diff --git a/cluster.go b/cluster.go
index fc332df09..7e2ff315b 100644
--- a/cluster.go
+++ b/cluster.go
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import (
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"math/rand"
 	"net/http"
+	"net/url"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"sort"
@@ -61,8 +62,9 @@ const (
 	resizeJobActionAdd    = "ADD"
 	resizeJobActionRemove = "REMOVE"
 
-	confirmDownRetries = 20
+	confirmDownRetries = 15
 	confirmDownSleep   = 1
+	confirmDownTimeout = 2
 )
 
 // Node represents a node in the cluster.
@@ -1693,16 +1695,30 @@ func (c *cluster) considerTopology() error {
 
 // band aid to protect against false nodeLeave events from memberlist
 // the test is the lightest weight endpoint of the node in question /version
-// TODO provide more robust solution to false nodeJoin events
-func confirmNodeDown(uri URI) bool {
+// TODO provide more robust solution to false nodeLeave events
+func confirmNodeDown(uri URI, log logger.Logger) bool {
+	u := url.URL{
+		Scheme: uri.Scheme,
+		Host:   uri.HostPort(),
+		Path:   "version",
+	}
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), confirmDownTimeout*time.Second)
+	defer cancel()
+	req, err := http.NewRequest("GET", u.String(), nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Printf("bad request:%s %s", u.String(), err)
+		return false
+	}
+
 	for i := 0; i < confirmDownRetries; i++ {
-		resp, err := http.Get(uri.Scheme + uri.HostPort() + "/version")
+		resp, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req.WithContext(ctx))
 		if err == nil {
 			if resp.StatusCode == 200 {
 				return false
 			}
-			time.Sleep(confirmDownSleep * time.Second)
 		}
+		log.Printf("NodeLeave Timeout with %s %d", uri.HostPort(), i)
+		time.Sleep(confirmDownSleep * time.Second)
 	}
 	return true
 }
@@ -1730,7 +1746,7 @@ func (c *cluster) ReceiveEvent(e *NodeEvent) (err error) {
 			// not already removed by a removeNode request. We treat this as the
 			// host being temporarily unavailable, and expect it to come back
 			// up.
-			if confirmNodeDown(e.Node.URI) {
+			if confirmNodeDown(e.Node.URI, c.logger) {
 				if c.removeNodeBasicSorted(e.Node.ID) {
 					c.Topology.nodeStates[e.Node.ID] = nodeStateDown
 					// put the cluster into STARTING if we've lost a number of nodes
diff --git a/cluster_internal_test.go b/cluster_internal_test.go
index a6cf437b2..88eaf3a6e 100644
--- a/cluster_internal_test.go
+++ b/cluster_internal_test.go
@@ -16,15 +16,24 @@ package pilosa
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"fmt"
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"math/rand"
+	"net"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"net/url"
+	"os"
 	"reflect"
+	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"testing/quick"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/davecgh/go-spew/spew"
+	"github.com/gorilla/mux"
+	"github.com/pilosa/pilosa/logger"
 	"github.com/pilosa/pilosa/roaring"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 )
@@ -885,3 +894,71 @@ func TestCluster_UpdateCoordinator(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	})
 }
+
+func TestCluster_confirmNodeDownUp(t *testing.T) {
+	r := mux.NewRouter()
+	r.HandleFunc("/version", http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "ignored")
+	}))
+	server := httptest.NewServer(r)
+	// Close the server when test finishes
+	defer server.Close()
+	u, err := url.Parse(server.URL)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error("bad test setup")
+	}
+	uri := URI{}
+	host, port, _ := net.SplitHostPort(u.Host)
+	uri.Scheme = u.Scheme
+	uri.Host = host
+	iport, err := strconv.ParseUint(port, 0, 16)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+	}
+	uri.Port = uint16(iport)
+	if confirmNodeDown(uri, logger.NewVerboseLogger(os.Stdout)) {
+		t.Errorf("expected node to be up")
+	}
+
+}
+func TestCluster_confirmNodeDownTimeout(t *testing.T) {
+	r := mux.NewRouter()
+	r.HandleFunc("/version", http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		time.Sleep(confirmDownSleep * time.Second * confirmDownRetries)
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "ignored")
+	}))
+	server := httptest.NewServer(r)
+	// Close the server when test finishes
+	defer server.Close()
+	u, err := url.Parse(server.URL)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error("bad test setup")
+	}
+	uri := URI{}
+	host, port, _ := net.SplitHostPort(u.Host)
+	uri.Scheme = u.Scheme
+	uri.Host = host
+	iport, err := strconv.ParseUint(port, 0, 16)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+	}
+	uri.Port = uint16(iport)
+
+	if !confirmNodeDown(uri, logger.NewVerboseLogger(os.Stdout)) {
+		t.Errorf("expected node to be down")
+	}
+
+}
+
+func TestCluster_confirmNodeDownDown(t *testing.T) {
+	uri := URI{}
+	uri.Scheme = "http"
+	uri.Host = "DoesntMatter"
+	uri.Port = 6666
+
+	if !confirmNodeDown(uri, logger.NewVerboseLogger(os.Stdout)) {
+		t.Errorf("expected node to be down")
+	}
+
+}