At Rainstopper, patents are not about protecting ideas for their own sake. They exist to solve problems that show up in the field, day after day, manhole after manhole.

Over the years, we have developed and secured multiple U.S. patents related to manhole inflow protection. Each one came out of a specific challenge that municipalities, engineers, and crews were already dealing with. The goal was never novelty. The goal was reliability, safety, and fewer headaches after installation.

Designed Around Real-World Use

Every patented feature in a Rainstopper insert addresses a practical issue:

Tetherlok System
Prevents theft, loss, and accidental drop-through during inspections or maintenance. Inserts are secured to the manhole frame with a braided stainless steel cable, and the cover cannot be replaced until the insert is properly reattached. This prevents costly retrievals and ensures accountability.

50-Year Gasket
Addresses premature seal failure. Engineered and tested to withstand long-term exposure to water head, pressure, and environmental stress without leaking. Tested at over 16 feet of water head for more than 2,400 hours with zero leakage.

Patented Relief Valve Design
Provides non-mechanical venting of sewer gases. With no moving parts, there is nothing to seize, corrode, or break. The offset placement reduces the risk of damage during routine inspections.

Ribbed Pan Structure
Adds strength where it matters without increasing weight. The design improves load performance while keeping the insert light enough for one-person installation.

None of these features were created in isolation. They were shaped by feedback from the field and refined over time through thousands of real installations.

Patents That Perform Over Time

Innovation only matters if it holds up years after installation. Rainstopper’s patented designs have been used in thousands of manholes across the country, in conditions ranging from flood events and heavy traffic loads to corrosive environments and daily maintenance routines.

That long-term performance is what gives patents their value. Not as documents on paper, but as solutions that continue to work long after the job is done.

Built With Purpose

Rainstopper’s approach to innovation is straightforward: identify a real problem, design a solution that makes work safer or more reliable, test it, refine it, then stand behind it.

Our patents reflect that mindset. They exist to reduce risk, extend service life, and support the people responsible for keeping collection systems running.

Questions about how these patented features apply to your project?

Phone: 318-667-4330
Email: Info@rainstoppercompany.com