diff --git a/src/DIRAC/Resources/Storage/GFAL2_StorageBase.py b/src/DIRAC/Resources/Storage/GFAL2_StorageBase.py
index 16fa7819095..7194d764f11 100644
--- a/src/DIRAC/Resources/Storage/GFAL2_StorageBase.py
+++ b/src/DIRAC/Resources/Storage/GFAL2_StorageBase.py
@@ -53,6 +53,9 @@
 MAX_SINGLE_STREAM_SIZE = 1024 * 1024 * 10  # 10MB
 MIN_BANDWIDTH = 0.5 * (1024 * 1024)  # 0.5 MB/s
 
+# Timeout when performing a stat call
+STAT_TIMEOUT = 10
+
 
 @contextmanager
 def setGfalSetting(
@@ -218,11 +221,12 @@ def exists(self, path):
         successful = {}
         failed = {}
 
-        for url in urls:
-            try:
-                successful[url] = self.__singleExists(url)
-            except Exception as e:
-                failed[url] = repr(e)
+        with setGfalSetting(self.ctx, "CORE", "NAMESPACE_TIMEOUT", STAT_TIMEOUT):
+            for url in urls:
+                try:
+                    successful[url] = self.__singleExists(url)
+                except Exception as e:
+                    failed[url] = repr(e)
 
         resDict = {"Failed": failed, "Successful": successful}
         return resDict
@@ -268,29 +272,15 @@ def isFile(self, path):
         successful = {}
         failed = {}
 
-        for url in urls:
-            try:
-                successful[url] = self._isSingleFile(url)
-            except Exception as e:
-                failed[url] = repr(e)
+        with setGfalSetting(self.ctx, "CORE", "NAMESPACE_TIMEOUT", STAT_TIMEOUT):
+            for url in urls:
+                try:
+                    successful[url] = S_ISREG(self.ctx.stat(url).st_mode)
+                except Exception as e:
+                    failed[url] = repr(e)
 
         return {"Failed": failed, "Successful": successful}
 
-    def _isSingleFile(self, path: str) -> bool:
-        """Checking if :path: exists and is a file
-
-        :param str path: single path on the storage (srm://...)
-
-        :returns: boolean
-
-        :raises:
-            gfal2.GError: gfal problem
-
-        """
-
-        statInfo = self.ctx.stat(path)
-        return S_ISREG(statInfo.st_mode)
-
     @convertToReturnValue
     def putFile(self, path, sourceSize: int = 0):
         """Put a copy of a local file or a file on another srm storage to a directory on the
@@ -600,7 +590,8 @@ def _getSingleFileSize(self, path: str) -> int:
         log = self.log.getLocalSubLogger("GFAL2_StorageBase._getSingleFileSize")
         log.debug(f"Determining file size of {path}")
 
-        statInfo = self.ctx.stat(path)  # keeps info like size, mode.
+        with setGfalSetting(self.ctx, "CORE", "NAMESPACE_TIMEOUT", STAT_TIMEOUT):
+            statInfo = self.ctx.stat(path)  # keeps info like size, mode.
 
         # If it is not a file
         if not S_ISREG(statInfo.st_mode):
@@ -675,7 +666,8 @@ def _getSingleMetadata(self, path: str) -> dict[str, Any]:
         log = self.log.getLocalSubLogger("GFAL2_StorageBase._getSingleMetadata")
         log.debug(f"Reading metadata for {path}")
 
-        statInfo = self.ctx.stat(path)
+        with setGfalSetting(self.ctx, "CORE", "NAMESPACE_TIMEOUT", STAT_TIMEOUT):
+            statInfo = self.ctx.stat(path)
 
         metadataDict = self.__parseStatInfoFromApiOutput(statInfo)
         if metadataDict["File"] and self.checksumType:
@@ -942,27 +934,15 @@ def isDirectory(self, path):
         successful = {}
         failed = {}
 
-        for url in urls:
-            try:
-                successful[url] = self._isSingleDirectory(url)
-            except Exception as e:
-                failed[url] = f"Failed to determine if path is a directory {repr(e)}"
+        with setGfalSetting(self.ctx, "CORE", "NAMESPACE_TIMEOUT", STAT_TIMEOUT):
+            for url in urls:
+                try:
+                    successful[url] = S_ISDIR(self.ctx.stat(url).st_mode)
+                except Exception as e:
+                    failed[url] = f"Failed to determine if path is a directory {repr(e)}"
 
         return {"Failed": failed, "Successful": successful}
 
-    def _isSingleDirectory(self, path: str) -> bool:
-        """Checking if :path: exists and is a directory
-
-        :param str path: single path on the storage (srm://...)
-
-        :returns: boolean if it is a directory or not
-
-        :raises:
-            gfal2.GError in case of gfal problem
-        """
-
-        return S_ISDIR(self.ctx.stat(path).st_mode)
-
     @convertToReturnValue
     def listDirectory(self, path):
         """List the content of the path provided