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Introducing ValuGard

The substation protection solution for municipalities

Overview: The Substation Protection Solution for Municipalities

For decades, TransGard has provided its Premium Fence system to the power generation and distribution industry. Now, we’re offering the same level of protection to local governments and municipalities, designed with their budgets in mind.

 

The ValuGard fence is designed to safeguard essential substation infrastructure from animal incursions. TransGard’s innovative fencing solution is perfect for municipalities committed to maintaining uninterrupted service and reducing costs. The ValuGard fence uses the same proven technology as our Premium Fence scaled down to fit the financial and equipment needs of a municipality while maintaining the protection that IEEE calls the most effective barrier against animal incursions.


TransGard offers the ValuGard fence in three different-sized kits, and comes with everything required to protect a municipality’s substation from climbing animals.
Standard ValuGard panel size options include10’ X 3’, 6’6” X 3’, and 3’4” X 3’. The standard kit also includes a control center and stand, energizer, Fault Finder/ High Voltage Meter, swing entry gate, and required hardware.


Each kit also includes installation by a certified TransGard installer and comes with a 10 Year warranty that includes 100% of the replacement cost of any fence and/or control center component.


For more information, contact your TransGard representative at 717.900.6140. 

At a Glance: A unique solution to substation outages

TransGard’s specially engineered substation fencing system offers significant advantages to substation operators:

Easy installation

A crew of three can complete a 300-foot TransGard enclosure in just four hours with basic tools—no special training, no heavy equipment, and no power interruption required during installation.

Freestanding protection

TransGard fencing installs on the ground, requiring no postholes, foundation or concrete. TransGard requires far less material, expense and time than a perimeter fence.

Modular design

Construction using a series of panels enables a modular design–any section can be used as hinged gateway, providing quick maintenance access. Substations can easily reuse panels, reconfigure a fence, or add new panels to expand a system.

Engineered entryway

The system offers substation access through a non-electrified entry system, designed with a smooth finish and tight clearances to prevent animal intruders.

Prevent incursion from a wide range of species

Squirrels, raccoons, opossums, cats, iguanas, frogs, and other climbing animals–none can breach the TransGard fence.

Durable materials

Built with stainless steel, aluminum, and PVC that conforms to the UL94 V-0 flammability standard for plastics protect your assets by minimizing the spread of fire and reduce maintenance.

Galvanized steel bases

Specially designed circular stand bases create a strong, level fencing system.

Components of a TransGard Fence

Primary Entryways

Primary Entryways house the Control Center and is offered in a Full-Door and Step-Plate version. The Primary Step-Plate Entryway is an excellent solution for sites that experience annual snowfall. The Primary Full-Door Entryway will suit all other environments and conditions. The Control Center houses the system’s electronic components, including the digital voltmeter, energizer, alert beacon system, SCADA module and more.

STANDARD Fence Panels

Standard Fence Panels are designed to prevent incursion from squirrels, raccoons, opossums, iguanas, frogs, and other climbing animals.

Secondary Entryways

Secondary Entryways provide additional means of egress to your fence. The Secondary Step-Plate Entryway is an excellent solution for sites that experience annual snowfall. The  Secondary Full-Door Entryways suit all other environments and conditions.

Emergency Exit Panels

Emergency Exit Panels add additional points of exit from the fence enclosure for personnel safety. Equipped with 14 GAW zinc coated wire mesh, providing 48” of vertical protection from climbing animals.

Wind Anchor

Wind Anchor System (Patent Pending) improves the fence’s performance in areas that experience high sustained winds, or in areas that cannot easily accommodate the recommended zig-zag installation pattern. Using this option secures the fence panels, Primary and Secondary Entryways in a variety of surfaces from sand to asphalt to withstand a pull-out force up to 14,000 lbs.

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Laser Bird Defense

For decades, bird incursions at substations have resulted in headaches, outages and expensive cleanups due to corrosive bird droppings.

