--- a/services/sync/modules/policies.js
+++ b/services/sync/modules/policies.js
@@ -16,16 +16,23 @@ Cu.import("resource://services-sync/util
 Cu.import("resource://services-common/logmanager.js");
 Cu.import("resource://services-common/async.js");
 
 XPCOMUtils.defineLazyModuleGetter(this, "Status",
                                   "resource://services-sync/status.js");
 XPCOMUtils.defineLazyModuleGetter(this, "AddonManager",
                                   "resource://gre/modules/AddonManager.jsm");
 
+// Get the value for an interval that's stored in preferences. To save users
+// from themselves (and us from them!) the minimum time they can specify
+// is 60s.
+function getThrottledIntervalPreference(prefName) {
+  return Math.max(Svc.Prefs.get(prefName), 60) * 1000;
+}
+
 this.SyncScheduler = function SyncScheduler(service) {
   this.service = service;
   this.init();
 }
 SyncScheduler.prototype = {
   _log: Log.repository.getLogger("Sync.SyncScheduler"),
 
   _fatalLoginStatus: [LOGIN_FAILED_NO_USERNAME,
@@ -43,22 +50,22 @@ SyncScheduler.prototype = {
     this._log.trace("Setting SyncScheduler policy values to defaults.");
 
     let service = Cc["@mozilla.org/weave/service;1"]
                     .getService(Ci.nsISupports)
                     .wrappedJSObject;
 
     let part = service.fxAccountsEnabled ? "fxa" : "sync11";
     let prefSDInterval = "scheduler." + part + ".singleDeviceInterval";
-    this.singleDeviceInterval = Svc.Prefs.get(prefSDInterval) * 1000;
+    this.singleDeviceInterval = getThrottledIntervalPreference(prefSDInterval);
 
-    this.idleInterval         = Svc.Prefs.get("scheduler.idleInterval")         * 1000;
-    this.activeInterval       = Svc.Prefs.get("scheduler.activeInterval")       * 1000;
-    this.immediateInterval    = Svc.Prefs.get("scheduler.immediateInterval")    * 1000;
-    this.eolInterval          = Svc.Prefs.get("scheduler.eolInterval")          * 1000;
+    this.idleInterval         = getThrottledIntervalPreference("scheduler.idleInterval");
+    this.activeInterval       = getThrottledIntervalPreference("scheduler.activeInterval");
+    this.immediateInterval    = getThrottledIntervalPreference("scheduler.immediateInterval");
+    this.eolInterval          = getThrottledIntervalPreference("scheduler.eolInterval");
 
     // A user is non-idle on startup by default.
     this.idle = false;
 
     this.hasIncomingItems = false;
 
     this.clearSyncTriggers();
   },

--- a/services/sync/tests/unit/test_syncscheduler.js
+++ b/services/sync/tests/unit/test_syncscheduler.js
@@ -143,26 +143,37 @@ add_test(function test_prefAttributes() 
   do_check_eq(scheduler.idleInterval,
               Svc.Prefs.get("scheduler.idleInterval") * 1000);
   do_check_eq(scheduler.activeInterval,
               Svc.Prefs.get("scheduler.activeInterval") * 1000);
   do_check_eq(scheduler.immediateInterval,
               Svc.Prefs.get("scheduler.immediateInterval") * 1000);
 
   _("Custom values for prefs will take effect after a restart.");
-  Svc.Prefs.set("scheduler.sync11.singleDeviceInterval", 42);
-  Svc.Prefs.set("scheduler.idleInterval", 23);
-  Svc.Prefs.set("scheduler.activeInterval", 18);
+  Svc.Prefs.set("scheduler.sync11.singleDeviceInterval", 420);
+  Svc.Prefs.set("scheduler.idleInterval", 230);
+  Svc.Prefs.set("scheduler.activeInterval", 180);
   Svc.Prefs.set("scheduler.immediateInterval", 31415);
   scheduler.setDefaults();
-  do_check_eq(scheduler.idleInterval, 23000);
-  do_check_eq(scheduler.singleDeviceInterval, 42000);
-  do_check_eq(scheduler.activeInterval, 18000);
+  do_check_eq(scheduler.idleInterval, 230000);
+  do_check_eq(scheduler.singleDeviceInterval, 420000);
+  do_check_eq(scheduler.activeInterval, 180000);
   do_check_eq(scheduler.immediateInterval, 31415000);
 
+  _("Custom values for interval prefs can't be less than 60 seconds.");
+  Svc.Prefs.set("scheduler.sync11.singleDeviceInterval", 42);
+  Svc.Prefs.set("scheduler.idleInterval", 50);
+  Svc.Prefs.set("scheduler.activeInterval", 50);
+  Svc.Prefs.set("scheduler.immediateInterval", 10);
+  scheduler.setDefaults();
+  do_check_eq(scheduler.idleInterval, 60000);
+  do_check_eq(scheduler.singleDeviceInterval, 60000);
+  do_check_eq(scheduler.activeInterval, 60000);
+  do_check_eq(scheduler.immediateInterval, 60000);
+
   Svc.Prefs.resetBranch("");
   scheduler.setDefaults();
   run_next_test();
 });
 
 add_identity_test(this, function* test_updateClientMode() {
   _("Test updateClientMode adjusts scheduling attributes based on # of clients appropriately");
   do_check_eq(scheduler.syncThreshold, SINGLE_USER_THRESHOLD);