Therm-A-Guard® Wildlife Protector

Technical Information

Therm-A-Guard® underwent multiple rounds of testing to certify the safety and longevity of the product. Here you’ll find answers to the more frequent technical questions we receive from our customers. 

Therm-A-Guard® Material Info

Therm-A-Guard® wildlife protectors are produced from an engineering-grade, high-density polyethylene called Marlex 9018, manufactured by the Chevron Phillips Chemical Corporation. The Marlex 9018 material was recommended for use in manufacturing the Therm-A-Guard by Chevrons chemical and material engineers. This HDPE has excellent cold and hot weather properties and would be the best choice for injection molding our design with very little change in material dimensions. Both the polyethylene material and the colorant additive are UV stabilized with the maximum amount of HALS stabilizer recommended for this HDPE. We have many electric utilities using the Therm-A-Guard wildlife protector for 15 to 20 years and are reporting no change in the material properties or function of the guard.

To see a detailed report of the material, click the button below.

Bushing Guard High Tech Material Information

An In Depth Look At Our 4 Therm-A-Guard® Dimensions

Click below to see a detailed drawing of each model 

Therm-A-Guard® Wildlife Protector

Technical Comparison Chart

Size Model # Price Each Useable Inside Height Maximum Bushing Diameter Exit Lead Cutout Size (Adjustable) Price Per Case Guards Per Case Store Link
Small TGB-50007 $11.00 7.00” 5.00" 1.25" $308.00 28* Buy Now
Medium TGB-65010 $16.25 10.00” 6.50" 2.00" $97.50 6* Buy Now
Large TGB-82512 $19.50 12.00" 8.25" 3.75" $117.00 6* Buy Now
Extra Large TGB-10517 $36.25 17.00" 10.5" 6.00" $108.75 3* Buy Now

*All Therm-A-Guard® Wildlife Protectors are sold by the case only – We DO NOT break up cases.

*Small Guards:         28 guards per case
*Medium Guards:    6 guards per case
*Large Guards:         6 guards per Case
*Ex-Large Guards:   3 guards per Case

Free samples are available for all sizes of our bushing covers. It's the perfect way to determine exactly what you need before placing a large order.

Therm-A-Guard® Installation

Therm-A-Guard® All Guard Installations

Total Time Needed: 5 minutes

Required Tools:

Heavy duty shears

Materials Required

- A Therm-A-Guard® wildlife protector of any size

Therm-A-Guard® Installation Instructions for All Guards

Step 1: Trim Top
Trim the top lead outlet rings to necessary size.
Trim Bushing Top Lead
Step 2 : Bend Latch
Bend latch inward to ensure a tight snap over latch fingers
Bend Bushing Guard Latch Inward
Step 3: Trim Bottom Fingers
Trim bottom fingers to ensure snug, but not overly tight, fit around top bushing skirt or bushing cap.
Trim Bottom Fingers of Bushing Guard

Therm-A-Guard® Side-Exit Lead Installations

Total Time Needed: 5 minutes

Required Tools:

Heavy duty shears

Materials Required

- A Therm-A-Guard® wildlife protector of any size

Therm-A-Guard® Side-Exit Lead Instructions

Step 1: Separate Halves
Separate hinged halves by gently twisting the two halves apart at the hinge.
Separate Side Hinged Halves of Mesh Bushing Guard
Step 2 : Trim Hinge Area
Trim hinge area for side-exit leads; one of the three hinges can be completely removed while still allowing proper function (Note: Remove area between hinges on model #TGB-50007)
Trim Area for Side Exists of the Mesh Bushing Guard
Step 3: Re-Snap
RE-snap hinges together and install guard around the top bushing skirt or bushing cap and latch securely in place.
Resnap Hinges Back Together on the Mesh Bushing Guard

Did you know: Therm-A-Guard® has been tested to remain in place in winds up to 125 MPH (winds over 125 MPH not tested). With the Therm-A-Guards mesh design there is very little surface area compared to a solid guard’s surface area for the wind to displace the guard.

Therm-A-Guard® Wildlife Protector

Testing & Certification Information

UV Stabilization Testing

Therm-A-Guard® was rigorously tested for UV stabilization and passed with flying colors.

Rural Utility Services Accepted

Our Products have been tested and are RUS Accepted by the USDA, Electrical Staff Division.

