diff --git a/applications/utilities/mesh/manipulation/checkMesh/checkTopology.C b/applications/utilities/mesh/manipulation/checkMesh/checkTopology.C
index 90e6a379e0..996e6fcb37 100644
--- a/applications/utilities/mesh/manipulation/checkMesh/checkTopology.C
+++ b/applications/utilities/mesh/manipulation/checkMesh/checkTopology.C
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 #include "faceSet.H"
 #include "pointSet.H"
 #include "IOmanip.H"
+#include "emptyPolyPatch.H"
 
 Foam::label Foam::checkTopology
 (
@@ -21,6 +22,29 @@ Foam::label Foam::checkTopology
     // Check if the boundary definition is unique
     mesh.boundaryMesh().checkDefinition(true);
 
+    // Check that empty patches cover all sides of the mesh
+    {
+        label nEmpty = 0;
+        forAll(mesh.boundaryMesh(), patchI)
+        {
+            if (isA<emptyPolyPatch>(mesh.boundaryMesh()[patchI]))
+            {
+                nEmpty += mesh.boundaryMesh()[patchI].size();
+            }
+        }
+        reduce(nEmpty, sumOp<label>());
+        label nTotCells = returnReduce(mesh.cells().size(), sumOp<label>());
+
+        // These are actually warnings, not errors.
+        if (nEmpty % nTotCells)
+        {
+            Info<< " ***Total number of faces on empty patches"
+                << " is not divisible by the number of cells in the mesh."
+                << " Hence this mesh is not 1D or 2D."
+                << endl;
+        }
+    }
+
     // Check if the boundary processor patches are correct
     mesh.boundaryMesh().checkParallelSync(true);
 
@@ -41,6 +65,8 @@ Foam::label Foam::checkTopology
         noFailedChecks++;
     }
 
+
+
     {
         pointSet points(mesh, "unusedPoints", mesh.nPoints()/100);
         if (mesh.checkPoints(true, &points))
@@ -74,6 +100,22 @@ Foam::label Foam::checkTopology
         }
     }
 
+    {
+        faceSet faces(mesh, "outOfRangeFaces", mesh.nFaces()/100);
+        if (mesh.checkFaceVertices(true, &faces))
+        {
+            noFailedChecks++;
+
+            label nFaces = returnReduce(faces.size(), sumOp<label>());
+
+            Info<< "  <<Writing " << nFaces
+                << " faces with out-of-range or duplicate vertices to set "
+                << faces.name() << endl;
+            faces.instance() = mesh.pointsInstance();
+            faces.write();
+        }
+    }
+
     if (allTopology)
     {
         cellSet cells(mesh, "zipUpCells", mesh.nCells()/100);
@@ -91,22 +133,6 @@ Foam::label Foam::checkTopology
         }
     }
 
-    {
-        faceSet faces(mesh, "outOfRangeFaces", mesh.nFaces()/100);
-        if (mesh.checkFaceVertices(true, &faces))
-        {
-            noFailedChecks++;
-
-            label nFaces = returnReduce(faces.size(), sumOp<label>());
-
-            Info<< "  <<Writing " << nFaces
-                << " faces with out-of-range or duplicate vertices to set "
-                << faces.name() << endl;
-            faces.instance() = mesh.pointsInstance();
-            faces.write();
-        }
-    }
-
     if (allTopology)
     {
         faceSet faces(mesh, "edgeFaces", mesh.nFaces()/100);
diff --git a/src/finiteVolume/fields/fvPatchFields/constraint/empty/emptyFvPatchField.C b/src/finiteVolume/fields/fvPatchFields/constraint/empty/emptyFvPatchField.C
index 9848e2e9f5..5488a03885 100644
--- a/src/finiteVolume/fields/fvPatchFields/constraint/empty/emptyFvPatchField.C
+++ b/src/finiteVolume/fields/fvPatchFields/constraint/empty/emptyFvPatchField.C
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
   =========                 |
   \\      /  F ield         | OpenFOAM: The Open Source CFD Toolbox
    \\    /   O peration     |
-    \\  /    A nd           | Copyright (C) 2004-2010 OpenCFD Ltd.
+    \\  /    A nd           | Copyright (C) 2004-2011 OpenCFD Ltd.
      \\/     M anipulation  |
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 License
@@ -138,18 +138,21 @@ emptyFvPatchField<Type>::emptyFvPatchField
 template<class Type>
 void emptyFvPatchField<Type>::updateCoeffs()
 {
-    if
-    (
-        this->patch().patch().size()
-      % this->dimensionedInternalField().mesh().nCells()
-    )
-    {
-        FatalErrorIn("emptyFvPatchField<Type>::updateCoeffs()")
-            << "This mesh contains patches of type empty but is not 1D or 2D\n"
-               "    by virtue of the fact that the number of faces of this\n"
-               "    empty patch is not divisible by the number of cells."
-            << exit(FatalError);
-    }
+    //- Check moved to checkMesh. Test here breaks down if multiple empty
+    //  patches.
+    //if
+    //(
+    //    this->patch().patch().size()
+    //  % this->dimensionedInternalField().mesh().nCells()
+    //)
+    //{
+    //    FatalErrorIn("emptyFvPatchField<Type>::updateCoeffs()")
+    //        << "This mesh contains patches of type empty but is not"
+    //        << "1D or 2D\n"
+    //           "    by virtue of the fact that the number of faces of this\n"
+    //           "    empty patch is not divisible by the number of cells."
+    //        << exit(FatalError);
+    //}
 }