diff --git a/lib/net.js b/lib/net.js
index 28f8660b85..f25012364d 100644
--- a/lib/net.js
+++ b/lib/net.js
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ var binding = process.binding('net');
 var FreeList = require('freelist').FreeList;
 
 var IOWatcher   = process.binding('io_watcher').IOWatcher;
-var Timer       = process.binding('timer').Timer;
 var constants   = process.binding('constants');
 var assert      = process.assert;
 
@@ -53,163 +52,6 @@ var EMFILE      = constants.EMFILE;
 var END_OF_FILE = 42;
 var SecureContext, SecureStream; // lazy loaded
 
-// IDLE TIMEOUTS
-//
-// Because often many sockets will have the same idle timeout we will not
-// use one timeout watcher per socket. It is too much overhead.  Instead
-// we'll use a single watcher for all sockets with the same timeout value
-// and a linked list. This technique is described in the libev manual:
-// http://pod.tst.eu/http://cvs.schmorp.de/libev/ev.pod#Be_smart_about_timeouts
-
-
-var timeout = new (function () {
-  // Object containing all lists, timers
-  // key = time in milliseconds
-  // value = list
-  var lists = {};
-
-  // show the most idle socket
-  function peek (list) {
-    if (list._idlePrev == list) return null;
-    return list._idlePrev;
-  }
-
-
-  // remove the most idle socket from the list
-  function shift (list) {
-    var first = list._idlePrev;
-    remove(first);
-    return first;
-  }
-
-
-  // remove a socket from its list
-  function remove (socket) {
-    socket._idleNext._idlePrev = socket._idlePrev;
-    socket._idlePrev._idleNext = socket._idleNext;
-  }
-
-
-  // remove a socket from its list and place at the end.
-  function append (list, socket) {
-    remove(socket);
-    socket._idleNext = list._idleNext;
-    socket._idleNext._idlePrev = socket;
-    socket._idlePrev = list;
-    list._idleNext = socket;
-  }
-
-
-  function normalize (msecs) {
-    if (!msecs || msecs <= 0) return 0;
-    // round up to one sec
-    if (msecs < 1000) return 1000;
-    // round down to nearest second.
-    return msecs - (msecs % 1000);
-  }
-
-  // the main function - creates lists on demand and the watchers associated
-  // with them.
-  function insert (socket, msecs) {
-    socket._idleStart = new Date();
-    socket._idleTimeout = msecs;
-
-    if (!msecs) return;
-
-    var list;
-
-    if (lists[msecs]) {
-      list = lists[msecs];
-    } else {
-      list = new Timer();
-      list._idleNext = list;
-      list._idlePrev = list;
-
-      lists[msecs] = list;
-
-      list.callback = function () {
-        debug('timeout callback ' + msecs);
-        // TODO - don't stop and start the watcher all the time.
-        // just set its repeat
-        var now = new Date();
-        debug("now: " + now);
-        var first;
-        while (first = peek(list)) {
-          var diff = now - first._idleStart;
-          if (diff < msecs) {
-            list.again(msecs - diff);
-            debug(msecs + ' list wait because diff is '  + diff);
-            return;
-          } else {
-            remove(first);
-            assert(first != peek(list));
-            first.emit('timeout');
-          }
-        }
-        debug(msecs + ' list empty');
-        assert(list._idleNext == list); // list is empty
-        list.stop();
-      };
-    }
-
-    if (list._idleNext == list) {
-      // if empty (re)start the timer
-      list.again(msecs);
-    }
-
-    append(list, socket);
-    assert(list._idleNext != list); // list is not empty
-  }
-
-
-  var unenroll = this.unenroll = function (socket) {
-    if (socket._idleNext) {
-      socket._idleNext._idlePrev = socket._idlePrev;
-      socket._idlePrev._idleNext = socket._idleNext;
-
-      var list = lists[socket._idleTimeout];
-      // if empty then stop the watcher
-      //debug('unenroll');
-      if (list && list._idlePrev == list) {
-        //debug('unenroll: list empty');
-        list.stop();
-      }
-    }
-  };
-
-
-  // Does not start the time, just sets up the members needed.
-  this.enroll = function (socket, msecs) {
-    // if this socket was already in a list somewhere
-    // then we should unenroll it from that
-    if (socket._idleNext) unenroll(socket);
-
-    socket._idleTimeout = msecs;
-    socket._idleNext = socket;
-    socket._idlePrev = socket;
-  };
-
-  // call this whenever the socket is active (not idle)
-  // it will reset its timeout.
-  this.active = function (socket) {
-    var msecs = socket._idleTimeout;
-    if (msecs) {
-      var list = lists[msecs];
-      if (socket._idleNext == socket) {
-        insert(socket, msecs);
-      } else {
-        // inline append
-        socket._idleStart = new Date();
-        socket._idleNext._idlePrev = socket._idlePrev;
-        socket._idlePrev._idleNext = socket._idleNext;
-        socket._idleNext = list._idleNext;
-        socket._idleNext._idlePrev = socket;
-        socket._idlePrev = list;
-        list._idleNext = socket;
-      }
-    }
-  };
-})();
 
