diff --git a/postgres/src/client.rs b/postgres/src/client.rs
index f5637cdbd..050c5b229 100644
--- a/postgres/src/client.rs
+++ b/postgres/src/client.rs
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ use crate::{
     ToStatement, Transaction, TransactionBuilder,
 };
 use std::task::Poll;
+use std::time::Duration;
 use tokio_postgres::tls::{MakeTlsConnect, TlsConnect};
 use tokio_postgres::types::{BorrowToSql, ToSql, Type};
 use tokio_postgres::{Error, Row, SimpleQueryMessage, Socket};
@@ -413,6 +414,18 @@ impl Client {
         self.connection.block_on(self.client.simple_query(query))
     }
 
+    /// Validates connection, timing out after specified duration.
+    pub fn is_valid(&mut self, timeout: Duration) -> Result<(), Error> {
+        let inner_client = &self.client;
+        self.connection.block_on(async {
+            let trivial_query = inner_client.simple_query("");
+            tokio::time::timeout(timeout, trivial_query)
+                .await
+                .map_err(|_| Error::timeout())?
+                .map(|_| ())
+        })
+    }
+
     /// Executes a sequence of SQL statements using the simple query protocol.
     ///
     /// Statements should be separated by semicolons. If an error occurs, execution of the sequence will stop at that
diff --git a/tokio-postgres/src/error/mod.rs b/tokio-postgres/src/error/mod.rs
index f9335cfe7..c5383df92 100644
--- a/tokio-postgres/src/error/mod.rs
+++ b/tokio-postgres/src/error/mod.rs
@@ -354,6 +354,7 @@ enum Kind {
     RowCount,
     #[cfg(feature = "runtime")]
     Connect,
+    Timeout,
 }
 
 struct ErrorInner {
@@ -392,6 +393,7 @@ impl fmt::Display for Error {
             Kind::RowCount => fmt.write_str("query returned an unexpected number of rows")?,
             #[cfg(feature = "runtime")]
             Kind::Connect => fmt.write_str("error connecting to server")?,
+            Kind::Timeout => fmt.write_str("timeout waiting for server")?,
         };
         if let Some(ref cause) = self.0.cause {
             write!(fmt, ": {}", cause)?;
@@ -491,4 +493,9 @@ impl Error {
     pub(crate) fn connect(e: io::Error) -> Error {
         Error::new(Kind::Connect, Some(Box::new(e)))
     }
+
+    #[doc(hidden)]
+    pub fn timeout() -> Error {
+        Error::new(Kind::Timeout, None)
+    }
 }