FAQs: Answers to Common Questions

Yes. Next to weather-related damage, animal intrusions are the most common causes of substation outages. Animal incursions—from squirrels, raccoons, snakes, domestic cats and other climbing animals—cause substation outages in urban, suburban and remote locations from Maine to California. Outages can lead to thousands of frustrated customers, damage to a power provider’s reputation, and unplanned expenses. In fact, a single outage can involve tens of thousands of dollars in equipment, man-hours and other repair costs—and with more substations employing sophisticated automation equipment, those costs are on the rise.

TransGard was created exclusively to solve the growing problem of animal incursions at substations. Developed by a team of engineers and scientists with 60 years of background in animal containment and exclusion, the TransGard fence has undergone extensive research and field-testing. These fences have a 20-year track record of keeping climbing animals away from more than 3,000 locations at dozens of utilities in North America.

TransGard fences prevents incursion from a wide range of species of climbing animals including squirrels, raccoons, opossums, cats, iguanas, frogs, and others. The fence improves overall substation security—including repelling potential copper thieves.

No. A crew of three can complete a 300-foot TransGard enclosure in just four hours with basic tools—no special training, no heavy equipment, and no power interruption required. TransGard requires no postholes, foundation or concrete to anchor the fencing components—each fence panel is secured via a specially designed circular galvanized stand base.

No. The system’s basic building block, the 4′ x 10′ panel, creates a modular design—it can be as large or as small as your substation requires. Substations can easily reconfigure a fence, or add new panels to expand a system, and any section can be used as a hinged gateway, providing quick maintenance access. The system also offers substation access through a non-electrified entry system, designed with a smooth finish and tight clearances to prevent animal intruders.

 

No. TransGard fences deliver a mild, electric shock to anything that comes in contact with fence panels. This safe, humane approach instructs animals to keep away, protecting wildlife from electrocution within a substation. According to an IEEE survey, this form of substation protection provides the most effective barrier against animal incursion.

The durable PVC and steel fence materials are designed to be resistant to high winds, cold and bad weather. Most notably, the zig-zag pattern of panel installation adds overall fence stability and resistance to wind.

No. TransGard recommends an annual maintenance check that takes about 30 minutes to perform. That maintenance includes things like keeping the fence area clear from vegetation overgrowth or downed branches. Maintenance teams are also instructed to make sure no gaps appear between fence panels or between the fence and the ground.

At a Glance: Ease of Installation

As we’ve noted above, one of the biggest assets of a TransGard fence is how quickly it can be installed. A team of just 2-3 people can place a fence around a substation in less than a day, without the need for specialized equipment, and without having to power down the substation.


To see just how easy this installation is, click on the short video below.

NEW: ValuGard - the substation protection solution for municipalities. CLICK HERE for more information.

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Primary Full-Door Entryway

full door entryway

TransGard’s Primary Full-Door Entryway serves as the main means of egress and houses the systems Control Center.


Entryway Specifications:

  • Frame is constructed with extruded 6061-T6 aircraft grade aluminum for ultimate strength and corrosion resistance
  • For additional means of egress, add a TransGard Secondary Entryway (available in Full-Door and Step-Plate)
  • Safety hinges to prevent contact with an energized fence
  • Polished aluminum surface to prevent climbing animals
  • Entryway is non-energized for personnel safety and access while the fence is active.

System Power Requirements:

 

120VAC power. The TransGard fence system draws less than 4 amps during operation. (TransGard recommends using a 15 to 20 amp breaker)

Control Center Specifications:

  • Digital voltmeter, energizer, alert strobe system, LED indicator, power supply/conditioner and SCADA contact module housed in a NEMA 4X enclosure (UL508A listed E61997)
  • Equipped with a lockout/tagout master disconnect switch
  • Operating Temperature Range -40C to 60C

Primary Step-Plate Entryway

TransGard’s Primary Step-Plate Entryway is designed for sites that often experience snow to allow operators to easily enter the substation for maintenance during the winter months.  The primary entryway is the main means of egress and houses the system’s Control Center.

