diff --git a/services/web/app/src/Features/SystemMessages/SystemMessageManager.js b/services/web/app/src/Features/SystemMessages/SystemMessageManager.js
index 7dda788764..68153a94cb 100644
--- a/services/web/app/src/Features/SystemMessages/SystemMessageManager.js
+++ b/services/web/app/src/Features/SystemMessages/SystemMessageManager.js
@@ -17,17 +17,7 @@ module.exports = SystemMessageManager = {
     if (callback == null) {
       callback = function(error, messages) {}
     }
-    if (this._cachedMessages != null) {
-      return callback(null, this._cachedMessages)
-    } else {
-      return this.getMessagesFromDB((error, messages) => {
-        if (error != null) {
-          return callback(error)
-        }
-        this._cachedMessages = messages
-        return callback(null, messages)
-      })
-    }
+    callback(null, this._cachedMessages)
   },
 
   getMessagesFromDB(callback) {
@@ -52,10 +42,15 @@ module.exports = SystemMessageManager = {
     return message.save(callback)
   },
 
-  clearCache() {
-    return delete this._cachedMessages
+  refreshCache() {
+    this.getMessagesFromDB((error, messages) => {
+      if (!error) {
+        this._cachedMessages = messages
+      }
+    })
   }
 }
 
-const CACHE_TIMEOUT = 20 * 1000 // 20 seconds
-setInterval(() => SystemMessageManager.clearCache(), CACHE_TIMEOUT)
+const CACHE_TIMEOUT = 10 * 1000 * (Math.random() + 2) // 20-30 seconds
+SystemMessageManager.refreshCache()
+setInterval(() => SystemMessageManager.refreshCache(), CACHE_TIMEOUT)
diff --git a/services/web/test/unit/src/SystemMessages/SystemMessageManagerTests.js b/services/web/test/unit/src/SystemMessages/SystemMessageManagerTests.js
index 31eb67124e..2155f49df6 100644
--- a/services/web/test/unit/src/SystemMessages/SystemMessageManagerTests.js
+++ b/services/web/test/unit/src/SystemMessages/SystemMessageManagerTests.js
@@ -21,7 +21,10 @@ const modulePath = require('path').join(
 
 describe('SystemMessageManager', function() {
   beforeEach(function() {
-    this.SystemMessage = {}
+    this.messages = ['messages-stub']
+    this.SystemMessage = {
+      find: sinon.stub().yields(null, this.messages)
+    }
     this.SystemMessageManager = SandboxedModule.require(modulePath, {
       globals: {
         console: console
@@ -33,47 +36,18 @@ describe('SystemMessageManager', function() {
     return (this.callback = sinon.stub())
   })
 
+  it('should look the messages up in the database on import', function() {
+    sinon.assert.called(this.SystemMessage.find)
+  })
+
   describe('getMessage', function() {
     beforeEach(function() {
-      this.messages = ['messages-stub']
-      return (this.SystemMessage.find = sinon
-        .stub()
-        .callsArgWith(1, null, this.messages))
+      this.SystemMessageManager._cachedMessages = this.messages
+      return this.SystemMessageManager.getMessages(this.callback)
     })
 
-    describe('when the messages are not cached', function() {
-      beforeEach(function() {
-        return this.SystemMessageManager.getMessages(this.callback)
-      })
-
-      it('should look the messages up in the database', function() {
-        return this.SystemMessage.find.calledWith({}).should.equal(true)
-      })
-
-      it('should return the messages', function() {
-        return this.callback.calledWith(null, this.messages).should.equal(true)
-      })
-
-      it('should cache the messages', function() {
-        return this.SystemMessageManager._cachedMessages.should.equal(
-          this.messages
-        )
-      })
-    })
-
-    describe('when the messages are cached', function() {
-      beforeEach(function() {
-        this.SystemMessageManager._cachedMessages = this.messages
-        return this.SystemMessageManager.getMessages(this.callback)
-      })
-
-      it('should not look the messages up in the database', function() {
-        return this.SystemMessage.find.called.should.equal(false)
-      })
-
-      it('should return the messages', function() {
-        return this.callback.calledWith(null, this.messages).should.equal(true)
-      })
+    it('should return the messages', function() {
+      return this.callback.calledWith(null, this.messages).should.equal(true)
     })
   })