diff --git a/README.txt b/README.txt
index fc5ee84..a6a1c0c 100644
--- a/README.txt
+++ b/README.txt
@@ -85,6 +85,17 @@ directory, not directly the ones provided with this module.
 You'll have to restart your Solr server after making such changes, for them to
 take effect.
 
+Hidden Configuration
+----------
+
+The variable search_api_solr_connection_class is used to define the connection information
+that will be used to connect to solr. This was abstracted into a variable to allow services
+that automatically setup solr for a particular site to override the default connection class.
+
+To see an example of how a connection class can be defined, check out the Pantheon Search 
+implementation: https://github.com/pantheon-systems/drops-7/blob/master/modules/pantheon/
+pantheon_apachesolr/Pantheon_Search_Api_Solr_Service.php.
+
 Developers
 ----------
 
diff --git a/search_api_solr.install b/search_api_solr.install
index 3b88e86..14fdccb 100644
--- a/search_api_solr.install
+++ b/search_api_solr.install
@@ -108,6 +108,7 @@ function search_api_solr_uninstall() {
       ->execute();
   }
   variable_del('search_api_solr_last_optimize');
+  variable_del('search_api_solr_connection_class');
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/service.inc b/service.inc
index 8bc1e4b..ed2d7a5 100644
--- a/service.inc
+++ b/service.inc
@@ -230,7 +230,8 @@ class SearchApiSolrService extends SearchApiAbstractService {
       if (!class_exists('Apache_Solr_Service')) {
         throw new Exception(t('SolrPhpClient library not found! Please follow the instructions in search_api_solr/INSTALL.txt for installing the Solr search module.'));
       }
-      $this->solr = new SearchApiSolrConnection($this->options);
+      $class = variable_get('search_api_solr_connection_class', 'SearchApiSolrConnection');
+      $this->solr = new $class($this->options);
     }
   }
 
@@ -845,7 +846,9 @@ class SearchApiSolrService extends SearchApiAbstractService {
       }
       else {
         $key = trim($key);
-        $key = SearchApiSolrConnection::phrase($key);
+        $class = variable_get('search_api_solr_connection_class', 'SearchApiSolrConnection');
+        $key = $class::phrase($key);
+        
         $k[] = $key;
       }
     }
@@ -923,7 +926,8 @@ class SearchApiSolrService extends SearchApiAbstractService {
    * and operator.
    */
   protected function createFilterQuery($field, $value, $operator, $field_info) {
-    $field = SearchApiSolrConnection::escapeFieldName($field);
+    $class = variable_get('search_api_solr_connection_class', 'SearchApiSolrConnection');
+    $field = $class::escapeFieldName($field);
     if ($value === NULL) {
       return ($operator == '=' ? '-' : '') . "$field:[* TO *]";
     }
@@ -962,8 +966,9 @@ class SearchApiSolrService extends SearchApiAbstractService {
         $value = format_date($value, 'custom', self::SOLR_DATE_FORMAT, 'UTC');
         break;
     }
-    return SearchApiSolrConnection::phrase($value);
-  }
+    $class = variable_get('search_api_solr_connection_class', 'SearchApiSolrConnection');
+    return $class::phrase($value);
+ }
 
   /**
    * Helper method for creating the facet field parameters.
@@ -987,11 +992,12 @@ class SearchApiSolrService extends SearchApiAbstractService {
       // Check for the "or" operator.
       if (isset($info['operator']) && $info['operator'] === 'or') {
         // Remember that filters for this field should be tagged.
-        $escaped = SearchApiSolrConnection::escapeFieldName($fields[$info['field']]);
-        $taggedFields[$escaped] = "{!tag=$escaped}";
+        $class = variable_get('search_api_solr_connection_class', 'SearchApiSolrConnection');
+        $escaped = $class::escapeFieldName($fields[$info['field']]);
+ $taggedFields[$escaped] = "{!tag=$escaped}";
         // Add the facet field.
         $facet_params['facet.field'][] = "{!ex=$escaped}$field";
-      }
+    }
       else {
         // Add the facet field.
         $facet_params['facet.field'][] = $field;
@@ -1054,7 +1060,9 @@ class SearchApiSolrService extends SearchApiAbstractService {
       $k = $keys;
       $fields = $params['qf'];
       unset($params['qf']);
-      $keys = implode(":($k) OR ", array_map(array('SearchApiSolrConnection', 'escapeFieldName'), $fields)) . ":($k)";
+      $class = variable_get('search_api_solr_connection_class', 'SearchApiSolrConnection');
+      $keys = implode(":($k) OR ", array_map(array($class, 'escapeFieldName'), $fields)) . ":($k)";
+  
       return TRUE;
     }
     return FALSE;