diff --git a/ParallelGravity.cpp b/ParallelGravity.cpp
index bbd6c65e9..31ba525b3 100644
--- a/ParallelGravity.cpp
+++ b/ParallelGravity.cpp
@@ -1151,7 +1151,7 @@ Main::Main(CkArgMsg* m) {
             param.bSphStep = 0;
             param.bDtAdjust = 0; // DtAdjust only affects gas
             }
-#if WENDLAND == 1
+#ifdef WENDLAND
         if(param.bDoGas && param.nSmooth < 32) {
             ckerr << "WARNING: nSmooth < 32 with WENDLAND kernel." << endl;
             ckerr << "WARNING: M4 kernel with be used for smoothing." << endl;
@@ -2401,13 +2401,13 @@ void Main::setupICs() {
 #ifdef DTADJUST
   ofsLog << " DTADJUST";
 #endif
-#if WENDLAND == 1
+#ifdef  WENDLAND
   ofsLog << " WENDLAND";
 #endif
-#if M4KERNEL == 1
+#ifdef M4KERNEL
   ofsLog << " M4KERNEL";
 #endif
-#if M6KERNEL == 1
+#ifdef M6KERNEL
   ofsLog << " M6KERNEL";
 #endif
 #ifdef SPLITGAS
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 04f1a593e..6c8b25723 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -704,6 +704,7 @@ infodir
 docdir
 oldincludedir
 includedir
+runstatedir
 localstatedir
 sharedstatedir
 sysconfdir
@@ -810,6 +811,7 @@ datadir='${datarootdir}'
 sysconfdir='${prefix}/etc'
 sharedstatedir='${prefix}/com'
 localstatedir='${prefix}/var'
+runstatedir='${localstatedir}/run'
 includedir='${prefix}/include'
 oldincludedir='/usr/include'
 docdir='${datarootdir}/doc/${PACKAGE_TARNAME}'
@@ -1062,6 +1064,15 @@ do
   | -silent | --silent | --silen | --sile | --sil)
     silent=yes ;;
 
+  -runstatedir | --runstatedir | --runstatedi | --runstated \
+  | --runstate | --runstat | --runsta | --runst | --runs \
+  | --run | --ru | --r)
+    ac_prev=runstatedir ;;
+  -runstatedir=* | --runstatedir=* | --runstatedi=* | --runstated=* \
+  | --runstate=* | --runstat=* | --runsta=* | --runst=* | --runs=* \
+  | --run=* | --ru=* | --r=*)
+    runstatedir=$ac_optarg ;;
+
   -sbindir | --sbindir | --sbindi | --sbind | --sbin | --sbi | --sb)
     ac_prev=sbindir ;;
