External Inspection

• 1). Check for fire damage. Any cylinder that has been in a fire should be taken out of service permanently. Tanks with signs of charring, scorching, melting or torch burns should be discarded. Tanks with new paint jobs should be investigated to determine if the paint is hiding any external damage.
  
  
• 2). Check for bulges or dents. Use a straight edge to see if the flat sides of the tank are raised in bulges or bows or depressed by dents. The straight edge will wobble over the edges of a bulge. Cylinders with dents deeper than 60 thousandths of an inch should be destroyed. Cylinders with bulges should be destroyed.
  
  
• 3). Check for cuts, gouges and deep scratches. Tanks with these flaws longer than 6 inches or deeper than 30 thousandths of an inch should be discarded.
  
  
• 4). Check for surface corrosion. Discard tanks with any corrosion over 60 thousandths of an inch deep, or with broad-spread corrosion over 30 thousandths of an inch deep. Condemn any tank that has continuous corrosion over 6 inches long, or if more than 1/4 of the tank is covered with surface corrosion.
  
  
• 5). Take the tank to a professional for internal inspection. If the tank passes the external inspections in Steps 1 through 4, have the tank internally inspected. If the hydrostatic pressure test sticker is out of date or if it has been repainted, have the tank hydrostatically tested as well.