diff --git a/client.go b/client.go
index 7e16004..d2040d1 100644
--- a/client.go
+++ b/client.go
@@ -15,6 +15,11 @@ func main() {
 	c.AddHandler("connected",
 		func(conn *irc.Conn, line *irc.Line) { conn.Join("#go-nuts") })
 
+	// Set up a handler to notify of disconnect events.
+	quit := make(chan bool)
+	c.AddHandler("disconnected",
+		func(conn *irc.Conn, line *irc.Line) { quit <- true })
+
 	// connect to server
 	if err := c.Connect("irc.freenode.net"); err != nil {
 		fmt.Printf("Connection error: %s\n", err)
@@ -74,18 +79,18 @@ func main() {
 		}
 	}()
 
-	// stall here waiting for asplode on error channel
-	for {
-		for err := range c.Err {
+	for !reallyquit {
+		select {
+		case err := <-c.Err:
 			fmt.Printf("goirc error: %s\n", err)
-		}
-		if reallyquit {
-			break
-		}
-		fmt.Println("Reconnecting...")
-		if err := c.Connect("irc.freenode.net"); err != nil {
-			fmt.Printf("Connection error: %s\n", err)
-			break
+		case <-quit:
+			if !reallyquit {
+				fmt.Println("Reconnecting...")
+				if err := c.Connect("irc.freenode.net"); err != nil {
+					fmt.Printf("Connection error: %s\n", err)
+					reallyquit = true
+				}
+			}
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/client/connection.go b/client/connection.go
index 2e27798..81af227 100644
--- a/client/connection.go
+++ b/client/connection.go
@@ -10,6 +10,10 @@ import (
 	"time"
 )
 
+const (
+	second = int64(1e9)
+)
+
 // An IRC connection is represented by this struct. Once connected, any errors
 // encountered are piped down *Conn.Err; this channel is closed on disconnect.
 type Conn struct {
@@ -32,6 +36,9 @@ type Conn struct {
 	out       chan string
 	connected bool
 
+	// Control channels to goroutines
+	cSend, cLoop chan bool
+
 	// Error channel to transmit any fail back to the user
 	Err chan os.Error
 
@@ -46,6 +53,9 @@ type Conn struct {
 	// Set this to true to disable flood protection and false to re-enable
 	Flood bool
 
+	// Internal counters for flood protection
+	badness, lastsent int64
+
 	// Function which returns a *time.Time for use as a timestamp
 	Timestamp func() *time.Time
 
@@ -73,9 +83,14 @@ func New(nick, user, name string) *Conn {
 		in: make(chan *Line, 32),
 		out: make(chan string, 32),
 		Err: make(chan os.Error, 4),
+		cSend: make(chan bool),
+		cLoop: make(chan bool),
 		SSL: false,
 		SSLConfig: nil,
 		Timeout: 300,
+		Flood: false,
+		badness: 0,
+		lastsent: 0,
 		Timestamp: time.LocalTime,
 		TSFormat: "15:04:05",
 	}
@@ -159,38 +174,15 @@ func hasPort(s string) bool {
 	return strings.LastIndex(s, ":") > strings.LastIndex(s, "]")
 }
 
-// dispatch input from channel as \r\n terminated line to peer
-// flood controlled using hybrid's algorithm if conn.Flood is true
+// goroutine to pass data from output channel to write()
 func (conn *Conn) send() {
-	lastsent := time.Nanoseconds()
-	var badness, linetime, second int64 = 0, 0, 1000000000
-	for line := range conn.out {
-		// Hybrid's algorithm allows for 2 seconds per line and an additional
-		// 1/120 of a second per character on that line.
-		linetime = 2*second + int64(len(line))*second/120
-		if !conn.Flood && conn.connected {
-			// No point in tallying up flood protection stuff until connected
-			if badness += linetime + lastsent - time.Nanoseconds(); badness < 0 {
-				// negative badness times are badness...
-				badness = int64(0)
-			}
-		}
-		lastsent = time.Nanoseconds()
-
-		// If we've sent more than 10 second's worth of lines according to the
-		// calculation above, then we're at risk of "Excess Flood".
-		if badness > 10*second && !conn.Flood {
-			// so sleep for the current line's time value before sending it
-			time.Sleep(linetime)
-		}
-		if _, err := conn.io.WriteString(line + "\r\n"); err != nil {
-			conn.error("irc.send(): %s", err.String())
-			conn.shutdown()
-			break
-		}
-		conn.io.Flush()
-		if conn.Debug {
-			fmt.Println(conn.Timestamp().Format(conn.TSFormat) + " -> " + line)
+	for {
+		select {
+		case line := <-conn.out:
+			conn.write(line)
+		case <-conn.cSend:
+			// strobe on control channel, bail out
+			return
 		}
 	}
 }
@@ -248,15 +240,62 @@ func (conn *Conn) recv() {
 	}
 }
 
+// goroutine to dispatch events for lines received on input channel
 func (conn *Conn) runLoop() {
-	for line := range conn.in {
-		conn.dispatchEvent(line)
+	for {
+		select {
+		case line := <-conn.in:
+			conn.dispatchEvent(line)
+		case <-conn.cLoop:
+			// strobe on control channel, bail out
+			return
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// Write a \r\n terminated line of output to the connected server,
+// using Hybrid's algorithm to rate limit if conn.Flood is false.
+func (conn *Conn) write(line string) {
+	if !conn.Flood {
+		conn.rateLimit(int64(len(line)))
+	}
+
+	if _, err := conn.io.WriteString(line + "\r\n"); err != nil {
+		conn.error("irc.send(): %s", err.String())
+		conn.shutdown()
+		return
+	}
+	conn.io.Flush()
+	if conn.Debug {
+		fmt.Println(conn.Timestamp().Format(conn.TSFormat) + " -> " + line)
+	}
+}
+
+// Implement Hybrid's flood control algorithm to rate-limit outgoing lines.
+func (conn *Conn) rateLimit(chars int64) {
+	// Hybrid's algorithm allows for 2 seconds per line and an additional
+	// 1/120 of a second per character on that line.
+	linetime := 2*second + chars*second/120
+	elapsed := time.Nanoseconds() - conn.lastsent
+	if conn.badness += linetime - elapsed; conn.badness < 0 {
+		// negative badness times are badness...
+		conn.badness = int64(0)
+	}
+	conn.lastsent = time.Nanoseconds()
+	// If we've sent more than 10 second's worth of lines according to the
+	// calculation above, then we're at risk of "Excess Flood".
+	if conn.badness > 10*second && !conn.Flood {
+		// so sleep for the current line's time value before sending it
+		time.Sleep(linetime)
 	}
 }
 
 func (conn *Conn) shutdown() {
 	conn.connected = false
 	conn.sock.Close()
+	conn.cSend <- true
+	conn.cLoop <- true
+	conn.dispatchEvent(&Line{Cmd: "DISCONNECTED"})
 	// reinit datastructures ready for next connection
 	// do this here rather than after runLoop()'s for due to race
 	conn.initialise()