   -sbindir=* | --sbindir=* | --sbindi=* | --sbind=* | --sbin=* \
@@ -1199,7 +1210,7 @@ fi
 for ac_var in	exec_prefix prefix bindir sbindir libexecdir datarootdir \
 		datadir sysconfdir sharedstatedir localstatedir includedir \
 		oldincludedir docdir infodir htmldir dvidir pdfdir psdir \
-		libdir localedir mandir
+		libdir localedir mandir runstatedir
 do
   eval ac_val=\$$ac_var
   # Remove trailing slashes.
@@ -1352,6 +1363,7 @@ Fine tuning of the installation directories:
   --sysconfdir=DIR        read-only single-machine data [PREFIX/etc]
   --sharedstatedir=DIR    modifiable architecture-independent data [PREFIX/com]
   --localstatedir=DIR     modifiable single-machine data [PREFIX/var]
+  --runstatedir=DIR       modifiable per-process data [LOCALSTATEDIR/run]
   --libdir=DIR            object code libraries [EPREFIX/lib]
   --includedir=DIR        C header files [PREFIX/include]
   --oldincludedir=DIR     C header files for non-gcc [/usr/include]
@@ -4592,9 +4604,9 @@ fi
 if test x$sph_kernel = xsph_none -a x$flag_sph_m6kernel_deprecated != x; then sph_kernel=$flag_sph_m6kernel_deprecated; fi
 if test x$sph_kernel = xsph_none -a x$flag_sph_wendland_deprecated != x; then sph_kernel=$flag_sph_wendland_deprecated; fi
 case $sph_kernel in
-	sph_none|"m4") FLAG_SPH_KERNEL="-DM4KERNEL=1 -DWENDLAND=0 -DM6KERNEL=0";;
-	m6           ) FLAG_SPH_KERNEL="-DM4KERNEL=0 -DWENDLAND=0 -DM6KERNEL=1";;
-	wendland     ) FLAG_SPH_KERNEL="-DM4KERNEL=0 -DWENDLAND=1 -DM6KERNEL=0";;
+	sph_none|"m4") FLAG_SPH_KERNEL="-DM4KERNEL";;
+	m6           ) FLAG_SPH_KERNEL="-DM6KERNEL";;
+	wendland     ) FLAG_SPH_KERNEL="-DWENDLAND";;
 	*            ) as_fn_error $? "invalid argument for '--enable-sph-kernel': $sph_kernel" "$LINENO" 5;;
 esac
 
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 324e8346c..753b9638c 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -215,9 +215,9 @@ AC_ARG_ENABLE([sph_kernel], [AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-sph-kernel], [SPH interpol
 if test x$sph_kernel = xsph_none -a x$flag_sph_m6kernel_deprecated != x; then sph_kernel=$flag_sph_m6kernel_deprecated; fi
 if test x$sph_kernel = xsph_none -a x$flag_sph_wendland_deprecated != x; then sph_kernel=$flag_sph_wendland_deprecated; fi
 case $sph_kernel in
-	sph_none|"m4") FLAG_SPH_KERNEL="-DM4KERNEL=1 -DWENDLAND=0 -DM6KERNEL=0";;
-	m6           ) FLAG_SPH_KERNEL="-DM4KERNEL=0 -DWENDLAND=0 -DM6KERNEL=1";;
-	wendland     ) FLAG_SPH_KERNEL="-DM4KERNEL=0 -DWENDLAND=1 -DM6KERNEL=0";;
+	sph_none|"m4") FLAG_SPH_KERNEL="-DM4KERNEL";;
+	m6           ) FLAG_SPH_KERNEL="-DM6KERNEL";;
+	wendland     ) FLAG_SPH_KERNEL="-DWENDLAND";;
 	*            ) AC_MSG_ERROR([invalid argument for '--enable-sph-kernel': $sph_kernel]);;
 esac
 AC_SUBST([FLAG_SPH_KERNEL])
diff --git a/smooth.h b/smooth.h
index 38cca36db..80b2ab0a6 100644
--- a/smooth.h
+++ b/smooth.h
@@ -504,11 +504,11 @@ inline double dkernelM4(double ar2)
  * @return KERNEL = (pi h^3) W
  */
 inline double KERNEL(double ar2, int nSmooth) {
-#if WENDLAND == 1
+#if defined WENDLAND
     return kernelWendland(ar2, nSmooth);
-#elif M6KERNEL == 1
+#elif defined M6KERNEL
     return kernelM6(ar2);
-#elif M4KERNEL == 1
+#elif defined M4KERNEL
     return kernelM4(ar2);
 #else
     #error No available kernel selected.
@@ -526,11 +526,11 @@ inline double KERNEL(double ar2, int nSmooth) {
  * saying:  gradW = (1/(pi h^5)) DKERNEL * dx
  */
 inline double DKERNEL(double ar2) {
-#if WENDLAND == 1
+#if defined WENDLAND
     return dkernelWendland(ar2);
-#elif M6KERNEL == 1
+#elif defined M6KERNEL
     return dkernelM6(ar2);
-#elif M4KERNEL == 1
+#elif defined M4KERNEL
     return dkernelM4(ar2);
 #else
     #error No available kernel selected.