I will be needing a new how water heater soon. This one is "knocking" louder and louder.?

I’m not sure just what it is that Clint is trying to get at with the small company vs. large company stuff, but what you’re hearing is the calcium deposits that have built up into little balls in the bottom of the tank exploding when they get heated, like popcorn. The sound can be irritating but the condition isn’t dangerous. As far as new units go, there are several good companies out there, Reliance, A.O. Smith, G.E.’s making water heaters now and I’ve installed several of them with no problems so far. Gas water heaters have come a long way in the insulation area. They used to have fiberglass insulation between the tank and the shell, now they have injected foam, probably 1 1/2" thick, around the tank. You can freeze water on one side and boil water on the other side of 1" of foam so 1 1/2" is really efficient. I don’t know if you have ever had a water heater replaced before, but the gas units have had a severe price increase about 6 or 7 years ago. They changed the design of the gas chamber and burners, I suspect, because of new government regulations of some sort. Whatever the reason, a standard 6 year warranty unit will cost around $240, plus labor. And longer warranties cost more money, you can chose from 6, 9, 12 year warranties, which will cover the tank. Most warranties are only a year on parts, but when you go higher on the tank, some makes go a year more or so on the parts. Just something to consider. Many places will offer installation of the unit when you buy from them, but personally, from what I hear from my customers, the contractors that the sales company sends out sometimes really don’t know what they’re doing. I’d say, look around for the best deal on a new unit, if that’s what you want and then check around with friends and neighbors, to see if any of them have had any dealings with a good plumber or handyman that does plumbing and water heaters. Look in the yellow pages,, (that’s where I’m listed and I’m the only one there in my book), as a water heater specialist, installations and repairs. Maybe one of them can give someone a good reference if they’ve had experience, or ask whoever you’re thinking about hiring for references of jobs he’s done. That’s a good way to find out if a company or person is who or what they say they are. Just use some good common sense and you should do fine.