diff --git a/services/document-updater/app/coffee/DocumentManager.coffee b/services/document-updater/app/coffee/DocumentManager.coffee
index 489b79bd56..054baca47e 100644
--- a/services/document-updater/app/coffee/DocumentManager.coffee
+++ b/services/document-updater/app/coffee/DocumentManager.coffee
@@ -28,13 +28,6 @@ module.exports = DocumentManager =
 			else
 				callback null, lines, version, ranges, true
 
-	ensureDocIsLoaded: (project_id, doc_id, callback = (error) ->) ->
-		RedisManager.checkDocInMemory project_id, doc_id, (error) ->
-			if error?
-				DocumentManager.getDoc project_id, doc_id, callback
-			else
-				callback()
-
 	getDocAndRecentOps: (project_id, doc_id, fromVersion, _callback = (error, lines, version, recentOps, ranges) ->) ->
 		timer = new Metrics.Timer("docManager.getDocAndRecentOps")
 		callback = (args...) ->
diff --git a/services/document-updater/app/coffee/RedisManager.coffee b/services/document-updater/app/coffee/RedisManager.coffee
index 857e19c88c..4aad7ec109 100644
--- a/services/document-updater/app/coffee/RedisManager.coffee
+++ b/services/document-updater/app/coffee/RedisManager.coffee
@@ -30,12 +30,6 @@ historyKeys = Settings.redis.history.key_schema
 module.exports = RedisManager =
 	rclient: rclient
 
-	checkDocInMemory: (project_id, doc_id, callback) ->
-		rclient.exists keys.docLines(doc_id:doc_id), (error, result) ->
-			return callback(error) if error?
-			return callback new Error("doc not in memory") if result isnt 1
-			callback()
-
 	putDocInMemory : (project_id, doc_id, docLines, version, ranges, _callback)->
 		timer = new metrics.Timer("redis.put-doc")
 		callback = (error) ->
diff --git a/services/document-updater/app/coffee/UpdateManager.coffee b/services/document-updater/app/coffee/UpdateManager.coffee
index 257bc71601..269b16ee67 100644
--- a/services/document-updater/app/coffee/UpdateManager.coffee
+++ b/services/document-updater/app/coffee/UpdateManager.coffee
@@ -14,14 +14,10 @@ RangesManager = require "./RangesManager"
 module.exports = UpdateManager =
 	processOutstandingUpdates: (project_id, doc_id, callback = (error) ->) ->
 		timer = new Metrics.Timer("updateManager.processOutstandingUpdates")
-		DocumentManager.ensureDocIsLoaded project_id, doc_id, (error) ->
-			# an error at this point is safe, because we haven't consumed any ops yet
+		UpdateManager.fetchAndApplyUpdates project_id, doc_id, (error) ->
+			timer.done()
 			return callback(error) if error?
-			UpdateManager.fetchAndApplyUpdates project_id, doc_id, (error) ->
-				timer.done()
-				# now we have taken ops off the queue so errors here will cause data loss
-				return callback(error) if error?
-				callback()
+			callback()
 
 	processOutstandingUpdatesWithLock: (project_id, doc_id, callback = (error) ->) ->
 		LockManager.tryLock doc_id, (error, gotLock, lockValue) =>
diff --git a/services/document-updater/test/unit/coffee/DocumentManager/DocumentManagerTests.coffee b/services/document-updater/test/unit/coffee/DocumentManager/DocumentManagerTests.coffee
index d5607220f0..b2eaa321d6 100644
--- a/services/document-updater/test/unit/coffee/DocumentManager/DocumentManagerTests.coffee
+++ b/services/document-updater/test/unit/coffee/DocumentManager/DocumentManagerTests.coffee
@@ -188,48 +188,7 @@ describe "DocumentManager", ->
 
