diff --git a/system/database/DB_query_builder.php b/system/database/DB_query_builder.php
index ab19d97..56d2c0c 100644
--- a/system/database/DB_query_builder.php
+++ b/system/database/DB_query_builder.php
@@ -2485,26 +2485,27 @@
 	 */
 	protected function _compile_order_by()
 	{
-		if (is_array($this->qb_orderby) && count($this->qb_orderby) > 0)
+		if (empty($this->qb_orderby))
 		{
-			for ($i = 0, $c = count($this->qb_orderby); $i < $c; $i++)
-			{
-				if ($this->qb_orderby[$i]['escape'] !== FALSE && ! $this->_is_literal($this->qb_orderby[$i]['field']))
-				{
-					$this->qb_orderby[$i]['field'] = $this->protect_identifiers($this->qb_orderby[$i]['field']);
-				}
+			return '';
+		}
 
-				$this->qb_orderby[$i] = $this->qb_orderby[$i]['field'].$this->qb_orderby[$i]['direction'];
+		for ($i = 0, $c = count($this->qb_orderby); $i < $c; $i++)
+		{
+			if (is_string($this->qb_orderby[$i]))
+			{
+				continue;
 			}
 
-			return $this->qb_orderby = "\nORDER BY ".implode(', ', $this->qb_orderby);
-		}
-		elseif (is_string($this->qb_orderby))
-		{
-			return $this->qb_orderby;
+			if ($this->qb_orderby[$i]['escape'] !== FALSE && ! $this->_is_literal($this->qb_orderby[$i]['field']))
+			{
+				$this->qb_orderby[$i]['field'] = $this->protect_identifiers($this->qb_orderby[$i]['field']);
+			}
+
+			$this->qb_orderby[$i] = $this->qb_orderby[$i]['field'].$this->qb_orderby[$i]['direction'];
 		}
 
-		return '';
+		return "\nORDER BY ".implode(', ', $this->qb_orderby);
 	}
 
 	// --------------------------------------------------------------------