diff --git a/hikaricp-common/src/main/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/pool/BaseHikariPool.java b/hikaricp-common/src/main/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/pool/BaseHikariPool.java
index c6bc0de7..642914ec 100644
--- a/hikaricp-common/src/main/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/pool/BaseHikariPool.java
+++ b/hikaricp-common/src/main/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/pool/BaseHikariPool.java
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ public abstract class BaseHikariPool implements HikariPoolMBean, IBagStateListen
       this.password = password;
       this.configuration = configuration;
 
-      this.poolUtils = new PoolUtilities();
+      this.poolUtils = new PoolUtilities(configuration);
       this.connectionBag = createConcurrentBag(this);
       this.totalConnections = new AtomicInteger();
       this.connectionTimeout = configuration.getConnectionTimeout();
diff --git a/hikaricp-common/src/main/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/util/PoolUtilities.java b/hikaricp-common/src/main/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/util/PoolUtilities.java
index dcff8514..dc8c25a1 100644
--- a/hikaricp-common/src/main/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/util/PoolUtilities.java
+++ b/hikaricp-common/src/main/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/util/PoolUtilities.java
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package com.zaxxer.hikari.util;
 
 import static com.zaxxer.hikari.util.UtilityElf.createInstance;
+import static com.zaxxer.hikari.util.UtilityElf.createThreadPoolExecutor;
 
 import java.sql.Connection;
 import java.sql.SQLException;
@@ -8,12 +9,15 @@ import java.sql.SQLFeatureNotSupportedException;
 import java.sql.Statement;
 import java.util.Properties;
 import java.util.concurrent.Executor;
+import java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
 
 import javax.sql.DataSource;
 
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 
+import com.zaxxer.hikari.HikariConfig;
+
 public final class PoolUtilities
 {
    private volatile boolean IS_JDBC40;
@@ -21,6 +25,12 @@ public final class PoolUtilities
    private volatile boolean jdbc40checked; 
    private volatile boolean jdbc41checked; 
    private volatile boolean queryTimeoutSupported = true;
+   private volatile ThreadPoolExecutor executorService;
+
+   public PoolUtilities(HikariConfig configuration)
+   {
+      executorService = createThreadPoolExecutor(configuration.getMaximumPoolSize(), "HikariCP utility thread (pool " + configuration.getPoolName() + ")", configuration.getThreadFactory(), new ThreadPoolExecutor.DiscardPolicy());
+   }
 
    /**
     * Close connection and eat any exception.
@@ -31,9 +41,10 @@ public final class PoolUtilities
    {
       if (connection != null) {
          try {
+            setNetworkTimeout(executorService, connection, TimeUnit.SECONDS.toMillis(30), true);
             connection.close();
          }
-         catch (SQLException e) {
+         catch (Exception e) {
             return;
          }
       }
diff --git a/hikaricp-common/src/test/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/ShutdownTest.java b/hikaricp-common/src/test/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/ShutdownTest.java
index 91715bf1..4011526f 100644
--- a/hikaricp-common/src/test/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/ShutdownTest.java
+++ b/hikaricp-common/src/test/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/ShutdownTest.java
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ public class ShutdownTest
    @Test
    public void testThreadedShutdown() throws Exception
    {
-      HikariConfig config = new HikariConfig();
+      final HikariConfig config = new HikariConfig();
       config.setMinimumIdle(5);
       config.setMaximumPoolSize(5);
       config.setConnectionTimeout(200);
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@ public class ShutdownTest
                   Assert.fail(e.getMessage());
                }
                finally {
-                  new PoolUtilities().quietlyCloseConnection(connection);
+                  new PoolUtilities(config).quietlyCloseConnection(connection);
                   ds.shutdown();
                }
             };