diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
index 6c415f06..7904637d 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -52,9 +52,9 @@ endif # BUILD_CONFIG_OUTPUT
 mandatory_sources = colours.c colours.h common.c common.h conky.c conky.h \
 		core.c core.h diskio.c diskio.h exec.c exec.h fs.c fs.h logging.h \
 		mail.c mail.h mixer.c mixer.h template.c template.h timed_thread.c \
-		timed_thread.h mboxscan.c mboxscan.h specials.c specials.h tailhead.c \
-		tailhead.h temphelper.c temphelper.h text_object.c text_object.h \
-		timeinfo.c timeinfo.h algebra.c algebra.h
+		timed_thread.h mboxscan.c mboxscan.h read_tcp.c read_tcp.h specials.c \
+		specials.h tailhead.c tailhead.h temphelper.c temphelper.h \
+		text_object.c text_object.h timeinfo.c timeinfo.h algebra.c algebra.h
 
 # source files only needed when the apropriate option is enabled
 audacious = audacious.c audacious.h
diff --git a/src/conky.c b/src/conky.c
index bfd0f80b..67b73bae 100644
--- a/src/conky.c
+++ b/src/conky.c
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@
 #include "mixer.h"
 #include "mail.h"
 #include "mboxscan.h"
+#include "read_tcp.h"
 #include "specials.h"
 #include "temphelper.h"
 #include "template.h"
@@ -882,37 +883,7 @@ static void generate_text_internal(char *p, int p_max_size,
 			default:
 				NORM_ERR("not implemented obj type %d", obj->type);
 			OBJ(read_tcp) {
-				int sock, received;
-				struct sockaddr_in addr;
-				struct hostent* he;
-				fd_set readfds;
-				struct timeval tv;
-
-				if (!(he = gethostbyname(obj->data.read_tcp.host))) {
-					NORM_ERR("read_tcp: Problem with resolving the hostname");
-					break;
-				}
-				if ((sock = socket(he->h_addrtype, SOCK_STREAM, 0)) == -1) {
-					NORM_ERR("read_tcp: Couldn't create a socket");
-					break;
-				}
-				memset(&addr, 0, sizeof(addr));
-				addr.sin_family = AF_INET;
-				addr.sin_port = obj->data.read_tcp.port;
-				memcpy(&addr.sin_addr, he->h_addr, he->h_length);
-				if (!connect(sock, (struct sockaddr*)&addr, sizeof(struct sockaddr))) {
-					NORM_ERR("read_tcp: Couldn't create a connection");
-					break;
-				}
-				FD_ZERO(&readfds);
-				FD_SET(sock, &readfds);
-				tv.tv_sec = 1;
-				tv.tv_usec = 0;
-				if(select(sock + 1, &readfds, NULL, NULL, &tv) > 0){
-					received = recv(sock, p, p_max_size, 0);
-					p[received] = 0;
-				}
-				close(sock);
+				print_read_tcp(obj, p, p_max_size);
 			}
 #ifndef __OpenBSD__
 			OBJ(acpitemp) {
diff --git a/src/core.c b/src/core.c
index f245be86..a1df38d0 100644
--- a/src/core.c
+++ b/src/core.c
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@
 #include "mixer.h"
 #include "mail.h"
 #include "mboxscan.h"
+#include "read_tcp.h"
 #include "specials.h"
 #include "temphelper.h"
 #include "template.h"
@@ -176,17 +177,7 @@ struct text_object *construct_text_object(const char *s, const char *arg, long
 		}
 		obj->a = 1;
 	END OBJ_ARG(read_tcp, 0, "read_tcp: Needs \"(host) port\" as argument(s)")
-		obj->data.read_tcp.host = malloc(text_buffer_size);
-		sscanf(arg, "%s", obj->data.read_tcp.host);
-		sscanf(arg+strlen(obj->data.read_tcp.host), "%u", &(obj->data.read_tcp.port));
-		if(obj->data.read_tcp.port == 0) {
-			obj->data.read_tcp.port = atoi(obj->data.read_tcp.host);
-			strcpy(obj->data.read_tcp.host,"localhost");
-		}
-		obj->data.read_tcp.port = htons(obj->data.read_tcp.port);
-		if(obj->data.read_tcp.port < 1 || obj->data.read_tcp.port > 65535) {
-			CRIT_ERR(obj, free_at_crash, "read_tcp: Needs \"(host) port\" as argument(s)");
-		}
+		parse_read_tcp_arg(obj, arg, free_at_crash);
 #if defined(__linux__)
 	END OBJ(voltage_mv, 0)
 		get_cpu_count();
@@ -1803,7 +1794,7 @@ void free_text_objects(struct text_object *root, int internal)
 				break;
 #endif /* __linux__ */
 			case OBJ_read_tcp:
-				free(data.read_tcp.host);
+				free_read_tcp(obj);
 				break;
 			case OBJ_time:
 			case OBJ_utime:
diff --git a/src/read_tcp.c b/src/read_tcp.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c7fbdd69
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/read_tcp.c
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+/* -*- mode: c; c-basic-offset: 4; tab-width: 4; indent-tabs-mode: t -*-
+ * vim: ts=4 sw=4 noet ai cindent syntax=c
+ *
+ * Conky, a system monitor, based on torsmo
+ *
+ * Any original torsmo code is licensed under the BSD license
+ *
+ * All code written since the fork of torsmo is licensed under the GPL
+ *
+ * Please see COPYING for details
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2004, Hannu Saransaari and Lauri Hakkarainen
+ * Copyright (c) 2005-2009 Brenden Matthews, Philip Kovacs, et. al.
