diff --git a/components/eamxx/scripts/test_factory.py b/components/eamxx/scripts/test_factory.py
index a81e9dbdd481..47ae47367218 100644
--- a/components/eamxx/scripts/test_factory.py
+++ b/components/eamxx/scripts/test_factory.py
@@ -156,6 +156,7 @@ def __init__(self, tas):
             "Release build where tests run through valgrind",
             [("CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE", "RelWithDebInfo"),
              ("EKAT_ENABLE_VALGRIND", "True"),
+             ("SCREAM_PACK_SIZE", "1"),
              ("SCREAM_TEST_MAX_THREADS", "2")],
             uses_baselines=False,
             on_by_default=False,
diff --git a/components/eamxx/tests/generic/fail_check/valg_fail.cpp b/components/eamxx/tests/generic/fail_check/valg_fail.cpp
index ba0ba6f59b3c..5bbd694dad37 100644
--- a/components/eamxx/tests/generic/fail_check/valg_fail.cpp
+++ b/components/eamxx/tests/generic/fail_check/valg_fail.cpp
@@ -6,15 +6,18 @@ namespace scream {
 
 TEST_CASE("force_valgrind_err")
 {
-  bool uninit;
+  bool* uninit = new bool[1];
   int i = 0;
-  if (uninit) {
+  if (uninit[0]) {
     ++i;
   }
   else {
     i += 4;
   }
-  REQUIRE(i < 10);
+  if (i<4) {
+    printf("less than four\n");
+  }
+  delete uninit;
 }
 
 } // empty namespace
diff --git a/components/homme/src/share/namelist_mod.F90 b/components/homme/src/share/namelist_mod.F90
index 1d47090182ba..c8825b3e554f 100644
--- a/components/homme/src/share/namelist_mod.F90
+++ b/components/homme/src/share/namelist_mod.F90
@@ -426,6 +426,13 @@ subroutine readnl(par)
     se_ftype = ftype   ! MNL: For non-CAM runs, ftype=0 in control_mod
     nsplit = 1
     pertlim = 0.0_real_kind
+#else
+    se_partmethod = SFCURVE
+    se_ne = 0
+    se_ne_x = 0
+    se_ne_y = 0
+    se_lx = 0
+    se_ly = 0
 #endif
     sub_case      = 1
     numnodes      = -1