Therm-A-Guard® Technical FAQ

All Therm-A-Guard® models come with a 10-year warranty; however, many utilities across the US and abroad currently have Therm-A-Guards® installed for well over 10 years without any degradation in color or physical characteristics of the guard. The long life, with zero material change, despite years of blistering sun exposure, is attributed to the high levels of UV inhibitors added to our raw material.
Yes. Our medium, large and extra-large guards have hot stick handles and an easy-to-use latching system to install the guards hot when required. Our smallest guard, however, does not have hot stick handles. The small guard was designed for use where space and clearance between bushings might be a problem; extended hot stick handles could made proper clearances an issue.

Yes! Infrared inspections can now precisely detect hot spots on wildlife guarded equipment using the patented Therm-A-Guard® design. The view is clear enough to easily determine the exact cause of the hot spot and its actual temperature. Conventional solid wildlife guards mask this view and make it nearly impossible to accurately detect and report these hot spots.

Yes. Visual inspections can be performed on Therm-A-Guard® protected electrical equipment without having to remove the guard prior to the inspection. Additionally, sight gauge oil levels in bushings can now be verified along with visual conditions of the bushing.

The openings in the Therm-A-Guard® are approximately 3/10" in size. These openings are large enough to allow an unobstructed view of your protected equipment yet small enough to prevent wildlife from coming into contact with the energized equipment.

The Therm-A-Guard® has a body thickness approximately 1/10” thick The bottom bushing skirt grips and top exit lead fingers taper down to approximately 3/100” thick allowing for easy trimming to accommodate various exit lead and bushing skirt diameters.

Yes. The open design of the Therm-A-Guard® allows for increased air circulation around the guarded equipment thus maintaining cooler operating temperatures. Cooler temperatures are critical to the life expectancy of your bushing's gaskets.

Therm-A-Guard® is designed with a truly unique latching system. The system has multiple independent latching points insuring a secure hold to the wildlife guarded equipment. Designed with a conventional hinge system, as opposed to a living hinge, the Therm-A-Guard® can easily be removed and reinstalled without fear of damaging the hinge assembly.

The Therm-A-Guard® Wildlife Protector is manufactured in Tampa Bay, Florida U.S.A. Manufacturing in our ISO certified facility insures quality parts and materials in every Therm-A-Guard®.
We offer four (4) sizes of Therm-A-Guard®s that will cover nearly all bushings and potheads; overhead distribution transformers; substation transformers; substation breakers; regulators and reclosures. Please see our guard specification sheets for exact dimensions.

Yes. All Therm-A-Guard® models are UV stabilized with a .75% HALS UV stabilizer. This high level of UV stabilization is more than triple that of most outdoor polyethylene products and will provide a minimum of 10 years of outdoor life without degradation.

Yes. The Therm-A-Guard®s were installed on various sized bushings with top exit leads. The bushings and Therm-A-Guard®s were then subjected to sustained winds beginning at 50 MPH and continuing up to 125 MPH. The Therm-A-Guard® latching system held the guards firmly in place (Wind loads above 125 MPH were not tested). Additionally with our open mesh design there is considerably less surface area for the wind to affect the bushing cover than with a solid wildlife protector.
The Therm-A-Guard® is usually installed around the first skirt (top) below the exposed bushing or pothead connector. It can, however, be installed around the second skirt or the bushing cap if size or clearance is an issue. The larger guards were engineered to allow any one of the three or four hinges to be cut out for side-exit leads. The smaller guard was designed so that solid areas around the two hinges could be cut out to accommodate side exit leads. Additionally, the flexible bushing grips, located at the bottom of the guard, can be easily trimmed to accommodate various size bushing skirt diameters.

Therm-A-Guard® wildlife protectors are produced from an engineering-grade, high-density polyethylene called Marlex 9018, manufactured by Chevron-Phillips Chemical Corporation. (Complete material specifications and data sheets are available). The Therm-A-Guard® has a smooth, highly polished surface allowing rain to wash away contaminants that could otherwise build up. Both the polyethylene material and the colorant additive are UV stabilized.

Improve Your Utility’s Reliability Today!

Choose Therm-A-Guard® to protect your equipment from wildlife, increase reliability, improve worker safety and gain peace of mind.