diff --git a/artemis-journal/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/journal/impl/JournalFilesRepository.java b/artemis-journal/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/journal/impl/JournalFilesRepository.java
index 2c6033b536..800d960d56 100644
--- a/artemis-journal/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/journal/impl/JournalFilesRepository.java
+++ b/artemis-journal/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/journal/impl/JournalFilesRepository.java
@@ -444,11 +444,11 @@ public class JournalFilesRepository {
          pushOpen();
 
          nextFile = openedFiles.poll(journalFileOpenTimeout, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
-      }
-
-      if (openedFiles.isEmpty()) {
-         // if empty, push to open one.
-         pushOpen();
+      } else {
+         if (openedFiles.isEmpty()) {
+            // if empty, push to open one.
+            pushOpen();
+         }
       }
 
       if (nextFile == null) {
diff --git a/artemis-journal/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/journal/impl/JournalImpl.java b/artemis-journal/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/journal/impl/JournalImpl.java
index af443c4644..8092cd061a 100644
--- a/artemis-journal/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/journal/impl/JournalImpl.java
+++ b/artemis-journal/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/journal/impl/JournalImpl.java
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ import org.apache.activemq.artemis.api.core.ActiveMQBuffers;
 import org.apache.activemq.artemis.api.core.ActiveMQExceptionType;
 import org.apache.activemq.artemis.api.core.ActiveMQShutdownException;
 import org.apache.activemq.artemis.api.core.Pair;
+import org.apache.activemq.artemis.core.io.DummyCallback;
 import org.apache.activemq.artemis.core.io.IOCallback;
 import org.apache.activemq.artemis.core.io.IOCriticalErrorListener;
 import org.apache.activemq.artemis.core.io.SequentialFile;
@@ -840,7 +841,7 @@ public class JournalImpl extends JournalBase implements TestableJournal, Journal
          throw ActiveMQJournalBundle.BUNDLE.recordLargerThanStoreMax(addRecordEncodeSize, maxRecordSize);
       }
 
-      final SimpleFuture<Boolean> result = newSyncAndCallbackResult(sync, callback);
+      final SimpleFuture<Boolean> result = newSyncAndCallbackResult(callback);
       appendExecutor.execute(new Runnable() {
          @Override
          public void run() {
@@ -932,7 +933,7 @@ public class JournalImpl extends JournalBase implements TestableJournal, Journal
                                            Object record,
                                            boolean sync,
                                            IOCompletion callback) throws InterruptedException, java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException {
-      final SimpleFuture<Boolean> result = newSyncAndCallbackResult(sync, callback);
+      final SimpleFuture<Boolean> result = newSyncAndCallbackResult(callback);
       appendExecutor.execute(new Runnable() {
          @Override
          public void run() {
@@ -1016,7 +1017,7 @@ public class JournalImpl extends JournalBase implements TestableJournal, Journal
    private void internalAppendDeleteRecord(long id,
                                            boolean sync,
                                            IOCompletion callback) throws InterruptedException, java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException {
-      final SimpleFuture<Boolean> result = newSyncAndCallbackResult(sync, callback);
+      final SimpleFuture<Boolean> result = newSyncAndCallbackResult(callback);
       appendExecutor.execute(new Runnable() {
          @Override
          public void run() {
@@ -1063,8 +1064,12 @@ public class JournalImpl extends JournalBase implements TestableJournal, Journal
       result.get();
    }
 
-   private static SimpleFuture newSyncAndCallbackResult(boolean sync, IOCompletion callback) {
-      return (sync && callback == null) ? new SimpleFutureImpl<>() : SimpleFuture.dumb();
+   private static SimpleFuture newSyncAndCallbackResult(IOCompletion callback) {
+      if (callback != null && callback != DummyCallback.getInstance()) {
+         return SimpleFuture.dumb();
+      } else {
+         return new SimpleFutureImpl<>();
+      }
    }
 
    @Override
@@ -1290,7 +1295,7 @@ public class JournalImpl extends JournalBase implements TestableJournal, Journal
          logger.trace("scheduling appendPrepareRecord::txID=" + txID);
       }
 
-      final SimpleFuture<JournalTransaction> result = newSyncAndCallbackResult(sync, callback);
+      final SimpleFuture<JournalTransaction> result = newSyncAndCallbackResult(callback);
 
       appendExecutor.execute(new Runnable() {
          @Override
@@ -1376,7 +1381,7 @@ public class JournalImpl extends JournalBase implements TestableJournal, Journal
       }
 
 
-      final SimpleFuture<JournalTransaction> result = newSyncAndCallbackResult(sync, callback);
+      final SimpleFuture<JournalTransaction> result = newSyncAndCallbackResult(callback);
 
       appendExecutor.execute(new Runnable() {
          @Override
@@ -1430,7 +1435,7 @@ public class JournalImpl extends JournalBase implements TestableJournal, Journal
 
 
 
-      final SimpleFuture<JournalTransaction> result = newSyncAndCallbackResult(sync, callback);
+      final SimpleFuture<JournalTransaction> result = newSyncAndCallbackResult(callback);
       appendExecutor.execute(new Runnable() {
          @Override
          public void run() {
diff --git a/tests/unit-tests/src/test/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/tests/unit/core/journal/impl/JournalImplTestUnit.java b/tests/unit-tests/src/test/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/tests/unit/core/journal/impl/JournalImplTestUnit.java
index c6e0173591..f615c29666 100644
--- a/tests/unit-tests/src/test/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/tests/unit/core/journal/impl/JournalImplTestUnit.java
+++ b/tests/unit-tests/src/test/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/tests/unit/core/journal/impl/JournalImplTestUnit.java
@@ -117,6 +117,31 @@ public abstract class JournalImplTestUnit extends JournalImplTestBase {
       stopJournal();
    }
 
+   @Test
+   public void testFlushAppendsAndDeletes() throws Exception {
+      setup(10, 10 * 1024, true);
+      createJournal();
+      startJournal();
+      load();
+      byte[] record = new byte[1000];
+      for (int i = 0; i < record.length; i++) {
+         record[i] = (byte) 'a';
+      }
+      // Appending records after restart should be valid (not throwing any
+      // exceptions)
+      for (int i = 0; i < 10_000; i++) {
+         journal.appendAddRecord(i, (byte) 1, new SimpleEncoding(2, (byte) 'a'), false);
+         journal.appendDeleteRecord(i, false);
+      }
+      stopJournal();
+
+      List<String> files = fileFactory.listFiles(fileExtension);
+
+      // I am allowing one extra as a possible race with pushOpenFiles. I have not seen it happening on my test
+      // but it wouldn't be a problem if it happened
+      Assert.assertTrue("Supposed to have up to 10 files", files.size() <= 11);
+   }
+
    @Test
    public void testParams() throws Exception {
       try {