diff --git a/src/engine/cache_engine.c b/src/engine/cache_engine.c
index 8512e17..6a23e96 100644
--- a/src/engine/cache_engine.c
+++ b/src/engine/cache_engine.c
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 #include "engine_d2c.h"
 #include "engine_ops.h"
 #include "../utils/utils_part.h"
+#include "../utils/utils_refcnt.h"
 #include "../utils/utils_req.h"
 #include "../metadata/metadata.h"
 #include "../eviction/eviction.h"
@@ -231,10 +232,6 @@ ocf_cache_mode_t ocf_get_effective_cache_mode(ocf_cache_t cache,
 	if (ocf_fallback_pt_is_on(cache))
 		mode = ocf_cache_mode_pt;
 
-	if (mode == ocf_cache_mode_wb &&
-			env_atomic_read(&cache->flush_started))
-		mode = ocf_cache_mode_wt;
-
 	return mode;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/mngt/ocf_mngt_cache.c b/src/mngt/ocf_mngt_cache.c
index ba62bfe..35ee562 100644
--- a/src/mngt/ocf_mngt_cache.c
+++ b/src/mngt/ocf_mngt_cache.c
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 #include "../utils/utils_io.h"
 #include "../utils/utils_cache_line.h"
 #include "../utils/utils_pipeline.h"
+#include "../utils/utils_refcnt.h"
 #include "../ocf_utils.h"
 #include "../concurrency/ocf_concurrency.h"
 #include "../eviction/ops.h"
@@ -1584,7 +1585,6 @@ static void _ocf_mngt_attach_post_init(ocf_pipeline_t pipeline,
 		context->flags.cleaner_started = true;
 	}
 
-	env_waitqueue_init(&cache->pending_dirty_wq);
 	env_waitqueue_init(&cache->pending_cache_wq);
 
 	env_atomic_set(&cache->attached, 1);
@@ -2419,7 +2419,7 @@ static void ocf_mngt_cache_detach_finish(ocf_pipeline_t pipeline,
 	struct ocf_mngt_cache_detach_context *context = priv;
 	ocf_cache_t cache = context->cache;
 
-	ENV_BUG_ON(env_atomic_dec_return(&cache->flush_started) < 0);
+	ocf_refcnt_unfreeze(&cache->dirty);
 
 	if (!error) {
 		ocf_cache_log(cache, log_info, "Successfully detached\n");
@@ -2479,7 +2479,7 @@ void ocf_mngt_cache_detach(ocf_cache_t cache,
 	context->cache = cache;
 
 	/* prevent dirty io */
-	env_atomic_inc(&cache->flush_started);
+	ocf_refcnt_freeze(&cache->dirty);
 
 	ocf_pipeline_next(pipeline);
 }
diff --git a/src/mngt/ocf_mngt_flush.c b/src/mngt/ocf_mngt_flush.c
index 8842715..8ba52a0 100644
--- a/src/mngt/ocf_mngt_flush.c
+++ b/src/mngt/ocf_mngt_flush.c
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 #include "../utils/utils_cache_line.h"
 #include "../utils/utils_part.h"
 #include "../utils/utils_pipeline.h"
+#include "../utils/utils_refcnt.h"
 #include "../utils/utils_req.h"
 #include "../ocf_def_priv.h"
 
@@ -77,30 +78,31 @@ struct ocf_mngt_cache_flush_context
 	struct flush_containers_context fcs;
 };
 
+static void _ocf_mngt_begin_flush_complete(void *priv)
+{
+	struct ocf_mngt_cache_flush_context *context = priv;
+	ocf_pipeline_next(context->pipeline);
+}
+
 static void _ocf_mngt_begin_flush(ocf_pipeline_t pipeline, void *priv,
 		ocf_pipeline_arg_t arg)
 {
 	struct ocf_mngt_cache_flush_context *context = priv;
 	ocf_cache_t cache = context->cache;
 
-	/* FIXME: need mechanism for async waiting for outstanding flushed to
+	/* FIXME: need mechanism for async waiting for outstanding flushes to
 	 * finish */
 	env_mutex_lock(&cache->flush_mutex);
 
-	env_atomic_inc(&cache->flush_started);
+	ocf_refcnt_freeze(&cache->dirty);
 
-	/* FIXME: remove waitqueue from async begin */
-	env_waitqueue_wait(cache->pending_dirty_wq,
-			!env_atomic_read(&cache->pending_dirty_requests));
-
-	cache->flushing_interrupted = 0;
-
-	ocf_pipeline_next(context->pipeline);
+	ocf_refcnt_register_zero_cb(&cache->dirty,
+			_ocf_mngt_begin_flush_complete, context);
 }
 
 static void _ocf_mngt_end_flush(ocf_cache_t cache)
 {
-	ENV_BUG_ON(env_atomic_dec_return(&cache->flush_started) < 0);
+	ocf_refcnt_unfreeze(&cache->dirty);
 
