diff --git a/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelNodeData.cpp b/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelNodeData.cpp
index 255717cbe3..12f444b454 100644
--- a/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelNodeData.cpp
+++ b/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelNodeData.cpp
@@ -35,8 +35,6 @@ VoxelNodeData::VoxelNodeData(Node* owningNode) :
     _lastVoxelPacketLength = 0;
     _duplicatePacketCount = 0;
     resetVoxelPacket();
-    
-    qDebug("VoxelNodeData::VoxelNodeData() this=%p owningNode=%p\n", this, owningNode);
 }
 
 void VoxelNodeData::initializeVoxelSendThread(VoxelServer* voxelServer) {
@@ -44,10 +42,6 @@ void VoxelNodeData::initializeVoxelSendThread(VoxelServer* voxelServer) {
     QUuid nodeUUID = getOwningNode()->getUUID();
     _voxelSendThread = new VoxelSendThread(nodeUUID, voxelServer);
     _voxelSendThread->initialize(true);
-    
-    qDebug("VoxelNodeData::initializeVoxelSendThread() this=%p owningNode=%p _voxelSendThread=%p\n", 
-        this, getOwningNode(), _voxelSendThread);
-    qDebug() << "VoxelNodeData::initializeVoxelSendThread() nodeUUID=" << nodeUUID << "\n";
 }
 
 bool VoxelNodeData::packetIsDuplicate() const {
diff --git a/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelPersistThread.cpp b/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelPersistThread.cpp
index 0f2718fe1f..fd9834cc79 100644
--- a/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelPersistThread.cpp
+++ b/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelPersistThread.cpp
@@ -60,19 +60,25 @@ bool VoxelPersistThread::process() {
             VoxelNode::getSetChildAtIndexTime(), VoxelNode::getSetChildAtIndexCalls(), usecPerSet);
 
         _initialLoadComplete = true;
+        _lastSave = usecTimestampNow(); // we just loaded, no need to save again
     }
     
-    uint64_t MSECS_TO_USECS = 1000;
-    usleep(_persistInterval * MSECS_TO_USECS);
-
-
-    // check the dirty bit and persist here...
-    if (_tree->isDirty()) {
-        qDebug("saving voxels to file %s...\n",_filename);
-        _tree->writeToSVOFile(_filename);
-        _tree->clearDirtyBit(); // tree is clean after saving
-        qDebug("DONE saving voxels to file...\n");
-    }
-
+    if (isStillRunning()) {
+        uint64_t MSECS_TO_USECS = 1000;
+        uint64_t USECS_TO_SLEEP = 100 * MSECS_TO_USECS; // every 100ms
+        usleep(USECS_TO_SLEEP);
+    
+        if ((usecTimestampNow() - _lastSave) > (_persistInterval * MSECS_TO_USECS)) {
+            qDebug("checking if voxels are dirty.\n");
+            // check the dirty bit and persist here...
+            if (_tree->isDirty()) {
+                _lastSave = usecTimestampNow();
+                qDebug("saving voxels to file %s...\n",_filename);
+                _tree->writeToSVOFile(_filename);
+                _tree->clearDirtyBit(); // tree is clean after saving
+                qDebug("DONE saving voxels to file...\n");
+            }
+        }
+    }    
     return isStillRunning();  // keep running till they terminate us
 }
diff --git a/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelPersistThread.h b/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelPersistThread.h
index 91e65a2daf..5d0c46bfbb 100644
--- a/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelPersistThread.h
+++ b/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelPersistThread.h
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ private:
 
     time_t _loadCompleted;
     uint64_t _loadTimeUSecs;
+    uint64_t _lastSave;
 };
 
 #endif // __voxel_server__VoxelPersistThread__
diff --git a/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelSendThread.cpp b/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelSendThread.cpp
index 2be3f38fad..fe2842d6d7 100644
--- a/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelSendThread.cpp
+++ b/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelSendThread.cpp
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ VoxelSendThread::VoxelSendThread(const QUuid& nodeUUID, VoxelServer* myServer) :
 
 bool VoxelSendThread::process() {
     uint64_t  start = usecTimestampNow();
+    bool gotLock = false;
     
     // don't do any send processing until the initial load of the voxels is complete...
     if (_myServer->isInitialLoadComplete()) {
@@ -33,6 +34,7 @@ bool VoxelSendThread::process() {
         if (node) {
             // make sure the node list doesn't kill our node while we're using it
             if (node->trylock()) {
+                gotLock = true;
                 VoxelNodeData* nodeData = NULL;
     
                 nodeData = (VoxelNodeData*) node->getLinkedData();
@@ -49,9 +51,6 @@ bool VoxelSendThread::process() {
                 }
     
                 node->unlock(); // we're done with this node for now.
-            } else {
-                qDebug("VoxelSendThread::process() failed to lock node...isStillRunning()=%s\n",
-                    debug::valueOf(isStillRunning()));
             }
         }
     } else {
@@ -60,8 +59,8 @@ bool VoxelSendThread::process() {
         }
     }
      
-    // Only sleep if we're still running...   
-    if (isStillRunning()) {
+    // Only sleep if we're still running and we got the lock last time we tried, otherwise try to get the lock asap
+    if (isStillRunning() && gotLock) {
         // dynamically sleep until we need to fire off the next set of voxels
         int elapsed = (usecTimestampNow() - start);
         int usecToSleep =  VOXEL_SEND_INTERVAL_USECS - elapsed;
diff --git a/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelServer.cpp b/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelServer.cpp
index c32968d271..16a2c38c3a 100644
--- a/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelServer.cpp
+++ b/libraries/voxel-server-library/src/VoxelServer.cpp
@@ -47,9 +47,6 @@ const char* VOXELS_PERSIST_FILE = "/etc/highfidelity/voxel-server/resources/voxe
 void attachVoxelNodeDataToNode(Node* newNode) {
     if (newNode->getLinkedData() == NULL) {
         VoxelNodeData* voxelNodeData = new VoxelNodeData(newNode);
-        QUuid nodeUUID = newNode->getUUID();
-        qDebug("attachVoxelNodeDataToNode() newNode=%p voxelNodeData=%p\n", newNode, voxelNodeData);
-        qDebug() << "attachVoxelNodeDataToNode() node UUID:" << nodeUUID << "\n";
         newNode->setLinkedData(voxelNodeData);
     }
 }
diff --git a/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelQuery.cpp b/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelQuery.cpp
index 9b5d65e0c5..ec43a3a092 100644
--- a/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelQuery.cpp
+++ b/libraries/voxels/src/VoxelQuery.cpp
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ VoxelQuery::VoxelQuery(Node* owningNode) :
 }
 
 VoxelQuery::~VoxelQuery() {
-    qDebug("VoxelQuery::~VoxelQuery()\n");
+    // nothing to do
 }
 
 int VoxelQuery::getBroadcastData(unsigned char* destinationBuffer) {