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Generator alarm texts for when your building loses power

When an ice storm takes the hydro down at 3 a.m., a generator alarm text tells the on-call person the building is on backup. If the generator fails to start, they hear that too. Your generator controller, transfer switch or BAS already emails these events. Welco turns each one into a short text with the site and the time.

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  • Controller, ATS or BAS email all work
  • The weekly exercise stays quiet
  • No per-user fees

Works by email with

  • Generator & power
  • APC UPS

A power one-line for Residence North: utility power drops, the generator starts, the transfer switch moves to emergency and NORTH.GEN.RUN-S goes into alarm. The email reaches Welco and the phone shows: “Welco: [Residence North] Generator run status in alarm at 3:31 AM. Reply STOP to opt out.”

Animation: a long Generator panel alert email is trimmed into one short text: "Welco: [Residence North] Generator run status in alarm at 3:31 AM. Reply STOP to opt out."

What generator alarm texts change in an outage

  • You hear about the outage first

    Not from a resident, a tenant or a cold building in the morning.

  • A failed start reaches two people

    The on-call operator and the maintenance manager each get one copy.

  • The weekly test wakes nobody

    A time-window rule drops run alarms during the scheduled exercise only.

A hydro outage at 3:31 a.m. in an ice storm

Freezing rain has brought down lines across the region. A long-term care home is dark except for the emergency circuits, and it is -15 C outside. Here is how the night plays out.

  1. The BAS emails the generator run point

    GEN.RUN-S Alarm 12: Generator Run Status Is In Alarm

  2. Welco checks the exercise window

    The weekly test runs Tuesday mornings, so a run at 3:31 a.m. is real. The rule sends it to the on-call operator and the maintenance manager.

  3. Both phones get the same short text

    Welco: [Residence North] On generator, utility power lost at 3:31 AM. Reply STOP to opt out.

  4. The operator checks fuel, the ATS and the boilers on site

  5. Hydro returns, and the stand-down text arrives

    Welco: [Residence North] ATS-1 back on utility at 9:12 AM. Reply STOP to opt out.

Times are an example. The alarm email only leaves the building if its network path is on backup power.

Power events your on-call person should hear about

These are the events most facility teams want as texts, alongside their other building alarm notifications.

  • Generator running

    The power is out and the building is running on the generator.

  • Fail to start or shutdown fault

    The generator didn't run when asked, or it stopped on a fault like low oil pressure or a cold-start failure.

  • Transfer switch (ATS) change

    The ATS moved the load to emergency power, or back to utility.

  • Low fuel and battery charger faults

    Problems that won't stop the building today but will on the next outage.

  • UPS on battery

    The server room or a rack is on battery. See APC UPS text alerts.

What you need before you start

Generator alarms usually reach email in one of three ways. Any of them works.

  • The generator controller or its remote monitoring service emails events.
  • The transfer switch or a power meter has its own network card that sends email.
  • The generator is wired into your BAS as points, and the BAS emails the alarm the same way it sends HVAC alarm emails.

Send generator alarms as texts in 5 steps

Set this up on a calm day, ideally before the first winter storm, not during an outage. You'll want time to test it.

  1. Find the email that carries the alarm

    Check which device already sends generator emails today: the controller, the ATS or the BAS. If none does, turn on email alerts in the one your installer set up.

  2. Approve that sender in Welco

    Add the device's from address to your approved sender addresses. If the BAS sends it, approve the BAS mailbox. Welco refuses mail from any address you haven't approved.

  3. Add your Welco address as a recipient

    Put your Welco address in the alarm email list for generator run, fail to start, ATS transfer and low fuel. Keep routine status reports on email only.

  4. Quiet the weekly exercise run

    Most generators run a test once a week. Add an alert rule that drops Generator Running during that time window, so a planned test doesn't wake anyone.

  5. Test it during the next exercise

    Turn on test mode, which holds all texts, before the scheduled exercise. When the run alarm shows up in the Welco feed, the path works. Then turn test mode off.

