diff --git a/backend/mempool-config.sample.json b/backend/mempool-config.sample.json
index b29e8cb7a..2f27dab6a 100644
--- a/backend/mempool-config.sample.json
+++ b/backend/mempool-config.sample.json
@@ -59,7 +59,8 @@
     "RETRY_UNIX_SOCKET_AFTER": 30000,
     "REQUEST_TIMEOUT": 10000,
     "FALLBACK_TIMEOUT": 5000,
-    "FALLBACK": []
+    "FALLBACK": [],
+    "MAX_BEHIND_TIP": 2,
   },
   "SECOND_CORE_RPC": {
     "HOST": "127.0.0.1",
diff --git a/backend/src/__fixtures__/mempool-config.template.json b/backend/src/__fixtures__/mempool-config.template.json
index f81e889ca..37e21d4d0 100644
--- a/backend/src/__fixtures__/mempool-config.template.json
+++ b/backend/src/__fixtures__/mempool-config.template.json
@@ -60,7 +60,8 @@
     "RETRY_UNIX_SOCKET_AFTER": 888,
     "REQUEST_TIMEOUT": 10000,
     "FALLBACK_TIMEOUT": 5000,
-    "FALLBACK": []
+    "FALLBACK": [],
+    "MAX_BEHIND_TIP": 2
   },
   "SECOND_CORE_RPC": {
     "HOST": "__SECOND_CORE_RPC_HOST__",
diff --git a/backend/src/__tests__/config.test.ts b/backend/src/__tests__/config.test.ts
index 18f72f88c..7d04338f4 100644
--- a/backend/src/__tests__/config.test.ts
+++ b/backend/src/__tests__/config.test.ts
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ describe('Mempool Backend Config', () => {
         REQUEST_TIMEOUT: 10000,
         FALLBACK_TIMEOUT: 5000,
         FALLBACK: [],
+        MAX_BEHIND_TIP: 2,
        });
 
       expect(config.CORE_RPC).toStrictEqual({
diff --git a/backend/src/api/bitcoin/esplora-api.ts b/backend/src/api/bitcoin/esplora-api.ts
index 90e50d4c2..c8d96a277 100644
--- a/backend/src/api/bitcoin/esplora-api.ts
+++ b/backend/src/api/bitcoin/esplora-api.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ interface FailoverHost {
 class FailoverRouter {
   activeHost: FailoverHost;
   fallbackHost: FailoverHost;
+  maxSlippage: number = config.ESPLORA.MAX_BEHIND_TIP ?? 2;
   maxHeight: number = 0;
   hosts: FailoverHost[];
   multihost: boolean;
@@ -93,13 +94,13 @@ class FailoverRouter {
         );
         if (result) {
           const height = result.data;
-          this.maxHeight = Math.max(height, this.maxHeight);
+          this.maxHeight = Math.max(height || 0, ...this.hosts.map(host => (!(host.unreachable || host.timedOut || host.outOfSync) ? host.latestHeight || 0 : 0)));
           const rtt = result.config['meta'].rtt;
           host.rtts.unshift(rtt);
           host.rtts.slice(0, 5);
           host.rtt = host.rtts.reduce((acc, l) => acc + l, 0) / host.rtts.length;
           host.latestHeight = height;
-          if (height == null || isNaN(height) || (this.maxHeight - height > 2)) {
+          if (height == null || isNaN(height) || (this.maxHeight - height > this.maxSlippage)) {
             host.outOfSync = true;
           } else {
             host.outOfSync = false;
diff --git a/backend/src/config.ts b/backend/src/config.ts
index 2c479c098..33a43fd91 100644
--- a/backend/src/config.ts
+++ b/backend/src/config.ts
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ interface IConfig {
     REQUEST_TIMEOUT: number;
     FALLBACK_TIMEOUT: number;
     FALLBACK: string[];
+    MAX_BEHIND_TIP: number;
   };
   LIGHTNING: {
     ENABLED: boolean;
@@ -208,6 +209,7 @@ const defaults: IConfig = {
     'REQUEST_TIMEOUT': 10000,
     'FALLBACK_TIMEOUT': 5000,
     'FALLBACK': [],
+    'MAX_BEHIND_TIP': 2,
   },
   'ELECTRUM': {
     'HOST': '127.0.0.1',
diff --git a/docker/backend/mempool-config.json b/docker/backend/mempool-config.json
index 24ecf60c7..8116e4d3b 100644
--- a/docker/backend/mempool-config.json
+++ b/docker/backend/mempool-config.json
@@ -60,7 +60,8 @@
     "RETRY_UNIX_SOCKET_AFTER": __ESPLORA_RETRY_UNIX_SOCKET_AFTER__,
     "REQUEST_TIMEOUT": __ESPLORA_REQUEST_TIMEOUT__,
     "FALLBACK_TIMEOUT": __ESPLORA_FALLBACK_TIMEOUT__,
-    "FALLBACK": __ESPLORA_FALLBACK__
+    "FALLBACK": __ESPLORA_FALLBACK__,
+    "MAX_BEHIND_TIP": __ESPLORA_MAX_BEHIND_TIP__
   },
   "SECOND_CORE_RPC": {
     "HOST": "__SECOND_CORE_RPC_HOST__",
diff --git a/docker/backend/start.sh b/docker/backend/start.sh
index 4108e0534..0ace54672 100755
--- a/docker/backend/start.sh
+++ b/docker/backend/start.sh
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ __ESPLORA_RETRY_UNIX_SOCKET_AFTER__=${ESPLORA_RETRY_UNIX_SOCKET_AFTER:=30000}
 __ESPLORA_REQUEST_TIMEOUT__=${ESPLORA_REQUEST_TIMEOUT:=5000}
 __ESPLORA_FALLBACK_TIMEOUT__=${ESPLORA_FALLBACK_TIMEOUT:=5000}
 __ESPLORA_FALLBACK__=${ESPLORA_FALLBACK:=[]}
+__ESPLORA_MAX_BEHIND_TIP__=${ESPLORA_MAX_BEHIND_TIP:=[]}
 
 # SECOND_CORE_RPC
 __SECOND_CORE_RPC_HOST__=${SECOND_CORE_RPC_HOST:=127.0.0.1}
@@ -214,6 +215,7 @@ sed -i "s!__ESPLORA_RETRY_UNIX_SOCKET_AFTER__!${__ESPLORA_RETRY_UNIX_SOCKET_AFTE
 sed -i "s!__ESPLORA_REQUEST_TIMEOUT__!${__ESPLORA_REQUEST_TIMEOUT__}!g" mempool-config.json
 sed -i "s!__ESPLORA_FALLBACK_TIMEOUT__!${__ESPLORA_FALLBACK_TIMEOUT__}!g" mempool-config.json
 sed -i "s!__ESPLORA_FALLBACK__!${__ESPLORA_FALLBACK__}!g" mempool-config.json
+sed -i "s!__ESPLORA_MAX_BEHIND_TIP__!${__ESPLORA_MAX_BEHIND_TIP__}!g" mempool-config.json
 
 sed -i "s!__SECOND_CORE_RPC_HOST__!${__SECOND_CORE_RPC_HOST__}!g" mempool-config.json
 sed -i "s!__SECOND_CORE_RPC_PORT__!${__SECOND_CORE_RPC_PORT__}!g" mempool-config.json