diff --git a/app/background.py b/app/background.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0d28f424
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/background.py
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+from threading import Thread
+from django import db
+from webodm import settings
+
+
+# TODO: design class such that:
+# 1. test cases can choose which functions to intercept (prevent from executing)
+# 2. test cases can see how many times a function has been called (and with which parameters)
+# 3. test cases can pause until a function has been called
+class TestWatch:
+    stats = {}
+
+    def called(self, func, *args, **kwargs):
+        list = TestWatch.stats[func] if func in TestWatch.stats else []
+        list.append({'f': func, 'args': args, 'kwargs': kwargs})
+        print(list)
+
+    def clear(self):
+        TestWatch.stats = {}
+
+testWatch = TestWatch()
+
+def background(func):
+    """
+    Adds background={True|False} param to any function
+    so that we can call update_nodes_info(background=True) from the outside
+    """
+    def wrapper(*args,**kwargs):
+        background = kwargs.get('background', False)
+        if 'background' in kwargs: del kwargs['background']
+
+        if background:
+            if settings.TESTING:
+                # During testing, intercept all background requests and execute them on the same thread
+                testWatch.called(func.__name__, *args, **kwargs)
+
+            # Create a function that closes all
+            # db connections at the end of the thread
+            # This is necessary to make sure we don't leave
+            # open connections lying around.
+            def execute_and_close_db():
+                ret = None
+                try:
+                    ret = func(*args, **kwargs)
+                finally:
+                    db.connections.close_all()
+                return ret
+
+            t = Thread(target=execute_and_close_db)
+            t.daemon = True
+            t.start()
+            return t
+        else:
+            return func(*args, **kwargs)
+    return wrapper
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/app/scheduler.py b/app/scheduler.py
index 12607acf..616a6731 100644
--- a/app/scheduler.py
+++ b/app/scheduler.py
@@ -1,15 +1,17 @@
 import logging
 import traceback
+from multiprocessing.dummy import Pool as ThreadPool
+from threading import Lock
 
-from apscheduler.schedulers.background import BackgroundScheduler
 from apscheduler.schedulers import SchedulerAlreadyRunningError, SchedulerNotRunningError
-from threading import Thread, Lock
-from multiprocessing.dummy import Pool as ThreadPool 
-from nodeodm.models import ProcessingNode
-from app.models import Task, Project
-from django.db.models import Q, Count
+from apscheduler.schedulers.background import BackgroundScheduler
 from django import db
+from django.db.models import Q, Count
+
+from app.models import Task, Project
 from nodeodm import status_codes
+from nodeodm.models import ProcessingNode
+from app.background import background
 
 logger = logging.getLogger('app.logger')
 scheduler = BackgroundScheduler({
@@ -17,36 +19,6 @@ scheduler = BackgroundScheduler({
     'apscheduler.job_defaults.max_instances': '3',
 })
 
-def background(func):
-    """
-    Adds background={True|False} param to any function
-    so that we can call update_nodes_info(background=True) from the outside
-    """
-    def wrapper(*args,**kwargs):
-        background = kwargs.get('background', False)
-        if 'background' in kwargs: del kwargs['background']
-
-        if background:
-            # Create a function that closes all 
-            # db connections at the end of the thread
-            # This is necessary to make sure we don't leave
-            # open connections lying around. 
-            def execute_and_close_db():
-                ret = None
-                try:
-                    ret = func(*args, **kwargs)
-                finally:
-                    db.connections.close_all()
-                return ret
-
-            t = Thread(target=execute_and_close_db)
-            t.start()
-            return t
-        else:
-            return func(*args, **kwargs)
-    return wrapper
-
-
 @background
 def update_nodes_info():
     processing_nodes = ProcessingNode.objects.all()
@@ -86,6 +58,8 @@ def process_pending_tasks():
                 task.save()
         except Exception as e:
             logger.error("Uncaught error: {} {}".format(e, traceback.format_exc()))
+        finally:
+            db.connections.close_all()
 
     if tasks.count() > 0:
         pool = ThreadPool(tasks.count())
diff --git a/app/tests/classes.py b/app/tests/classes.py
index fb5b139b..32435cf9 100644
--- a/app/tests/classes.py
+++ b/app/tests/classes.py
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ class BootTestCase(TestCase):
     def tearDownClass(cls):
         super(BootTestCase, cls).tearDownClass()
 
+
 class BootTransactionTestCase(TransactionTestCase):
     '''
     Same as above, but inherits from TransactionTestCase
diff --git a/app/tests/test_api_task.py b/app/tests/test_api_task.py
index b4726acd..c5b9f59d 100644
--- a/app/tests/test_api_task.py
+++ b/app/tests/test_api_task.py
@@ -15,8 +15,10 @@ from nodeodm import status_codes
 from nodeodm.models import ProcessingNode
 
 # We need to test the task API in a TransactionTestCase because
-# processing happens on a separate thread. This is required by Django.
-class TestApi(BootTransactionTestCase):
+# task processing happens on a separate thread, and normal TestCases
+# do not commit changes to the DB, so spawning a new thread will show no
+# data in it.
+class TestApiTask(BootTransactionTestCase):
     def test_task(self):
         DELAY = 1  # time to sleep for during process launch, background processing, etc.
         client = APIClient()
@@ -167,6 +169,10 @@ class TestApi(BootTransactionTestCase):
         # On update scheduler.processing_pending_tasks should have been called in the background
         time.sleep(DELAY)
 
+        print("HERE")
+        from app.background import testWatch
+        print(testWatch.stats)
+
         # Processing should have completed
         task.refresh_from_db()
         self.assertTrue(task.status == status_codes.RUNNING)
@@ -190,4 +196,4 @@ class TestApi(BootTransactionTestCase):
 
         # Teardown processing node
         node_odm.terminate()
-        time.sleep(20)
\ No newline at end of file
+        #time.sleep(20)
diff --git a/nodeodm/api_client.py b/nodeodm/api_client.py
index 13a060a2..046e9e01 100644
--- a/nodeodm/api_client.py
+++ b/nodeodm/api_client.py
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ class ApiClient:
         return requests.post(self.url('/task/restart'), data={'uuid': uuid}, timeout=TIMEOUT).json()
 
     def task_download(self, uuid, asset):
-        res = requests.get(self.url('/task/{}/download/{}').format(uuid, asset), stream=True, timeout=TIMEOUT)
+        res = requests.get(self.url('/task/{}/download/{}').format(uuid, asset), stream=True)
         if "Content-Type" in res.headers and "application/json" in res.headers['Content-Type']:
             return res.json()
         else:
@@ -62,5 +62,4 @@ class ApiClient:
                  ) for image in images]
         return requests.post(self.url("/task/new"),
                              files=files,
-                             data={'name': name, 'options': json.dumps(options)},
-                             timeout=TIMEOUT).json()
+                             data={'name': name, 'options': json.dumps(options)}).json()