diff --git a/bzz/bzzhash/bzzhash.go b/bzz/bzzhash/bzzhash.go
index 47086063a8..f10e90f056 100644
--- a/bzz/bzzhash/bzzhash.go
+++ b/bzz/bzzhash/bzzhash.go
@@ -22,7 +22,17 @@ func main() {
 
 	stat, _ := f.Stat()
 	sr := io.NewSectionReader(f, 0, stat.Size())
-	hash := bzz.GetDPAhash(sr, nil)
-
-	fmt.Printf("%064x\n", hash)
+	chunker := &bzz.TreeChunker{
+		Branches: 128,
+	}
+	chunker.Init()
+	hash := make([]byte, chunker.HashSize())
+	errC := chunker.Split(hash, sr, nil)
+	err, ok := <-errC
+	if err != nil {
+		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "%v\n", err)
+	}
+	if !ok {
+		fmt.Printf("%064x\n", hash)
+	}
 }
diff --git a/bzz/chunker.go b/bzz/chunker.go
index 35316bb378..2f4b554c76 100644
--- a/bzz/chunker.go
+++ b/bzz/chunker.go
@@ -111,6 +111,10 @@ func (self *TreeChunker) Init() {
 
 }
 
+func (self *TreeChunker) HashSize() int64 {
+	return self.hashSize
+}
+
 type Chunk struct {
 	Data SectionReader // nil if request, to be supplied by dpa
 	Size int64         // size of the data covered by the subtree encoded in this chunk
@@ -258,7 +262,9 @@ func (self *TreeChunker) split(depth int, treeSize int64, key Key, data SectionR
 		}
 	}
 	// send off new chunk to storage
-	chunkC <- newChunk
+	if chunkC != nil {
+		chunkC <- newChunk
+	}
 	// report hash of this chunk one level up (keys corresponds to the proper subslice of the parent chunk)x
 	copy(key, hash)