 var ioWatchers = new FreeList("iowatcher", 100, function () {
   return new IOWatcher();
@@ -480,7 +322,7 @@ function initStream (self) {
       if (self.onend) self.onend();
     } else if (bytesRead > 0) {
 
-      timeout.active(self);
+      require('timers').active(self);
 
       var start = pool.used;
       var end = pool.used + bytesRead;
@@ -551,6 +393,11 @@ util.inherits(Stream, stream.Stream);
 exports.Stream = Stream;
 
 
+Stream.prototype._onTimeout = function () {
+  this.emit('timeout');
+};
+
+
 Stream.prototype.setSecure = function (credentials) {
   // Do we have openssl crypto?
   try {
@@ -774,7 +621,7 @@ Stream.prototype._writeOut = function (data, encoding, fd) {
 
   debug('wrote ' + bytesWritten + ' to socket. [fd, off, len] = ' + JSON.stringify([this.fd, off, len]) + "\n");
 
-  timeout.active(this);
+  require('timers').active(this);
 
   if (bytesWritten == len) {
     // awesome. sent to buffer.
@@ -909,7 +756,7 @@ Stream.prototype.connect = function () {
   if (self.fd) throw new Error('Stream already opened');
   if (!self._readWatcher) throw new Error('No readWatcher');
 
-  timeout.active(socket);
+  require('timers').active(socket);
 
   self._connecting = true; // set false in doConnect
   self.writable = true;
@@ -957,10 +804,10 @@ Stream.prototype.setKeepAlive = function (enable, time) {
 
 Stream.prototype.setTimeout = function (msecs) {
   if (msecs > 0) {
-    timeout.enroll(this, msecs);
-    if (this.fd) { timeout.active(this); }
+    require('timers').enroll(this, msecs);
+    if (this.fd) { require('timers').active(this); }
   } else if (msecs === 0) {
-    timeout.unenroll(this);
+    require('timers').unenroll(this);
   }
 };
 
@@ -999,7 +846,7 @@ Stream.prototype.destroy = function (exception) {
     this._readWatcher = null;
   }
 
-  timeout.unenroll(this);
+  require('timers').unenroll(this);
 
