I use it for real time data (around 22G/month, compressed) and I can do all sorts of filthy stuff with the database while the real time processes are running.

I use it for real time data (around 22G/month, compressed) and I can do all sorts of filthy stuff with the database while the real time processes are running. Increasing the retry timeout can help, using WAL can help. I'm sure you've tried all this though.