diff --git a/server/vault.api.js b/server/vault.api.js
index 6a5b58140..1406895a6 100644
--- a/server/vault.api.js
+++ b/server/vault.api.js
@@ -19,25 +19,8 @@ const buildAuthorConditions = (author) => {
 	return { authors: author };
 };
 
-//"$and": [ {"published": true}, {"$text": { "$search": "titleString", "$caseSensitive": false } }, { "authors" : "authorString"}]
-//is a good example of a query constructed with this function
-
-const handleErrorResponse = (res, error, functionName) => {
-	const status = error.response?.status || 500;
-	const message =
-		status === 503 ? 'Service Unavailable' : 'Internal Server Error';
-
-	console.error(`Error in ${functionName}:`, error);
-
-	return res.status(status).json({
-		errorCode: status.toString(),
-		message: `Error in function ${functionName}: ${message}`,
-	});
-};
-
-const buildBrewsQuery = (legacy, v3) => {
-	const brewsQuery = { published: true };
-	if (legacy === 'true' && v3 === 'true') return { published: true };
+const buildRendererConditions = (legacy, v3) => {
+	const brewsQuery = {};
 
 	if (legacy === 'true' && v3 !== 'true') {
 		brewsQuery.renderer = 'legacy';
@@ -48,81 +31,96 @@ const buildBrewsQuery = (legacy, v3) => {
 	return brewsQuery;
 };
 
-const vault = {
-	findBrews: async (req, res) => {
-		try {
-			const title = req.query.title || '';
-			const author = req.query.author || '';
-			const page = Math.max(parseInt(req.query.page) || 1, 1);
-			const mincount = 10;
-			const count = Math.max(parseInt(req.query.count) || 20, mincount);
-			const skip = (page - 1) * count;
+// Function to find brews
+const findBrews = async (req, res) => {
+	const title = req.query.title || '';
+	const author = req.query.author || '';
+	const page = Math.max(parseInt(req.query.page) || 1, 1);
+	const mincount = 10;
+	const count = Math.max(parseInt(req.query.count) || 20, mincount);
+	const skip = (page - 1) * count;
 
-			const brewsQuery = buildBrewsQuery(req.query.legacy, req.query.v3);
-			const titleConditions = buildTitleConditions(title);
-			const authorConditions = buildAuthorConditions(author);
+	const brewsQuery = buildRendererConditions(req.query.legacy, req.query.v3);
+	const titleConditions = buildTitleConditions(title);
+	const authorConditions = buildAuthorConditions(author);
 
-			const combinedQuery = {
-				$and: [brewsQuery, titleConditions, authorConditions],
-			};
+	const combinedQuery = {
+		$and: [
+			{ published: true },
+			brewsQuery,
+			titleConditions,
+			authorConditions,
+		],
+	};
 
-			const projection = {
-				editId: 0,
-				googleId: 0,
-				text: 0,
-				textBin: 0,
-				version: 0,
-				thumbnail: 0,
-			};
-
-			const brews = await HomebrewModel.find(combinedQuery, projection)
-				.skip(skip)
-				.limit(count)
-				.maxTimeMS(5000)
-				.exec();
+	const projection = {
+		editId: 0,
+		googleId: 0,
+		text: 0,
+		textBin: 0,
+		version: 0,
+		thumbnail: 0,
+	};
 
+	await HomebrewModel.find(combinedQuery, projection)
+		.skip(skip)
+		.limit(count)
+		.maxTimeMS(5000)
+		.exec()
+		.then((brews) => {
 			console.log(
 				'Query in findBrews: ',
 				JSON.stringify(combinedQuery, null, 2)
 			);
-			return res.json({ brews, page });
-		} catch (error) {
+			res.json({ brews, page });
+		})
+		.catch((error) => {
 			console.error(error);
-			return handleErrorResponse(res, error, 'findBrews');
-		}
-	},
+			res.status(500).json({
+				error: 'Error finding brews in Vault search',
+				HBErrorCode: '99',
+			});
+		});
+};
 
-	findTotal: async (req, res) => {
-		try {
-			const title = req.query.title || '';
-			const author = req.query.author || '';
+// Function to find total brews
+const findTotal = async (req, res) => {
+	const title = req.query.title || '';
+	const author = req.query.author || '';
 
-			const brewsQuery = buildBrewsQuery(req.query.legacy, req.query.v3);
-			const titleConditions = buildTitleConditions(title);
-			const authorConditions = buildAuthorConditions(author);
+	const brewsQuery = buildRendererConditions(req.query.legacy, req.query.v3);
+	const titleConditions = buildTitleConditions(title);
+	const authorConditions = buildAuthorConditions(author);
 
-			const combinedQuery = {
-				$and: [brewsQuery, titleConditions, authorConditions],
-			};
+	const combinedQuery = {
+		$and: [
+			{ published: true },
+			brewsQuery,
+			titleConditions,
+			authorConditions,
+		],
+	};
 
-			const totalBrews = await HomebrewModel.countDocuments(
-				combinedQuery
-			);
+	await HomebrewModel.countDocuments(combinedQuery)
+		.then((totalBrews) => {
 			console.log(
 				'when returning, the total of brews is ',
 				totalBrews,
 				'for the query',
 				JSON.stringify(combinedQuery)
 			);
-			return res.json({ totalBrews });
-		} catch (error) {
+			res.json({ totalBrews });
+		})
+		.catch((error) => {
 			console.error(error);
-			return handleErrorResponse(res, error, 'findTotal');
-		}
-	},
+			res.status(500).json({
+				error: 'Error finding brews in Vault search find total search',
+				HBErrorCode: '99',
+			});
+		});
 };
 
-router.get('/api/vault/total', asyncHandler(vault.findTotal));
-router.get('/api/vault', asyncHandler(vault.findBrews));
+router.get('/api/vault/total', asyncHandler(findTotal));
+router.get('/api/vault', asyncHandler(findBrews));
 
 module.exports = router;