+ *	(see AUTHORS)
+ * All rights reserved.
+ *
+ * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+ * the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+ * (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU General Public License for more details.
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ * along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ *
+ */
+
+#include "logging.h"
+#include "text_object.h"
+
+void parse_read_tcp_arg(struct text_object *obj, const char *arg, void *free_at_crash)
+{
+	obj->data.read_tcp.host = malloc(text_buffer_size);
+	sscanf(arg, "%s", obj->data.read_tcp.host);
+	sscanf(arg+strlen(obj->data.read_tcp.host), "%u", &(obj->data.read_tcp.port));
+	if(obj->data.read_tcp.port == 0) {
+		obj->data.read_tcp.port = atoi(obj->data.read_tcp.host);
+		strcpy(obj->data.read_tcp.host,"localhost");
+	}
+	if(obj->data.read_tcp.port < 1 || obj->data.read_tcp.port > 65535)
+		CRIT_ERR(obj, free_at_crash, "read_tcp: Needs \"(host) port\" as argument(s)");
+
+	obj->data.read_tcp.port = htons(obj->data.read_tcp.port);
+}
+
+void print_read_tcp(struct text_object *obj, char *p, int p_max_size)
+{
+	int sock, received;
+	struct sockaddr_in addr;
+	struct hostent* he;
+	fd_set readfds;
+	struct timeval tv;
+
+	if (!(he = gethostbyname(obj->data.read_tcp.host))) {
+		NORM_ERR("read_tcp: Problem with resolving the hostname");
+		return;
+	}
+	if ((sock = socket(he->h_addrtype, SOCK_STREAM, 0)) == -1) {
+		NORM_ERR("read_tcp: Couldn't create a socket");
+		return;
+	}
+	memset(&addr, 0, sizeof(addr));
+	addr.sin_family = AF_INET;
+	addr.sin_port = obj->data.read_tcp.port;
+	memcpy(&addr.sin_addr, he->h_addr, he->h_length);
+	if (!connect(sock, (struct sockaddr*)&addr, sizeof(struct sockaddr))) {
+		NORM_ERR("read_tcp: Couldn't create a connection");
+		return;
+	}
+	FD_ZERO(&readfds);
+	FD_SET(sock, &readfds);
+	tv.tv_sec = 1;
+	tv.tv_usec = 0;
+	if(select(sock + 1, &readfds, NULL, NULL, &tv) > 0){
+		received = recv(sock, p, p_max_size, 0);
+		p[received] = 0;
+	}
+	close(sock);
+}
+
+void free_read_tcp(struct text_object *obj)
+{
+	if (obj->data.read_tcp.host)
+		free(obj->data.read_tcp.host);
+}
diff --git a/src/read_tcp.h b/src/read_tcp.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..79f81e1f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/read_tcp.h
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+/* -*- mode: c; c-basic-offset: 4; tab-width: 4; indent-tabs-mode: t -*-
+ * vim: ts=4 sw=4 noet ai cindent syntax=c
+ *
+ * Conky, a system monitor, based on torsmo
+ *
+ * Any original torsmo code is licensed under the BSD license
+ *
+ * All code written since the fork of torsmo is licensed under the GPL
+ *
+ * Please see COPYING for details
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2004, Hannu Saransaari and Lauri Hakkarainen
+ * Copyright (c) 2005-2009 Brenden Matthews, Philip Kovacs, et. al.
+ *	(see AUTHORS)
+ * All rights reserved.
+ *
+ * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+ * the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+ * (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU General Public License for more details.
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ * along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ *
+ */
+
+#ifndef _READ_TCP_H
+#define _READ_TCP_H
+
+void parse_read_tcp_arg(struct text_object *, const char *, void *);
+void print_read_tcp(struct text_object *, char *, int);
+void free_read_tcp(struct text_object *);
+
+#endif /* _READ_TCP_H */