diff --git a/outbound/client_pool.js b/outbound/client_pool.js
index 3322d692e..d9514c7a0 100644
--- a/outbound/client_pool.js
+++ b/outbound/client_pool.js
@@ -9,39 +9,38 @@ const obc          = require('./config');
 
 exports.name = 'outbound'
 
-function _create_socket (name, port, host, localAddress, is_unix_socket, callback) {
+// Get a socket for the given attributes.
+exports.get_client = function (port = 25, host = 'localhost', localAddress, is_unix_socket, callback) {
 
+    const name = `outbound::${port}:${host}:${localAddress}`
     const socketArgs = is_unix_socket ? {path: host} : {port, host, localAddress};
-    const socket = socket.connect(socketArgs);
+    const socket = sock.connect(socketArgs);
+
     socket.name = name;
     socket.__uuid = utils.uuid();
     socket.setTimeout(obc.cfg.connect_timeout * 1000);
+
     logger.debug(exports, `created. host: ${host} port: ${port}`, { uuid: socket.__uuid });
+
     socket.once('connect', () => {
         socket.removeAllListeners('error'); // these get added after callback
         socket.removeAllListeners('timeout');
         callback(null, socket);
-    });
+    })
+
     socket.once('error', err => {
         socket.end();
         socket.removeAllListeners();
         socket.destroy();
         callback(err.message, null);
-    });
+    })
+
     socket.once('timeout', () => {
         socket.end();
         socket.removeAllListeners();
         socket.destroy();
         callback(`connection timed out to ${host}:${port}`, null);
-    });
-}
-
-// Get a socket for the given attributes.
-exports.get_client = function (port = 25, host = 'localhost', local_addr, is_unix_socket, callback) {
-    _create_socket(
-        `outbound::${port}:${host}:${local_addr}`,
-        ...arguments
-    )
+    })
 }
 
 exports.release_client = (socket, port, host, local_addr, error) => {