diff --git a/tangostationcontrol/docs/source/devices/configuration.rst b/tangostationcontrol/docs/source/devices/configuration.rst
index 65f8c028080a37db71a2f7a0ebbbf07c8e69ae02..39b918fc8cb4a180e6fa6f207e26a234b2dab41d 100644
--- a/tangostationcontrol/docs/source/devices/configuration.rst
+++ b/tangostationcontrol/docs/source/devices/configuration.rst
@@ -3,5 +3,4 @@
 Configuration
 --------------------
 
-The ``Configuration == DeviceProxy("STAT/Configuration/1")`` Configuration Device controls the loading, updating, exposing 
-and dumping of the whole Station Configuration
+The ``Configuration == DeviceProxy("STAT/Configuration/1")`` Configuration Device controls the loading, updating, exposing and dumping of the whole Station Configuration
diff --git a/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/common/configuration.py b/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/common/configuration.py
index bc7a6e07e5c903e8a13edd919d047dc232ea731c..9a028d06b22daac3f206543bb5f33335103d3f5f 100644
--- a/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/common/configuration.py
+++ b/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/common/configuration.py
@@ -33,8 +33,6 @@ def get_servers_with_filters(dbproxy, server="*", clss="*", device="*",
 
     # Queries can sometimes take more than de default 3 s, so it's
     # good to increase the timeout a bit.
-    # TODO: maybe instead use automatic retry and increase timeout
-    # each time?
     dbproxy.set_timeout_millis(timeout * 1000)
 
     if properties:
@@ -239,8 +237,9 @@ class SetterDict(CaselessDictionary, defaultdict):
     (using to_dict()) when you're done creating it.
     """
 
-    def __init__(self, value={}, factory=None):
+    def __init__(self, value=None, factory=None):
         factory = factory or SetterDict
+        value = {}
         self.__dict__["_factory"] = factory
         CaselessDictionary.__init__(self)
         defaultdict.__init__(self, factory)