diff --git a/src/Application.cpp b/src/Application.cpp
index 89fe9d2ddc..daac98dd54 100644
--- a/src/Application.cpp
+++ b/src/Application.cpp
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ DatabaseCon::~DatabaseCon()
 Application::Application() :
 	mUNL(mIOService),
 	mNetOps(mIOService, &mMasterLedger), mTempNodeCache(16384, 90), mHashedObjectStore(16384, 300),
-	mSNTPClient(mIOService), mRpcDB(NULL), mTxnDB(NULL), mLedgerDB(NULL), mWalletDB(NULL),
+	mSNTPClient(mAuxService), mRpcDB(NULL), mTxnDB(NULL), mLedgerDB(NULL), mWalletDB(NULL),
 	mHashNodeDB(NULL), mNetNodeDB(NULL),
 	mConnectionPool(mIOService), mPeerDoor(NULL), mRPCDoor(NULL)
 {
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ extern int RpcDBCount, TxnDBCount, LedgerDBCount, WalletDBCount, HashNodeDBCount
 
 void Application::stop()
 {
+	mAuxService.stop();
 	mIOService.stop();
 	mHashedObjectStore.bulkWrite();
 	mValidations.flush();
@@ -69,6 +70,11 @@ void Application::run()
 	if (!theConfig.DEBUG_LOGFILE.empty())
 		Log::setLogFile(theConfig.DEBUG_LOGFILE);
 
+	mSNTPClient.init(theConfig.SNTP_SERVERS);
+
+	boost::thread auxThread(boost::bind(&boost::asio::io_service::run, &mAuxService));
+	auxThread.detach();
+
 	//
 	// Construct databases.
 	//
@@ -91,6 +97,7 @@ void Application::run()
 	//
 	getUNL().nodeBootstrap();
 
+
 	//
 	// Allow peer connections.
 	//
@@ -147,7 +154,6 @@ void Application::run()
 		mNetOps.setLastCloseNetTime(secondLedger->getCloseTimeNC());
 	}
 
-	mSNTPClient.init(theConfig.SNTP_SERVERS);
 
 	mNetOps.setStateTimer();
 
diff --git a/src/Application.h b/src/Application.h
index 9efbc89fc1..79ffb8cf34 100644
--- a/src/Application.h
+++ b/src/Application.h
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ public:
 
 class Application
 {
-	boost::asio::io_service	mIOService;
+	boost::asio::io_service	mIOService, mAuxService;
 
 	Wallet					mWallet;
 	UniqueNodeList			mUNL;
diff --git a/src/LedgerTiming.cpp b/src/LedgerTiming.cpp
index c28fc80e02..0585abd47a 100644
--- a/src/LedgerTiming.cpp
+++ b/src/LedgerTiming.cpp
@@ -19,8 +19,8 @@ int ContinuousLedgerTiming::shouldClose(
 	int previousMSeconds,		// seconds the previous ledger took to reach consensus
 	int currentMSeconds)			// seconds since the previous ledger closed
 {
-	assert((previousMSeconds > 0) && (previousMSeconds < 600000));
-	assert((currentMSeconds >= 0) && (currentMSeconds < 600000));
+	assert((previousMSeconds > -1000) && (previousMSeconds < 600000));
+	assert((currentMSeconds >= -1000) && (currentMSeconds < 600000));
 
 #if 0
 	Log(lsTRACE) << boost::str(boost::format("CLC::shouldClose Trans=%s, Prop: %d/%d, Secs: %d (last:%d)") %
@@ -44,12 +44,6 @@ int ContinuousLedgerTiming::shouldClose(
 		return LEDGER_IDLE_INTERVAL * 1000; // normal idle
 	}
 
-	if (previousMSeconds == (1000 * LEDGER_IDLE_INTERVAL)) // coming out of idle, close now
-	{
-		Log(lsTRACE) << "leaving idle, close now";
-		return currentMSeconds;
-	}
-
 	Log(lsTRACE) << "close now";
 	return currentMSeconds; // this ledger should close now
 }
diff --git a/src/SNTPClient.cpp b/src/SNTPClient.cpp
index ffd2eecbe9..728e6f4129 100644
--- a/src/SNTPClient.cpp
+++ b/src/SNTPClient.cpp
@@ -166,7 +166,9 @@ void SNTPClient::processReply()
 	if ((mOffset == -1) || (mOffset == 1)) // small corrections likely do more harm than good
 		mOffset = 0;
 
+#ifndef SNTP_DEBUG
 	if (timev || mOffset)
+#endif
 		Log(lsTRACE) << "SNTP: Offset is " << timev << ", new system offset is " << mOffset;
 }