. If you operate a 700-cfm fan during the summer in Houston, you will inevitably be pulling in 700 cfm of hot, humid outdoor air into your house. One way or another, that outdoor air will need to be cooled by your air conditioner every time you operate your exhaust fan. Most participants in the discussion admit that the simple solution if someone wants to adequately vent is to open a window (and let the HVAC do its thing on it eventually). Some, who work with high volume hoods, have good ways to provide adjusted make-up air without oddities or bother (but, of course, money to do it right). Even though I am very interested in conservation in general, in specific I think that there's a forest-trees situation here. Having the kind of tight house they're aiming for is a bad in itself. An air-leaky house will likely not have backdrafting problems or develop vacuum conditions. It also means that you're not relying on a high tech system for your fresh air, even if you keep all the doors and windows shut. It means that you have a fighting chance against potentially dangerous chemicals that may get into your air. It means you can smell the wildfire before your house starts burning. It's much more in tune with the earth. Of course, it's an energy suck, which is why they're fighting it, but at some point there has to be a balance. There is a happy medium where you don't have cold drafts rippling around your ankles in the Winter, but aren't buttoned up so tight that your hood can deprive you of oxygen and suck the ashes out of your fireplace. It's true that if you're heating or cooling your home, you'll have to heat or cool the same volume of air as you're exhausting with your hood. But is that really a reason not to have a working hood? I don't think so. And if you add the energy (and water, waste water treatment, and cleaning supplies) spent on laundry, cabinet cleaning, window washing, and all the other consequences of not having a good exhaust fan, are you really saving that much? For all that they're wringing their hands over having to have a system to treat the make-up air (and one that likely cannot use passive energy flow to do its thing), I wonder if having a drafty house might not be more efficient than having a heated/cooled/dehumidified make-up air system. :)

sarahlee123 I'm pretty sure that's exactly what CountrySunshine meant. It's often recommended to flip your breakers off to avoid surges as power comes back on. Often there can be multiple surges. If you have appliances with digital readouts, like a washer, refrigerator or the like, it'll be much more susceptible to surge and spike damage than a "regular" appliance. You should also unplug computers. I always chuckle when people say I have a gas stove, I can cook! For me, when the weather is hot and the power goes out, the *last* thing I'm looking for is a hot meal! LOL And no, I'm not making coffee and tea either! A cool sandwich or a cool pasta salad is far more refreshing to me. Power out in the winter? Well, I'm more concerned about pipes freezing or the like than haute cuisine too. Much depends on what you have available for food preparation. I have a propane grill and a propane camp stove (Hank Hill would be proud) were I to need it. I alway have the much-maligned and demonized bottled water around even though I have city water, since the water source can be damaged in certain conditions. Widespread power outages for long periods of time and they can't run the pumps to get it in the towers. I pretty much always have ample supplies of pet food around too. People often forget their pets in times of stress. I can live off crackers, cheese and summer sausage if I had to and throw in some peanut butter and a loaf of bread, you can do ok, or at least I can. I don't have those allergies. Again, much depends on what you have available. Often cooking things requires cooling it first and often you don't have refrigeration other than coolers so you have to work with what you have. I guess if need be I could also build a fire out in the yard somewhere and rustle up some roadkill to tickle the tastebuds! There's advantages to living in the boonies and advantages to living in town. Short of catastrophic damage, you'll likely find it easier to handle needs in town than in the boonies. The big thing is to consider the possibilities and take reasonable steps to prepare. What would hurt you the most? If you're on oxygen and need IV feeding, you'd better prepare differently than a healthier person as far as your preparation. Some meds need to be kept cool. Plan for it. In the past week my a/c has been out and we've had 100ð+ temps and 80ð+ dewpoints. Frankly, it wasn't that bad. Two to three fans blowing on me kept me reasonably comfortable. I grew up without a/c. My bedroom was in the attic. I also spent a lot of time camping and at the cabin without electricity so I know what hot weather is like and how to deal with it! Yes it takes adjusting and some prep but I get along just fine. No I wasn't running the oven, baking cakes and roasting turkeys. I kept a level head and dealt with it. Often, it's not that big a deal.