   if (this.secure) {
     this.secureStream.close();
diff --git a/lib/timers.js b/lib/timers.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..21e3df85d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/timers.js
@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+var Timer = process.binding('timer').Timer;
+var assert = process.assert;
+
+/* 
+ * To enable debug statements for the timers do NODE_DEBUG=8 ./node script.js
+ */
+var debugLevel = parseInt(process.env.NODE_DEBUG, 16);
+function debug () {
+  if (debugLevel & 0x8) {
+    require('util').error.apply(this, arguments);
+  }
+}
+
+// IDLE TIMEOUTS
+//
+// Because often many sockets will have the same idle timeout we will not
+// use one timeout watcher per socket. It is too much overhead.  Instead
+// we'll use a single watcher for all sockets with the same timeout value
+// and a linked list. This technique is described in the libev manual:
+// http://pod.tst.eu/http://cvs.schmorp.de/libev/ev.pod#Be_smart_about_timeouts
+
+// Object containing all lists, timers
+// key = time in milliseconds
+// value = list
+var lists = {};
+
+// show the most idle socket
+function peek (list) {
+  if (list._idlePrev == list) return null;
+  return list._idlePrev;
+}
+
+
+// remove the most idle socket from the list
+function shift (list) {
+  var first = list._idlePrev;
+  remove(first);
+  return first;
+}
+
+
+// remove a socket from its list
+function remove (socket) {
+  socket._idleNext._idlePrev = socket._idlePrev;
+  socket._idlePrev._idleNext = socket._idleNext;
+}
+
+
+// remove a socket from its list and place at the end.
+function append (list, socket) {
+  remove(socket);
+  socket._idleNext = list._idleNext;
+  socket._idleNext._idlePrev = socket;
+  socket._idlePrev = list;
+  list._idleNext = socket;
+}
+
+
+// the main function - creates lists on demand and the watchers associated
+// with them.
+function insert (socket, msecs) {
+  socket._idleStart = new Date();
+  socket._idleTimeout = msecs;
+
+  if (!msecs) return;
+
+  var list;
+
+  if (lists[msecs]) {
+    list = lists[msecs];
+  } else {
+    list = new Timer();
+    list._idleNext = list;
+    list._idlePrev = list;
+
+    lists[msecs] = list;
+
+    list.callback = function () {
+      debug('timeout callback ' + msecs);
+      // TODO - don't stop and start the watcher all the time.
+      // just set its repeat
+      var now = new Date();
+      debug("now: " + now);
+      var first;
+      while (first = peek(list)) {
+        var diff = now - first._idleStart;
+        if (diff < msecs) {
+          list.again(msecs - diff);
+          debug(msecs + ' list wait because diff is '  + diff);
+          return;
+        } else {
+          remove(first);
+          assert(first != peek(list));
+          if (first._onTimeout) first._onTimeout();
+        }
+      }
+      debug(msecs + ' list empty');
+      assert(list._idleNext == list); // list is empty
+      list.stop();
+    };
+  }
+
+  if (list._idleNext == list) {
+    // if empty (re)start the timer
+    list.again(msecs);
+  }
+
+  append(list, socket);
+  assert(list._idleNext != list); // list is not empty
+}
+
+
+var unenroll = exports.unenroll = function (socket) {
+  if (socket._idleNext) {
+    socket._idleNext._idlePrev = socket._idlePrev;
+    socket._idlePrev._idleNext = socket._idleNext;
+
+    var list = lists[socket._idleTimeout];
+    // if empty then stop the watcher
+    //debug('unenroll');
+    if (list && list._idlePrev == list) {
+      //debug('unenroll: list empty');
+      list.stop();
+    }
+  }
+};
+
+
+// Does not start the time, just sets up the members needed.
+exports.enroll = function (socket, msecs) {
+  // if this socket was already in a list somewhere
+  // then we should unenroll it from that
+  if (socket._idleNext) unenroll(socket);
+
+  socket._idleTimeout = msecs;
+  socket._idleNext = socket;
+  socket._idlePrev = socket;
+};
+
+// call this whenever the socket is active (not idle)
+// it will reset its timeout.
+exports.active = function (socket) {
+  var msecs = socket._idleTimeout;
+  if (msecs) {
+    var list = lists[msecs];
+    if (socket._idleNext == socket) {
+      insert(socket, msecs);
+    } else {
+      // inline append
+      socket._idleStart = new Date();
+      socket._idleNext._idlePrev = socket._idlePrev;
+      socket._idlePrev._idleNext = socket._idleNext;
+      socket._idleNext = list._idleNext;
+      socket._idleNext._idlePrev = socket;
+      socket._idlePrev = list;
+      list._idleNext = socket;
+    }
+  }
+};