 			it "should time the execution", ->
 				@Metrics.Timer::done.called.should.equal true
-
-
-	describe "ensureDocIsLoaded", ->
-		describe "when the doc exists in Redis", ->
-			beforeEach ->
-				@RedisManager.checkDocInMemory = sinon.stub().callsArgWith(2)
-				@DocumentManager.ensureDocIsLoaded @project_id, @doc_id, @callback
-
-			it "should check the doc in Redis", ->
-				@RedisManager.checkDocInMemory
-					.calledWith(@project_id, @doc_id)
-					.should.equal true
-
-			it "should call the callback", ->
-				@callback.called.should.equal true
-
-		describe "when the doc does not exist in Redis", ->
-			beforeEach ->
-				@RedisManager.getDoc = sinon.stub().callsArgWith(2, null, null, null, null, null)
-				@PersistenceManager.getDoc = sinon.stub().callsArgWith(2, null, @lines, @version, @ranges)
-				@RedisManager.putDocInMemory = sinon.stub().yields()
-				@RedisManager.checkDocInMemory = sinon.stub().callsArgWith(2, new Error("doc is not loaded"))
-				@DocumentManager.ensureDocIsLoaded @project_id, @doc_id, @callback
-
-			it "should try to get the doc from Redis", ->
-				@RedisManager.getDoc
-					.calledWith(@project_id, @doc_id)
-					.should.equal true
-
-			it "should get the doc from the PersistenceManager", ->
-				@PersistenceManager.getDoc
-					.calledWith(@project_id, @doc_id)
-					.should.equal true
-
-			it "should set the doc in Redis", ->
-				@RedisManager.putDocInMemory
-					.calledWith(@project_id, @doc_id, @lines, @version, @ranges)
-					.should.equal true
-
-			it "should call the callback", ->
-				@callback.calledWith(null).should.equal true
-
+	
 	describe "setDoc", ->
 		describe "with plain tex lines", ->
 			beforeEach ->
@@ -414,4 +373,4 @@ describe "DocumentManager", ->
 			
 			it "should call the callback with a not found error", ->
 				error = new Errors.NotFoundError("document not found: #{@doc_id}")
-				@callback.calledWith(error).should.equal true
+				@callback.calledWith(error).should.equal true
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/services/document-updater/test/unit/coffee/UpdateManager/UpdateManagerTests.coffee b/services/document-updater/test/unit/coffee/UpdateManager/UpdateManagerTests.coffee
index f458f5d0b4..2de6e93e44 100644
--- a/services/document-updater/test/unit/coffee/UpdateManager/UpdateManagerTests.coffee
+++ b/services/document-updater/test/unit/coffee/UpdateManager/UpdateManagerTests.coffee
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ describe "UpdateManager", ->
 
 	describe "processOutstandingUpdates", ->
 		beforeEach ->
-			@DocumentManager.ensureDocIsLoaded = sinon.stub().callsArg(2)
 			@UpdateManager.fetchAndApplyUpdates = sinon.stub().callsArg(2)
 			@UpdateManager.processOutstandingUpdates @project_id, @doc_id, @callback
 
@@ -43,7 +42,6 @@ describe "UpdateManager", ->
 			beforeEach ->
 				@LockManager.tryLock = sinon.stub().callsArgWith(1, null, true, @lockValue = "mock-lock-value")
 				@LockManager.releaseLock = sinon.stub().callsArg(2)
-				@RedisManager.checkDocInMemory = sinon.stub().callsArg(2)
 				@UpdateManager.continueProcessingUpdatesWithLock = sinon.stub().callsArg(2)
 				@UpdateManager.processOutstandingUpdates = sinon.stub().callsArg(2)
 
@@ -92,8 +90,7 @@ describe "UpdateManager", ->
 
 			it "should not process the updates", ->
 				@UpdateManager.processOutstandingUpdates.called.should.equal false
-
-
+				
 	describe "continueProcessingUpdatesWithLock", ->
 		describe "when there are outstanding updates", ->
 			beforeEach ->