diff --git a/shared/libebm/Purify.cpp b/shared/libebm/Purify.cpp
index f51902604..85ab5b89b 100644
--- a/shared/libebm/Purify.cpp
+++ b/shared/libebm/Purify.cpp
@@ -374,8 +374,7 @@ extern ErrorEbm PurifyInternal(const double tolerance,
          const double* pWeightRetry = aWeights;
          do {
             const double weight = *pWeightRetry;
-            EBM_ASSERT(!std::isnan(weight) && (0.0 == weight || std::numeric_limits<double>::min() <= weight) &&
-                  weight != std::numeric_limits<double>::infinity());
+            EBM_ASSERT(!std::isnan(weight) && 0.0 <= weight && weight != std::numeric_limits<double>::infinity());
             const double score = *IndexByte(pScores, iScoreRetry);
             if(!std::isnan(score) && !std::isinf(score)) {
                double weightTimesFactor = factorPre * weight;
@@ -1014,12 +1013,14 @@ extern ErrorEbm PurifyInternal(const double tolerance,
                   }
 
                   double newIntercept = *pIntercept;
-                  if(-std::numeric_limits<double>::min() < newIntercept &&
-                        newIntercept < std::numeric_limits<double>::min()) {
-                     // eliminate denormals
-                     newIntercept = 0.0;
-                  }
+                  EBM_ASSERT(!std::isnan(newIntercept)); // we never write NaN
+                  EBM_ASSERT(!std::isinf(newIntercept)); // we never write inf
+
+                  // *pIntercept started off as zero and we haven't written a denormal
+                  EBM_ASSERT(0.0 == newIntercept || newIntercept <= -std::numeric_limits<double>::min() ||
+                        std::numeric_limits<double>::min() <= newIntercept);
                   newIntercept += interceptChange;
+                  EBM_ASSERT(!std::isnan(newIntercept));
                   if(-std::numeric_limits<double>::min() < newIntercept &&
                         newIntercept < std::numeric_limits<double>::min()) {
                      // eliminate denormals