diff --git a/cmd/integration/integration.go b/cmd/integration/integration.go
index c330646119..0fe9e0ab79 100644
--- a/cmd/integration/integration.go
+++ b/cmd/integration/integration.go
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ func startComponents(manifestURL string) (apiServerURL string) {
 
 	// Kubelet (localhost)
 	cfg1 := config.NewPodConfig(config.PodConfigNotificationSnapshotAndUpdates)
-	config.NewSourceEtcd(config.EtcdKeyForHost(machineList[0]), etcdClient, 30*time.Second, cfg1.Channel("etcd"))
+	config.NewSourceEtcd(config.EtcdKeyForHost(machineList[0]), etcdClient, cfg1.Channel("etcd"))
 	config.NewSourceURL(manifestURL, 5*time.Second, cfg1.Channel("url"))
 	myKubelet := kubelet.NewIntegrationTestKubelet(machineList[0], &fakeDocker1)
 	go util.Forever(func() { myKubelet.Run(cfg1.Updates()) }, 0)
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ func startComponents(manifestURL string) (apiServerURL string) {
 	// Create a second kubelet so that the guestbook example's two redis slaves both
 	// have a place they can schedule.
 	cfg2 := config.NewPodConfig(config.PodConfigNotificationSnapshotAndUpdates)
-	config.NewSourceEtcd(config.EtcdKeyForHost(machineList[1]), etcdClient, 30*time.Second, cfg2.Channel("etcd"))
+	config.NewSourceEtcd(config.EtcdKeyForHost(machineList[1]), etcdClient, cfg2.Channel("etcd"))
 	otherKubelet := kubelet.NewIntegrationTestKubelet(machineList[1], &fakeDocker2)
 	go util.Forever(func() { otherKubelet.Run(cfg2.Updates()) }, 0)
 	go util.Forever(func() {
diff --git a/cmd/kubelet/kubelet.go b/cmd/kubelet/kubelet.go
index 7ac463858c..8d806e26df 100644
--- a/cmd/kubelet/kubelet.go
+++ b/cmd/kubelet/kubelet.go
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ func main() {
 	if len(etcdServerList) > 0 {
 		glog.Infof("Watching for etcd configs at %v", etcdServerList)
 		etcdClient = etcd.NewClient(etcdServerList)
-		kconfig.NewSourceEtcd(kconfig.EtcdKeyForHost(hostname), etcdClient, 30*time.Second, cfg.Channel("etcd"))
+		kconfig.NewSourceEtcd(kconfig.EtcdKeyForHost(hostname), etcdClient, cfg.Channel("etcd"))
 	}
 
 	// TODO: block until all sources have delivered at least one update to the channel, or break the sync loop
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/config/etcd.go b/pkg/kubelet/config/etcd.go
index 57baa5bf69..1538f51775 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/config/etcd.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/config/etcd.go
@@ -41,20 +41,21 @@ type SourceEtcd struct {
 	client  tools.EtcdClient
 	updates chan<- interface{}
 
-	waitDuration time.Duration
+	interval time.Duration
+	timeout  time.Duration
 }
 
 // NewSourceEtcd creates a config source that watches and pulls from a key in etcd
-func NewSourceEtcd(key string, client tools.EtcdClient, period time.Duration, updates chan<- interface{}) *SourceEtcd {
+func NewSourceEtcd(key string, client tools.EtcdClient, updates chan<- interface{}) *SourceEtcd {
 	config := &SourceEtcd{
 		key:     key,
 		client:  client,
 		updates: updates,
 
-		waitDuration: period,
+		timeout: 1 * time.Minute,
 	}
 	glog.Infof("Watching etcd for %s", key)
-	go util.Forever(config.run, period)
+	go util.Forever(config.run, time.Second)
 	return config
 }
 
@@ -81,7 +82,7 @@ func (s *SourceEtcd) fetchNextState(fromIndex uint64) (nextIndex uint64, err err
 	if fromIndex == 0 {
 		response, err = s.client.Get(s.key, true, false)
 	} else {
-		response, err = s.client.Watch(s.key, fromIndex, false, nil, stopChannel(s.waitDuration))
+		response, err = s.client.Watch(s.key, fromIndex, false, nil, stopChannel(s.timeout))
 		if tools.IsEtcdWatchStoppedByUser(err) {
 			return fromIndex, nil
 		}
@@ -125,9 +126,13 @@ func responseToPods(response *etcd.Response) ([]kubelet.Pod, error) {
 	return pods, nil
 }
 
-// stopChannel creates a channel that is closed after a duration for use with etcd client API
+// stopChannel creates a channel that is closed after a duration for use with etcd client API.
+// If until is 0, the channel will never close.
 func stopChannel(until time.Duration) chan bool {
 	stop := make(chan bool)
+	if until == 0 {
+		return stop
+	}
 	go func() {
 		select {
 		case <-time.After(until):
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/config/etcd_test.go b/pkg/kubelet/config/etcd_test.go
index 854e88bdbc..f0b025deaf 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/config/etcd_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/config/etcd_test.go
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ func TestGetEtcdData(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		E: nil,
 	}
-	NewSourceEtcd("/registry/hosts/machine/kubelet", fakeClient, time.Millisecond, ch)
+	NewSourceEtcd("/registry/hosts/machine/kubelet", fakeClient, ch)
 
 	//TODO: update FakeEtcdClient.Watch to handle receiver=nil with a given index
 	//returns an infinite stream of updates