diff --git a/test/common.js b/test/common.js
index c1012e7a097688..5f18fec74a6945 100644
--- a/test/common.js
+++ b/test/common.js
@@ -255,6 +255,9 @@ exports.spawnPwd = function(options) {
 };
 
 exports.platformTimeout = function(ms) {
+  if (process.config.target_defaults.default_configuration === 'Debug')
+    ms = 2 * ms;
+
   if (process.arch !== 'arm')
     return ms;
 
diff --git a/test/sequential/test-net-GH-5504.js b/test/sequential/test-net-GH-5504.js
index 9526993dfd12c2..179b3ae3c2e241 100644
--- a/test/sequential/test-net-GH-5504.js
+++ b/test/sequential/test-net-GH-5504.js
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 'use strict';
 var common = require('../common');
-var assert = require('assert');
 
 // this test only fails with CentOS 6.3 using kernel version 2.6.32
 // On other linuxes and darwin, the `read` call gets an ECONNRESET in