diff --git a/src/logging/BaseLogger.js b/src/logging/BaseLogger.js
index 063bea31..1d231b90 100644
--- a/src/logging/BaseLogger.js
+++ b/src/logging/BaseLogger.js
@@ -48,8 +48,6 @@ export class BaseLogger {
             logLevel = LogLevel.Info;
         }
         const item = new LogItem(labelOrValues, logLevel, null, this);
-        const refId = Math.round(this._platform.random() * Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER);
-        item.set("refId", refId);
         this._run(item, callback, logLevel, filterCreator, false /* don't throw, nobody is awaiting */);
         return item;
     }
@@ -150,4 +148,8 @@ export class BaseLogger {
     _now() {
         return this._platform.clock.now();
     }
+
+    _createRefId() {
+        return Math.round(this._platform.random() * Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/logging/LogItem.js b/src/logging/LogItem.js
index 203c788c..e699a4ac 100644
--- a/src/logging/LogItem.js
+++ b/src/logging/LogItem.js
@@ -39,9 +39,12 @@ export class LogItem {
         this.refDetached(this.runDetached(labelOrValues, callback, logLevel, filterCreator));
     }
 
-    /** logs a reference to a different log item, obtained from runDetached.
+    /** logs a reference to a different log item, usually obtained from runDetached.
     This is useful if the referenced operation can't be awaited. */
     refDetached(logItem, logLevel = null) {
+        if (!logItem._values.refId) {
+            logItem.set("refId", this._logger._createRefId());
+        }
         return this.log({ref: logItem._values.refId}, logLevel);
     }