diff --git a/app/models/emails.js b/app/models/emails.js
index 3c0d1c43d..0a9b195b8 100644
--- a/app/models/emails.js
+++ b/app/models/emails.js
@@ -50,9 +50,12 @@ const BYTES_15MB = bytes('15MB');
 
 const transporter = nodemailer.createTransport({
   streamTransport: true,
-  buffer: true
+  buffer: true,
+  logger: true
 });
 
+transporter.logger = logger;
+
 const scanner = new SpamScanner({
   logger,
   clamscan: env.NODE_ENV === 'test'
diff --git a/helpers/get-transporter.js b/helpers/get-transporter.js
index d9525b2a0..6ba72dded 100644
--- a/helpers/get-transporter.js
+++ b/helpers/get-transporter.js
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ async function getTransporter(connectionMap = new Map(), options = {}, err) {
       : {}),
     secure: false,
     secured: false,
-    logger,
+    logger: true, // NOTE: we remap this to our own logger below
     host: mx.host,
     port: mx.port,
     connection: mx.socket,
@@ -218,6 +218,9 @@ async function getTransporter(connectionMap = new Map(), options = {}, err) {
     tls
   });
 
+  // remap because shared logger does not use logger properly
+  transporter.logger = logger;
+
   const pool = {
     truthSource,
     mx,