diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 3474d2a..4d18109 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -142,5 +142,6 @@ goes against what Farside is trying to solve. Use at your own discretion.
 | -- | -- |
 | FARSIDE_TEST | If enabled, bypasses the instance availability check and adds all instances to the pool. |
 | FARSIDE_PORT | The port to run Farside on (default: `4001`) |
+| FARSIDE_TIMEOUT | The default timeout to wait for the url (default: `8000`) |
 | FARSIDE_SERVICES_JSON | The "services" JSON file to use for selecting instances (default: `services.json`) |
 | FARSIDE_SERVICES_JSON_DATA | The "services" JSON file to use for selecting instances base64 encoded |
diff --git a/config/config.exs b/config/config.exs
index 4a7043f..2cb4b05 100644
--- a/config/config.exs
+++ b/config/config.exs
@@ -14,4 +14,5 @@ config :farside,
   queries: [
     "weather",
     "time"
-  ]
\ No newline at end of file
+  ],
+  recv_timeout: System.get_env("FARSIDE_TIMEOUT") || "8000"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/config/runtime.exs b/config/runtime.exs
index 632a3cc..afb3b40 100644
--- a/config/runtime.exs
+++ b/config/runtime.exs
@@ -3,4 +3,4 @@ import Config
 config :farside,
   port: System.get_env("FARSIDE_PORT", nil),
   services_json: System.get_env("FARSIDE_SERVICES_JSON", "services.json"),
-  services_json_data: System.get_env("FARSIDE_SERVICES_JSON_DATA") || ""
+  services_json_data: System.get_env("FARSIDE_SERVICES_JSON_DATA") || ""
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/farside/http.ex b/lib/farside/http.ex
index 0bf4764..e4863e6 100644
--- a/lib/farside/http.ex
+++ b/lib/farside/http.ex
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ defmodule Farside.Http do
 
   @headers Application.fetch_env!(:farside, :headers)
   @queries Application.fetch_env!(:farside, :queries)
+  @recv_timeout String.to_integer(Application.fetch_env!(:farside, :recv_timeout))
 
   def request(url) do
     cond do
@@ -31,7 +32,7 @@ defmodule Farside.Http do
         :good
 
       true ->
-        HTTPoison.get(url, @headers)
+        HTTPoison.get(url, @headers, timeout: 5000, recv_timeout: @recv_timeout)
         |> then(&elem(&1, 1))
         |> Map.get(:status_code)
         |> case do
@@ -61,7 +62,7 @@ defmodule Farside.Http do
           {test_url, reply, instance}
         end)
       end)
-      |> Task.yield_many(5000)
+      |> Task.yield_many(@recv_timeout)
       |> Enum.map(fn {task, res} ->
         # Shut down the tasks that did not reply nor exit
         res || Task.shutdown(task, :brutal_kill)