Is Thetford's "Smart Drain" system for your RV?

A few months back, Thetford, the big name in RV chemicals, introduced a new sewer hose and fitting package they call "Smart Drain." At our request, the company sent us a copy for evaluation. Since then, we've put it through some tests to get a handle on whether you want to pop the mid-$60 street price many are charging for it.

What makes the Smart Drain smart? The hose is the central character in the play. It's a pretty tough, accordion style drain hose. Unlike most RV drain hoses, it's not a slinky wrapped in a few layers of vinyl. Forget the metal, it's got a polymer coil, covered with some thick, durable material. No wires, no rust outs, and theoretically no pin-holes, the bane of most RV hoses. The company suggests it's nearly crush-proof. We got Rocky, our special assistant, to stand on the hose, then step off. Rocky, way back when, was a middle weight boxer, and he's no slouch for size today. Sure enough, step-on, step-off, the hose just pops right back. You could drive over this to test it to be even more sure.

On the "receiving" end of the hose, Thetford has added a "SureLock" fitting--not to be confused with Detective Holmes. Instead of bayonet-style twisting, the fitting presses up over a corresponding fitting (which the user installs and leaves on his RV), two plastic tabs are flipped into place, locking the hose on your RV until you flip them back. We yanked hard on the configuration, and the hose stayed tight, and in place. What we did find however, was one fly in the ointment. If the SmartLock fitting is not put on straight and flush to the receiver end, the lock tabs will lock the hose in place, true, but you can get leakage. This isn't probably a big deal for the average RVer, but if you're crawling under a truck camper with a straight down discharge port, it can be a bit of a hassle to see it clearly.

Other fittings included in the kit are a "stepped" sewer fitting, that the company says fits virtually any RV park, campground, or sewer dump station receiver. It has a handy handle that allows you to quickly pop the fitting out of the ground without a lot of mess. We don't do much campground sitting, but can easily see the advantages. There's also a 90 degree angle adapter, which we haven't used, but it's of durable construction.

In place of a standard "termination cap" to go over the RV port when the hose isn't connected is a rubber end cap. This will not only fit the RV valve adapter (that we left on the rig), but it will close off any of the other fittings in the system. At first I thought we'd hate the little cap deal, as it was hard to get on the adapter, and at our first stop we found it blowing in the breeze, having come loose. After a couple of uses though, it fit fine.

The hose is a handy devil, too. Compressed, it takes up just 5' of our hose-in-the-bumper compartment, but fully extended runs out to 15 feet. All in all, it seems like a pretty nice system. The price tag seems steep at the outset, but on reflection, if you hate fussing with flimsy vinyl coated hoses and their associated leaks, it may well be worth the investment.