California Code of Regulations
Title 8 - Industrial Relations
Division 1 - Department of Industrial Relations
Chapter 4 - Division of Industrial Safety
Subchapter 1 - Unfired Pressure Vessel Safety Orders
Article 5 - LP-Gas Systems
Section 494 - Repairs and Alterations

(a) No repairs or alterations involving flame, arc, or other method of welding shall be made on any container cylinder, or system unless such container, cylinder, or system shall first have been certified as gas free or oxygen free by a qualified person.

(b) No repair or alteration affecting the safety of any container or cylinder shall be made until the contemplated repair or alteration has been authorized by a qualified inspector. The owner or user of the LP-Gas container shall ensure that the repair or alteration is performed by a company with a valid ASME "U" or a National Board "R" Certificate of Authorization. The exchange or interchange of valves, fittings, and accessories intended for the same purpose shall not be considered a repair or alteration.

(c) No container or cylinder that has been subjected to a fire shall be returned to service until it has been inspected by a qualified inspector and found to be safe.

Any container or cylinder which has suffered mechanical damage causing dents or other deformation exceeding a depth of 1 1/2 times the thickness of the deformed head or shell or two percent of the container diameter, whichever is greater, shall be re-formed to its original shape or otherwise repaired as provided in these Orders.

(d) Any vessel requiring repair or alteration or that has been subjected to a fire shall not be recharged until it has been retested in accordance with the requirements for its original hydrostatic test and found to be suitable for continued service, when such test is deemed necessary by the qualified inspector.

(e) The owner or user of the LP-Gas container shall ensure that all repairs or alterations affecting the safety of LP-Gas tanks are reported to the Division within 21 days by the ASME "U" or National Board "R" certificate holder making such repairs or alterations using the appropriate National Board Form, "R-1", Report of Welded Repair, or "R-2", Report of Alteration, or equivalent (See Appendix D). The owner or user shall ensure that the qualified inspector stamps his/her certificate of competency number adjacent to all welded repairs authorized by him/her, except that in the case of repairs to quenched and tempered steels, this number need not be stamped. This exception shall be noted in the inspector's report.

(f) Any welding necessary when making repairs or alterations to containers shall be done by a welder qualified in accordance with Section IX of the ASME Code in the position or positions used in making the repair.

(g) Repairs to DOT cylinders shall be made under DOT regulations and control in accordance with the requirements of 49 CFR Section 173.34.