diff --git a/tests/tests/fence-and-reclaim.sh b/tests/tests/fence-and-reclaim.sh
index 7648bb2c..1a4269a0 100644
--- a/tests/tests/fence-and-reclaim.sh
+++ b/tests/tests/fence-and-reclaim.sh
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@
 t_require_commands sleep touch grep sync scoutfs
 t_require_mounts 2
 
+# regularly see ~20/~30s
+VERIFY_TIMEOUT_SECS=90
+
 #
 # Make sure that all mounts can read the results of a write from each
 # mount.
@@ -40,8 +43,10 @@ verify_fenced_run()
 
 	for rid in $rids; do
 		grep -q ".* running rid '$rid'.* args 'ignored run args'" "$T_FENCED_LOG" || \
-			t_fail "fenced didn't execute RUN script for rid $rid"
+			return 1
 	done
+
+	return 0
 }
 
 echo "== make sure all mounts can see each other"
@@ -54,14 +59,7 @@ rid=$(t_mount_rid $cl)
 echo "cl $cl sv $sv rid $rid" >> "$T_TMP.log"
 sync
 t_force_umount $cl
-# wait for client reconnection to timeout
-while grep -q $rid $(t_debugfs_path $sv)/connections; do
-	sleep .5
-done
-while t_rid_is_fencing $rid; do
-	sleep .5
-done
-verify_fenced_run $rid
+t_wait_until_timeout $VERIFY_TIMEOUT_SECS verify_fenced_run $rid
 t_mount $cl
 check_read_write
 
@@ -83,15 +81,7 @@ for cl in $(t_fs_nrs); do
 	t_force_umount $cl
 done
 
-# wait for all client reconnections to timeout
-while egrep -q "($pattern)" $(t_debugfs_path $sv)/connections; do
-	sleep .5
-done
-# wait for all fence requests to complete
-while test -d $(echo /sys/fs/scoutfs/*/fence/* | cut -d " " -f 1); do
-	sleep .5
-done
-verify_fenced_run $rids
+t_wait_until_timeout $VERIFY_TIMEOUT_SECS verify_fenced_run $rids
 # remount all the clients
 for cl in $(t_fs_nrs); do
 	if [ $cl == $sv ]; then
@@ -107,12 +97,7 @@ rid=$(t_mount_rid $sv)
 echo "sv $sv rid $rid" >> "$T_TMP.log"
 sync
 t_force_umount $sv
-t_wait_for_leader
-# wait until new server is done fencing unmounted leader rid
-while t_rid_is_fencing $rid; do
-	sleep .5
-done
-verify_fenced_run $rid
+t_wait_until_timeout $VERIFY_TIMEOUT_SECS verify_fenced_run $rid
 t_mount $sv
 check_read_write
 
@@ -127,11 +112,7 @@ for nr in $(t_fs_nrs); do
 	t_force_umount $nr
 done
 t_mount_all
-# wait for all fence requests to complete
-while test -d $(echo /sys/fs/scoutfs/*/fence/* | cut -d " " -f 1); do
-	sleep .5
-done
-verify_fenced_run $rids
+t_wait_until_timeout $VERIFY_TIMEOUT_SECS verify_fenced_run $rids
 check_read_write
 
 t_pass