diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 3146ed5583..ca7a23b9dc 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ at anytime.
   * `blob_list` raising an error when blobs in a stream haven't yet been created
   * stopping a download from raising `NoneType object has no attribute finished_deferred`
   * file manager startup locking up when there are many files for some channels
+  * improper sorting when getting the closest peers to a hash
 
 ### Deprecated
   *
diff --git a/lbrynet/dht/node.py b/lbrynet/dht/node.py
index 76763f9e5f..bc9735d668 100644
--- a/lbrynet/dht/node.py
+++ b/lbrynet/dht/node.py
@@ -550,7 +550,7 @@ def findNode(self, rpc_contact, key):
         if len(key) != constants.key_bits / 8:
             raise ValueError("invalid contact id length: %i" % len(key))
 
-        contacts = self._routingTable.findCloseNodes(key, constants.k, rpc_contact.id)
+        contacts = self._routingTable.findCloseNodes(key, sender_node_id=rpc_contact.id)
         contact_triples = []
         for contact in contacts:
             contact_triples.append((contact.id, contact.address, contact.port))
@@ -644,7 +644,7 @@ def _iterativeFind(self, key, startupShortlist=None, rpc='findNode'):
             raise ValueError("invalid key length: %i" % len(key))
 
         if startupShortlist is None:
-            shortlist = self._routingTable.findCloseNodes(key, constants.k)
+            shortlist = self._routingTable.findCloseNodes(key)
             # if key != self.node_id:
             #     # Update the "last accessed" timestamp for the appropriate k-bucket
             #     self._routingTable.touchKBucket(key)
diff --git a/lbrynet/dht/routingtable.py b/lbrynet/dht/routingtable.py
index c58982d12d..89d1a5e138 100644
--- a/lbrynet/dht/routingtable.py
+++ b/lbrynet/dht/routingtable.py
@@ -141,13 +141,13 @@ def replaceContact(failure, deadContact):
             self.touchKBucketByIndex(bucketIndex)
             return defer.succeed(None)
 
-    def findCloseNodes(self, key, count, sender_node_id=None):
+    def findCloseNodes(self, key, count=None, sender_node_id=None):
         """ Finds a number of known nodes closest to the node/value with the
         specified key.
 
         @param key: the n-bit key (i.e. the node or value ID) to search for
         @type key: str
-        @param count: the amount of contacts to return
+        @param count: the amount of contacts to return, default of k (8)
         @type count: int
         @param sender_node_id: Used during RPC, this is be the sender's Node ID
                                Whatever ID is passed in the paramater will get
@@ -161,45 +161,17 @@ def findCloseNodes(self, key, count, sender_node_id=None):
                  node is returning all of the contacts that it knows of.
         @rtype: list
         """
-        bucketIndex = self._kbucketIndex(key)
-
-        if bucketIndex < len(self._buckets):
-            # sort these
-            closestNodes = self._buckets[bucketIndex].getContacts(count, sender_node_id, sort_distance_to=key)
-        else:
-            closestNodes = []
-        # This method must return k contacts (even if we have the node
-        # with the specified key as node ID), unless there is less
-        # than k remote nodes in the routing table
-        i = 1
-        canGoLower = bucketIndex - i >= 0
-        canGoHigher = bucketIndex + i < len(self._buckets)
-
-        def get_remain(closest):
-            return min(count, constants.k) - len(closest)
-
+        exclude = [self._parentNodeID]
+        if sender_node_id:
+            exclude.append(sender_node_id)
+        if key in exclude:
+            exclude.remove(key)
+        count = count or constants.k
         distance = Distance(key)
-
-        while len(closestNodes) < min(count, constants.k) and (canGoLower or canGoHigher):
-            iteration_contacts = []
-            # get contacts from lower and/or higher buckets without sorting them
-            if canGoLower and len(closestNodes) < min(count, constants.k):
-                lower_bucket = self._buckets[bucketIndex - i]
-                contacts = lower_bucket.getContacts(get_remain(closestNodes), sender_node_id, sort_distance_to=False)
-                iteration_contacts.extend(contacts)
-                canGoLower = bucketIndex - (i + 1) >= 0
-
-            if canGoHigher and len(closestNodes) < min(count, constants.k):
-                higher_bucket = self._buckets[bucketIndex + i]
-                contacts = higher_bucket.getContacts(get_remain(closestNodes), sender_node_id, sort_distance_to=False)
-                iteration_contacts.extend(contacts)
-                canGoHigher = bucketIndex + (i + 1) < len(self._buckets)
-            i += 1
-            # sort the combined contacts and add as many as possible/needed to the combined contact list
-            iteration_contacts.sort(key=lambda c: distance(c.id), reverse=True)
-            while len(iteration_contacts) and len(closestNodes) < min(count, constants.k):
-                closestNodes.append(iteration_contacts.pop())
-        return closestNodes
+        contacts = self.get_contacts()
+        contacts = [c for c in contacts if c.id not in exclude]
+        contacts.sort(key=lambda c: distance(c.id))
+        return contacts[:min(count, len(contacts))]
 
     def getContact(self, contactID):
         """ Returns the (known) contact with the specified node ID
diff --git a/lbrynet/tests/functional/dht/test_store.py b/lbrynet/tests/functional/dht/test_store.py
index 43d5fd6ae0..a4f6431b70 100644
--- a/lbrynet/tests/functional/dht/test_store.py
+++ b/lbrynet/tests/functional/dht/test_store.py
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ def test_storing_node_went_stale_then_came_back(self):
         self.nodes.remove(announcing_node)
         yield self.run_reactor(31, [announcing_node.stop()])
         # run the network for an hour, which should expire the removed node and turn the announced value stale
-        self.pump_clock(constants.checkRefreshInterval * 4, constants.checkRefreshInterval/2)
+        self.pump_clock(constants.checkRefreshInterval * 5, constants.checkRefreshInterval/2)
         self.verify_all_nodes_are_routable()
 
         # make sure the contact isn't returned as a peer for the blob, but that we still have the entry in the
diff --git a/lbrynet/tests/unit/dht/test_routingtable.py b/lbrynet/tests/unit/dht/test_routingtable.py
index c9a6a0a5c0..4ab3947f54 100644
--- a/lbrynet/tests/unit/dht/test_routingtable.py
+++ b/lbrynet/tests/unit/dht/test_routingtable.py
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ def testAddContact(self):
         # Now add it...
         yield self.routingTable.addContact(contact)
         # ...and request the closest nodes to it (will retrieve it)
-        closestNodes = self.routingTable.findCloseNodes(contactID, constants.k)
+        closestNodes = self.routingTable.findCloseNodes(contactID)
         self.failUnlessEqual(len(closestNodes), 1, 'Wrong amount of contacts returned; expected 1,'
                                                    ' got %d' % len(closestNodes))
         self.failUnless(contact in closestNodes, 'Added contact not found by issueing '