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HVAC alarm text notifications for rooftop units and boilers

When RTU-6 at a store with no engineer stops heating, the on-call tech gets an HVAC alarm text notification with the unit and the reading. The BMS sends that alarm by email today, and Welco needs only one added recipient. Return-to-normal notices stay in email, and the phone only buzzes for real problems.

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

  • No new BMS module
  • All-clears stay in email
  • No per-user fees

Works by email with

  • HVAC & rooftop units
  • Metasys
  • WebCTRL

Setup guide for

  • Niagara

A floor plan of Store 14: RTU-6 (discharge air) goes into alarm, off setpoint, its room turns orange and BAS server emails the alert. The email reaches Welco and the phone shows: “Welco: [Store 14] RTU-6 discharge air temp off setpoint, 9.5 C vs 30 C at 2:48 PM. Reply STOP to opt out.”

Animation: a long BMS alert email is trimmed into one short text: "Welco: [Store 14] RTU-6 discharge air temp off setpoint, 9.5 C vs 30 C at 2:48 PM. Reply STOP to opt out."

What HVAC alarm texts change for a thin crew

  • Fix the RTU before the store opens

    The tech who covers that site sees the unit, the reading and the setpoint while there is still time.

  • Problems text, all-clears don't

    A rule drops Return to Normal, so a clearing alarm costs no credit and wakes nobody.

  • Thirty sites, one email feed

    A rule per site or region sends each store's alarms to the tech who covers it, from Halifax to Kelowna.

HVAC alarms that should reach a phone

Plenty of HVAC alarms can wait for the morning walk-through. In a Canadian winter, these usually can't. Doors, power and BAS brands are under building alarm texts by system.

  • Rooftop units off setpoint or in fault

    Most of all at stores, branches and clinics with no engineer on site.

  • Boiler, chiller and pump failures

    A lost boiler can chill a whole building within hours, and pipes freeze soon after.

  • Air handler shutdowns

    An AHU tripped by a freeze stat, a smoke damper or a fan failure.

  • Server room and closet cooling

    A failed A/C unit puts network and phone equipment at risk.

  • Low space temperature or high humidity

    Rooms that hold stock, records, water piping or equipment.

What you need before you start

If your BMS (the system that runs heating, cooling and ventilation) sends alarm emails today, you are most of the way there.

  • A BMS or BAS front end that can email alarms. Most can, often by alarm priority or alarm class. Recipients you have today keep getting them.
  • Rights to edit the alarm email list, or a controls contractor who can do it. Delta Controls and Distech Controls sites follow the same idea: send the alarm email to Welco.
  • A verified Welco account. The mechanics or techs who should get HVAC texts join from your invite with their own cellphones.

Set up HVAC alarm texts in 5 steps

System pages for Johnson Controls Metasys, Automated Logic WebCTRL, Honeywell BMS and Tridium Niagara show the exact screens. These steps fit any BMS.

  1. Pick the HVAC alarm priorities that matter

    Most BMS front ends sort alarms by priority or class. Choose the critical HVAC ones for texts and leave maintenance reminders, like filter runtime, on email.

  2. Approve the BMS sender in Welco

    Add the address your BMS sends from to your approved BMS senders. Mail from other addresses is refused and shows in the Welco feed.

  3. Add your Welco address to the alarm email list

    In the BMS alarm email settings, add your Welco address to the HVAC alarm class or priority you picked. Save and send a test email from the BMS if it offers one.

  4. Keep return-to-normal messages out of texts

    Many systems email again when an alarm clears. Add an alert rule that drops emails with Return to Normal, so only the problem becomes a text.

  5. Trigger a test alarm

    Turn on Welco's test mode, then have your controls contractor raise a test alarm on a spare point. Check the Welco feed and turn test mode off.

HVAC alarms on the tech's phone today

Approve your BMS sender and add your Welco address to the HVAC alarm list.

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

Text me HVAC alarmsBook a demo

A pump failure, from email to text

Just after midnight in February, a heating pump in the central plant stops. Equipment failure emails are often short but padded with headers. Welco keeps the equipment name and the time.

