diff --git a/unmaintained/diff_volume_servers/diff_volume_servers.go b/unmaintained/diff_volume_servers/diff_volume_servers.go
index 339d9c335..4de864980 100644
--- a/unmaintained/diff_volume_servers/diff_volume_servers.go
+++ b/unmaintained/diff_volume_servers/diff_volume_servers.go
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ func getVolumeFiles(v uint32, addr string) (map[types.NeedleId]needleState, int6
 	var maxOffset int64
 	files := map[types.NeedleId]needleState{}
 	err = idx.WalkIndexFile(idxFile, func(key types.NeedleId, offset types.Offset, size types.Size) error {
-		if offset.IsZero() || size < 0 || size == types.TombstoneFileSize {
+		if offset.IsZero() || size.IsDeleted() {
 			files[key] = needleState{
 				state: stateDeleted,
 				size:  size,
diff --git a/weed/server/volume_grpc_erasure_coding.go b/weed/server/volume_grpc_erasure_coding.go
index 79348c9d7..55e0261c8 100644
--- a/weed/server/volume_grpc_erasure_coding.go
+++ b/weed/server/volume_grpc_erasure_coding.go
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ func (vs *VolumeServer) VolumeEcShardRead(req *volume_server_pb.VolumeEcShardRea
 
 	if req.FileKey != 0 {
 		_, size, _ := ecVolume.FindNeedleFromEcx(types.Uint64ToNeedleId(req.FileKey))
-		if size == types.TombstoneFileSize {
+		if size.IsDeleted() {
 			return stream.Send(&volume_server_pb.VolumeEcShardReadResponse{
 				IsDeleted: true,
 			})
@@ -340,7 +340,7 @@ func (vs *VolumeServer) VolumeEcBlobDelete(ctx context.Context, req *volume_serv
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, fmt.Errorf("locate in local ec volume: %v", err)
 			}
-			if size == types.TombstoneFileSize {
+			if size.IsDeleted() {
 				return resp, nil
 			}
 
diff --git a/weed/storage/erasure_coding/ec_decoder.go b/weed/storage/erasure_coding/ec_decoder.go
index 6793faca5..795a7d523 100644
--- a/weed/storage/erasure_coding/ec_decoder.go
+++ b/weed/storage/erasure_coding/ec_decoder.go
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ func FindDatFileSize(baseFileName string) (datSize int64, err error) {
 
 	err = iterateEcxFile(baseFileName, func(key types.NeedleId, offset types.Offset, size types.Size) error {
 
-		if size == types.TombstoneFileSize {
+		if size.IsDeleted() {
 			return nil
 		}
 
diff --git a/weed/storage/store_ec.go b/weed/storage/store_ec.go
index 2b0df439c..8b4388519 100644
--- a/weed/storage/store_ec.go
+++ b/weed/storage/store_ec.go
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ func (s *Store) ReadEcShardNeedle(vid needle.VolumeId, n *needle.Needle) (int, e
 			if err != nil {
 				return 0, fmt.Errorf("locate in local ec volume: %v", err)
 			}
-			if size == types.TombstoneFileSize {
+			if size.IsDeleted() {
 				return 0, fmt.Errorf("entry %s is deleted", n.Id)
 			}