diff --git a/protocol/lavasession/consumer_session_manager.go b/protocol/lavasession/consumer_session_manager.go
index 863ecd4c87..e1cb1a9a86 100644
--- a/protocol/lavasession/consumer_session_manager.go
+++ b/protocol/lavasession/consumer_session_manager.go
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ func (csm *ConsumerSessionManager) UpdateAllProviders(epoch uint64, pairingList
 
 	// Reset the pairingPurge.
 	// This happens only after an entire epoch. so its impossible to have session connected to the old purged list
+	csm.closePurgedUnusedPairingsConnections() // this must be before updating csm.pairingPurge as we want to close the connections of older sessions (prev 2 epochs)
 	csm.pairingPurge = csm.pairing
 	csm.pairing = make(map[string]*ConsumerSessionsWithProvider, pairingListLength)
 	for idx, provider := range pairingList {
@@ -81,6 +82,17 @@ func (csm *ConsumerSessionManager) UpdateAllProviders(epoch uint64, pairingList
 	return nil
 }
 
+// After 2 epochs we need to close all open connections.
+// otherwise golang garbage collector is not closing network connections and they
+// will remain open forever.
+func (csm *ConsumerSessionManager) closePurgedUnusedPairingsConnections() {
+	for _, purgedPairing := range csm.pairingPurge {
+		for _, endpoint := range purgedPairing.Endpoints {
+			endpoint.connection.Close()
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func (csm *ConsumerSessionManager) validAddressesLen() int {
 	csm.lock.RLock()
 	defer csm.lock.RUnlock()
diff --git a/protocol/lavasession/consumer_session_manager_test.go b/protocol/lavasession/consumer_session_manager_test.go
index db211a5617..75ffbcbdb2 100644
--- a/protocol/lavasession/consumer_session_manager_test.go
+++ b/protocol/lavasession/consumer_session_manager_test.go
@@ -12,8 +12,11 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/lavanet/lava/protocol/provideroptimizer"
 	"github.com/lavanet/lava/utils"
+	pairingtypes "github.com/lavanet/lava/x/pairing/types"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/credentials/insecure"
+	"google.golang.org/protobuf/types/known/wrapperspb"
 )
 
 const (
@@ -516,3 +519,19 @@ func TestContext(t *testing.T) {
 	require.Equal(t, ctxTO.Err(), context.DeadlineExceeded)
 	cancel()
 }
+
+func TestGrpcClientHang(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	s := createGRPCServer(t) // create a grpcServer so we can connect to its endpoint and validate everything works.
+	defer s.Stop()           // stop the server when finished.
+	conn, err := grpc.DialContext(ctx, grpcListener, grpc.WithTransportCredentials(insecure.NewCredentials()), grpc.WithBlock())
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	client := pairingtypes.NewRelayerClient(conn)
+	err = conn.Close()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	err = conn.Close()
+	require.Error(t, err)
+	_, err = client.Probe(ctx, &wrapperspb.UInt64Value{})
+	fmt.Println(err)
+	require.Error(t, err)
+}
diff --git a/protocol/lavasession/consumer_types.go b/protocol/lavasession/consumer_types.go
index b59dc51ffb..dbb4d745c6 100644
--- a/protocol/lavasession/consumer_types.go
+++ b/protocol/lavasession/consumer_types.go
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/lavanet/lava/utils"
 	pairingtypes "github.com/lavanet/lava/x/pairing/types"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/connectivity"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/credentials/insecure"
 )
 
@@ -59,6 +60,7 @@ type Endpoint struct {
 	NetworkAddress     string // change at the end to NetworkAddress
 	Enabled            bool
 	Client             *pairingtypes.RelayerClient
+	connection         *grpc.ClientConn
 	ConnectionRefusals uint64
 }
 
@@ -184,18 +186,18 @@ func (cswp *ConsumerSessionsWithProvider) decreaseUsedComputeUnits(cu uint64) er
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (cswp *ConsumerSessionsWithProvider) connectRawClientWithTimeout(ctx context.Context, addr string) (*pairingtypes.RelayerClient, error) {
+func (cswp *ConsumerSessionsWithProvider) connectRawClientWithTimeout(ctx context.Context, addr string) (*pairingtypes.RelayerClient, *grpc.ClientConn, error) {
 	connectCtx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, TimeoutForEstablishingAConnection)
 	defer cancel()
 
 	conn, err := grpc.DialContext(connectCtx, addr, grpc.WithTransportCredentials(insecure.NewCredentials()), grpc.WithBlock())
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+		return nil, nil, err
 	}
 	/*defer conn.Close()*/
 
 	c := pairingtypes.NewRelayerClient(conn)
-	return &c, nil
+	return &c, conn, nil
 }
 
 func (cswp *ConsumerSessionsWithProvider) getConsumerSessionInstanceFromEndpoint(endpoint *Endpoint, numberOfResets uint64) (singleConsumerSession *SingleConsumerSession, pairingEpoch uint64, err error) {
@@ -262,8 +264,11 @@ func (cswp *ConsumerSessionsWithProvider) fetchEndpointConnectionFromConsumerSes
 			if !endpoint.Enabled {
 				continue
 			}
-			if endpoint.Client == nil {
-				conn, err := cswp.connectRawClientWithTimeout(ctx, endpoint.NetworkAddress)
+			connectEndpoint := func(cswp *ConsumerSessionsWithProvider, ctx context.Context, endpoint *Endpoint) (connected_ bool) {
+				if endpoint.Client != nil && endpoint.connection.GetState() != connectivity.Shutdown {
+					return true
+				}
+				client, conn, err := cswp.connectRawClientWithTimeout(ctx, endpoint.NetworkAddress)
 				if err != nil {
 					endpoint.ConnectionRefusals++
 					utils.LavaFormatError("error connecting to provider", err, utils.Attribute{Key: "provider endpoint", Value: endpoint.NetworkAddress}, utils.Attribute{Key: "provider address", Value: cswp.PublicLavaAddress}, utils.Attribute{Key: "endpoint", Value: endpoint})
@@ -271,10 +276,29 @@ func (cswp *ConsumerSessionsWithProvider) fetchEndpointConnectionFromConsumerSes
 						endpoint.Enabled = false
 						utils.LavaFormatWarning("disabling provider endpoint for the duration of current epoch.", nil, utils.Attribute{Key: "Endpoint", Value: endpoint.NetworkAddress}, utils.Attribute{Key: "address", Value: cswp.PublicLavaAddress})
 					}
-					continue
+					return false
 				}
 				endpoint.ConnectionRefusals = 0
-				endpoint.Client = conn
+				endpoint.Client = client
+				if endpoint.connection != nil {
+					endpoint.connection.Close() // just to be safe
+				}
+				endpoint.connection = conn
+				return true
+			}
+			if endpoint.Client == nil {
+				connected_ := connectEndpoint(cswp, ctx, endpoint)
+				if !connected_ {
+					continue
+				}
+			} else if endpoint.connection.GetState() == connectivity.Shutdown {
+				// connection was shut down, so we need to create a new one
+				endpoint.connection.Close()
+				endpoint.Client = nil
+				connected_ := connectEndpoint(cswp, ctx, endpoint)
+				if !connected_ {
+					continue
+				}
 			}
 			cswp.Endpoints[idx] = endpoint
 			return true, endpoint, false