Alert email from hvac-alarms@bms.example.ca, subject “Alarm: Central Plant”. Welco trims it to one text of 110 characters: “Welco: [Central Plant] Hot water pump 2 failed, commanded on, status off at 12:16 AM. Reply STOP to opt out.”

Text received: Welco: [Central Plant] Hot water pump 2 failed, commanded on, status off at 12:16 AM. Reply STOP to opt out.

Characters2361101 credit

Animation: the alert email "Alarm: Central Plant" is trimmed into one text: "Welco: [Central Plant] Hot water pump 2 failed, commanded on, status off at 12:16 AM. Reply STOP to opt out."

A short text costs less. See how one-text trimming rules cut headers and footers.

Tips for HVAC alarm texts

HVAC alarms can be chatty. These settings keep them useful.

  • Send each site to its own tech

    If one BMS covers many stores or branches, the alarm usually names the site. A rule per site sends the text to the tech who covers that area.

  • Weekends to the on-call mechanic

    Use weekday and weekend routing so weekday alarms go to the shop and weekend alarms go to whoever is on call.

  • When one fault trips ten points

    A tripped boiler can set off low temperature alarms on every zone it feeds. Capping alarm floods keeps the burst to a few texts.

  • Words that carriers may filter

    Mobile networks filter some words. A dirty filter alarm that says BLOCKED can be held back. A replace rule can change it to CLOGGED so it gets through.

Why isn't my HVAC alarm text showing up?

Look at the Welco feed first. It shows every BMS email that arrived and what happened to it.

  • The alarm's priority isn't in the email list you edited. Check which class or priority it uses.
  • Your return-to-normal rule is too broad and matched the alarm too. Check the words it drops.
  • The BMS puts the alarm only in the subject line. Turn on the subject setting in Welco.
  • The tech's phone hasn't confirmed with YES, or the number is a landline.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get HVAC alarms as texts without a new BMS module?

Yes. Welco uses the alarm email your BMS already sends. Add your Welco address to the HVAC alarm list and approve the BMS sender. There is no driver, gateway or license to add to the BMS.

Why do my HVAC texts show odd characters instead of the degree sign?

Some BMS emails use special symbols that don't fit the plain text alphabet. Welco sends what the email contains. A replace rule can swap the degree sign for C, which keeps the text shorter and cheaper.

Do our techs need an app or a BMS login to see HVAC alarms?

Neither. The alarm is an ordinary text that begins with Welco:, on whatever mobile phone the tech carries. Each tech joins from your invite and confirms with YES. A BMS login is only needed to ack the alarm or change a setpoint.

Can a tech reply to the text to acknowledge the alarm?

No. A reply is emailed back to the address that sent the alarm, so the office can see it. The BMS alarm still has to be acknowledged at the front end.

Can rooftop unit alarms from 30 stores go to different techs?

Yes. Make one alert rule per site or region that matches the site name in the alarm. Each rule texts the tech who covers that area, so one BMS email feed can serve every store across several provinces.

Do return-to-normal messages cost credits if I drop them?

No. An email that a rule drops sends no text and uses no credit. It still shows in the Welco feed with the reason, so you can check the rule is doing what you meant.

Does Welco need access to the BMS or the controls network?

No. The BMS sends its alarm email out through your mail server, and that email is all Welco sees. There is no VPN, no BACnet link and no inbound port. Mail from senders you haven't approved never becomes a text.

How much do HVAC alarm texts cost?

Welco has no per-user fees, no hardware and no setup fee. A trimmed rooftop unit alarm uses one message credit for each phone, and dropped all-clears are free. The 7-day trial includes 15 credits, so you can test a few real faults first. Plans are in US dollars and never charge overage; see Welco pricing.

Hear about the failed rooftop unit before the store opens

Add your Welco address to your BMS alarm list and HVAC faults reach the right tech.

Text me HVAC alarmsBook a demo

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