 	env_mutex_unlock(&cache->flush_mutex);
 }
@@ -598,6 +600,7 @@ static void _ocf_mngt_cache_flush(ocf_pipeline_t pipeline, void *priv,
 		ocf_pipeline_arg_t arg)
 {
 	struct ocf_mngt_cache_flush_context *context = priv;
+	context->cache->flushing_interrupted = 0;
 	_ocf_mngt_flush_all_cores(context, _ocf_mngt_flush_all_cores_complete);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/ocf_cache_priv.h b/src/ocf_cache_priv.h
index 99bc000..333ad3e 100644
--- a/src/ocf_cache_priv.h
+++ b/src/ocf_cache_priv.h
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 #include "metadata/metadata_partition_structs.h"
 #include "metadata/metadata_updater_priv.h"
 #include "utils/utils_list.h"
+#include "utils/utils_refcnt.h"
 #include "ocf_stats_priv.h"
 #include "cleaning/cleaning.h"
 #include "ocf_logger_priv.h"
@@ -172,8 +173,7 @@ struct ocf_cache {
 	env_atomic pending_cache_requests;
 	env_waitqueue pending_cache_wq;
 
-	env_atomic pending_dirty_requests;
-	env_waitqueue pending_dirty_wq;
+	struct ocf_refcnt dirty;
 
 	uint32_t fallback_pt_error_threshold;
 	env_atomic fallback_pt_error_counter;
@@ -195,9 +195,6 @@ struct ocf_cache {
 
 	env_atomic flush_in_progress;
 
-	/* Prevent dirty requests. May be incremented recursively */
-	env_atomic flush_started;
-
 	/* 1 if cache device attached, 0 otherwise */
 	env_atomic attached;
 
diff --git a/src/ocf_core.c b/src/ocf_core.c
index c32bb09..f5eefcb 100644
--- a/src/ocf_core.c
+++ b/src/ocf_core.c
@@ -153,30 +153,21 @@ static inline ocf_core_t ocf_volume_to_core(ocf_volume_t volume)
 	return core_volume->core;
 }
 
-static inline void inc_dirty_req_counter(struct ocf_core_io *core_io,
-		ocf_cache_t cache)
+static inline int ocf_io_set_dirty(ocf_cache_t cache,
+		struct ocf_core_io *core_io)
 {
-	core_io->dirty = 1;
-	env_atomic_inc(&cache->pending_dirty_requests);
+	core_io->dirty = ocf_refcnt_inc(&cache->dirty);
+	return core_io->dirty ? 0 : -EBUSY;
 }
 
 static inline void dec_counter_if_req_was_dirty(struct ocf_core_io *core_io,
 		ocf_cache_t cache)
 {
-	int pending_dirty_req_count;
-
 	if (!core_io->dirty)
 		return;
 
-	pending_dirty_req_count =
-		env_atomic_dec_return(&cache->pending_dirty_requests);
-
-	ENV_BUG_ON(pending_dirty_req_count < 0);
-
 	core_io->dirty = 0;
-
-	if (!pending_dirty_req_count)
-		env_waitqueue_wake_up(&cache->pending_dirty_wq);
+	ocf_refcnt_dec(&cache->dirty);
 }
 
 static inline int ocf_core_validate_io(struct ocf_io *io)
@@ -258,15 +249,9 @@ void ocf_core_submit_io_mode(struct ocf_io *io, ocf_cache_mode_t cache_mode)
 
 	if (cache_mode == ocf_cache_mode_none)
 		req_cache_mode = ocf_get_effective_cache_mode(cache, core, io);
-
-	if (req_cache_mode == ocf_req_cache_mode_wb) {
-		inc_dirty_req_counter(core_io, cache);
-
-		//Double cache mode check prevents sending WB request
-		//while flushing is performed.
-		req_cache_mode = ocf_get_effective_cache_mode(cache, core, io);
-		if (req_cache_mode != ocf_req_cache_mode_wb)
-			dec_counter_if_req_was_dirty(core_io, cache);
+	if (req_cache_mode == ocf_req_cache_mode_wb &&
+			ocf_io_set_dirty(cache, core_io)) {
+		req_cache_mode = ocf_req_cache_mode_wt;
 	}
 
 	core_io->req = ocf_req_new(io->io_queue, core, io->addr, io->bytes,
@@ -332,14 +317,9 @@ int ocf_core_submit_io_fast(struct ocf_io *io)
 	}
 
 	req_cache_mode = ocf_get_effective_cache_mode(cache, core, io);
-	if (req_cache_mode == ocf_req_cache_mode_wb) {
-		inc_dirty_req_counter(core_io, cache);
-
-		//Double cache mode check prevents sending WB request
-		//while flushing is performed.
-		req_cache_mode = ocf_get_effective_cache_mode(cache, core, io);
-		if (req_cache_mode != ocf_req_cache_mode_wb)
-			dec_counter_if_req_was_dirty(core_io, cache);
+	if (req_cache_mode == ocf_req_cache_mode_wb &&
+			ocf_io_set_dirty(cache, core_io)) {
+		req_cache_mode = ocf_req_cache_mode_wt;
 	}
 
 	switch (req_cache_mode) {