Be the first to know the power is out

Approve your generator or BAS sender and add your Welco address to its alarm emails.

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A transfer switch alarm as a text

An autumn windstorm trips the feeder to an office tower at suppertime. Transfer switch emails list both sources and the load state. The text keeps what changed and when.

Alert email from ats1@power.example.ca, subject “ATS-1 Event: Transfer to Emergency”. Welco trims it to one text of 94 characters: “Welco: ATS-1 moved load to generator, utility not available at 7:02 PM. Reply STOP to opt out.”

Text received: Welco: ATS-1 moved load to generator, utility not available at 7:02 PM. Reply STOP to opt out.

Characters285941 credit

Animation: the alert email "ATS-1 Event: Transfer to Emergency" is trimmed into one text: "Welco: ATS-1 moved load to generator, utility not available at 7:02 PM. Reply STOP to opt out."

The text drops the device footer. See how one-text trimming works.

Make power alarms reliable when the power is out

A generator alarm is sent during the very event that can break email. Plan for that.

  • Keep the network path on backup power

    The alarm email needs the controller, a network switch, the firewall and the internet link to stay up. Put those on the generator or a UPS, or the email never leaves the building.

  • Text two people for a fail to start

    A failed start in January is urgent, most of all in hospitals and long-term care. Several phones per alert sends it to the on-call operator and the maintenance manager, once each.

  • Expect a burst when hydro returns

    When power comes back, many points can clear and alarm at once. A cap on alarm text bursts keeps the phone usable, and a rule can drop Return to Normal messages.

Why didn't the generator alarm text arrive?

Check the path in order: the device, the network on backup power, Welco, then the phone.

  • The device lost its network during the outage. Check that the switch and firewall are on backup power.
  • The sender isn't approved, so the Welco feed shows a refused email.
  • The alarm fell inside your exercise window rule. Check the rule's times.
  • The phone is a landline or hasn't replied YES yet. The delivery report for each text names the reason.

Frequently asked questions

Will I get a text if the generator fails to start?

Yes, if your controller, transfer switch or BAS emails a fail to start alarm. Add your Welco address to that alarm and Welco texts the people you chose. If no device emails that event today, ask your installer to turn it on.

How do I stop texts during the weekly generator test?

Use an alert rule with a time window that matches your exercise schedule. The rule drops run alarms during that window only. A real outage at any other time still sends a text to the on-call phone.

Our generator is wired into the BAS. Do I set this up in the BAS or the generator?

Set it up where the email comes from. If the BAS raises the generator alarm, add your Welco address to the BAS alarm email. You can also do both, and Welco treats each email as its own alarm.

Do staff need an app, and can they reply?

No app is needed, because the alarm is a plain text on any mobile phone. A reply goes back as an email to the device or mailbox that sent the alarm. It does not reset or acknowledge anything on the generator.

Can the transfer switch text when utility power comes back?

Yes. A transfer back to utility is just another email event. After a long winter outage, many teams keep it as a text so the on-call operator knows they can stand down. Others drop it with a rule and read it in email the next day.

Do I need a generator remote monitoring service to get alarm texts?

No, as long as one device on site can email the alarm. That can be the controller, a network card in the transfer switch, or the BAS. If your generator only reports through a vendor's monitoring service, check whether that service can email alerts to an address of your choice.

Does Welco connect to the generator controller or the building network?

No. The controller, ATS or BAS sends an email out, and Welco reads only that email. Nothing connects back to the generator, so a text can't start, stop or reset it. Only the senders you approve can trigger a text.

What do generator alarm texts cost?

No per-user fees, no hardware and no setup fee. Each short power alarm uses one message credit for each phone, and the weekly exercise run uses none when a rule drops it. The 7-day free trial includes 15 credits. Welco pricing shows the plans in US dollars, and none add overage charges.

Find out about the next outage from a text

Add your Welco address to your generator and transfer switch alarms today.

Text me generator alarmsBook a demo

7-day free trial, 15 message creditsCard required for verificationNo charge for 7 daysEmail reminder before billing