 
Entryway Specifications:

  • Frame is constructed with extruded 6061-T6 aircraft grade aluminum for ultimate strength and corrosion resistance
  • Safety hinges prevent contact with an energized fence
  • Polished aluminum surface further prevents climbing animals
  • Entryway is non-energized for personnel safety and access while the fence is active
  • Entryways have the same width dimension as our smallest panel size, 3’4″

System Power Requirements:

 

120VAC power. The TransGard fence system draws less than 4 amps during operation. (TransGard recommends using a 15 to 20 amp breaker)

Control Center Specifications:

  • Digital voltmeter, energizer, alert beacon system, LED indicator, power supply/conditioner and SCADA contact module housed in a NEMA 4X enclosure (UL508A listed E61997)
  • Equipped with a lockout/tagout master disconnect switch
  • Operating Temperature Range -40C to 60C

Standard Fence Panels

TG R400 Full Regular Panel
2 3 Regular Panel
1 3 Regular Panel
TransGard’s patented Standard Fence Panels come equipped with 14 GAW zinc coated wire mesh, providing 48” of vertical protection from climbing animals.

Panel Specifications:
  • Constructed of durable extruded PVC that meets UL94 V-0 flammability standards
  • Electrical connections use class 3 galvanized wire with a non-flammable oxide inhibiting grease for maximum corrosion resistance
  • Available in three different lengths to address any site requirements: 10′, 6’6″, and 3’4″
  • Installed with galvanized steel stands secured in 3-5” of gravel: no postholes, foundation or concrete required
For details on further securing your fence with TransGard’s Wind Anchoring System click here about our fence solutions.
 

Secondary Full-Door Entryway

full door gateway

TransGard’s Secondary Full-Door Entryway serves as an additional means of egress:

 

Entryway Specifications:

  • Frame is constructed with extruded 6061-T6 aircraft grade aluminum for ultimate strength and corrosion resistance
  • Safety hinges prevent contact with an energized fence
  • Polished aluminum surface further prevents climbing animals
  • Entryway is non-energized for personnel safety and access while fence is active
  • Entryways have the same width dimension as our smallest panel size, 3’4″

Secondary Step-Plate Entryway

step plate gateway

TransGard’s Secondary Step-Plate Entryway is engineered for sites that experience annual snowfall to allow operators to easily enter the substation for maintenance during the winter months, and serves as an additional means of egress:

 

Entryway Specifications:

  • Frame is constructed with extruded 6061-T6 aircraft grade aluminum for ultimate strength and corrosion resistance
  • Safety hinges prevent contact with an energized fence
  • Polished aluminum surface further prevents climbing animals
  • Entryway is non-energized for personnel safety and access while fence is active
  • Entryways have the same width dimension as our smallest panel size, 3’4″

Emergency Exit Panels

Emergency Exit Panel Outside scaled
Emergency Exit Panel Open Exit scaled

TransGard’s Emergency Exit Panels add additional points of exit from the fence enclosure for personnel safety. Equipped with 14 GAW zinc coated wire mesh, providing 48” of vertical protection from climbing animals.


Panel Specifications:

  • Constructed of durable extruded PVC that meets UL94 V-0 flammability standards
  • Feature patented hinge technology
  • Electrical connections use class 3 galvanized wire with a non-flammable oxide-inhibiting grease for maximum corrosion resistance
  • Available in 10′ panels and can be configured at the time of initial installation, or can retrofit existing installations
  • Installed with galvanized steel stands that are secured 3-5” in gravel: no postholes, foundation or concrete required
  • Hinges are constructed with extruded 6005A-T6 aluminum and clear satin anodized for ultimate strength and corrosion resistance

PATENT PENDING

Fence Wind Anchoring System

INST install anchor with drill scaled
Wind Anchor Screws

TransGard’s Wind Anchoring System will secure your Standard or Premium Snake Fence System, including Primary and Secondary Entryways, in a variety of surfaces from sand to asphalt to withstand a pull-out force up to 14,000 lbs.


System Specifications:

  • Constructed of durable 304 Stainless Steel for ultimate strength and corrosion resistance
  • Anchors are cast 356 aircraft-grade aluminum, heat-treated to T6 specifications
  • UV Resistant UHMW threaded cap to safely secure the fence to the stand
  • System can be configured at the time of initial installation or can retrofit existing installations

Learn more about our fence solutions.

 
 



PATENT PENDING