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Well level alarm text for storage tanks, wells and reservoirs

A well level alarm text gives the operator on call the site, the level and the time. A rising tank or a falling well gets noticed at night, not at the morning walk-through. Your SCADA or telemetry already emails that level alarm. Send it to your Welco address instead of a carrier gateway, with nothing to install at the tank.

Text me my level alarmsBook a demo

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  • Nothing to install at the tank
  • Works from SCADA or telemetry email
  • No per-user fees

Works by email with

  • Tank & well levels
  • Ignition
  • Data loggers

Setup guide for

  • VTScada

A storage tank with a sight gauge and a radar level transmitter: inlet valve FCV-201 closes while the outlet keeps drawing, and the level falls to 38.7 ft, below its HIGH HIGH setpoint of 38 ft. The email reaches Welco and the phone shows: “Welco: [Hilltop] Tank 2 level HIGH, 38.7 ft, unacked at 11:48 PM. Reply STOP to opt out.”

Animation: a long Water system SCADA alert email is trimmed into one short text: "Welco: [Hilltop] Tank 2 level HIGH, 38.7 ft, unacked at 11:48 PM. Reply STOP to opt out."

Level alarms before and after Welco

Level alarms the old way

  • A HIGH tank alarm waits on the HMI until someone walks past.
  • Texts routed through carrier gateways that are shutting down.
  • One long sentence repeats the point name, the state and the ack status.
  • A level sitting on its setpoint rings the phone again and again.

Level alarms through Welco

  • The operator on call reads the site, the tank and the level.
  • Verified alerts-only numbers carry the text.
  • A trim rule keeps the reading and drops the setpoint line.
  • Flood limits cap the texts while you widen the deadband.

Which tank and well level alarms need someone tonight

Level is the alarm water systems watch most, because it moves before anything else goes wrong. Tank batteries in oil and gas fields raise the same level alarms. These are the ones to put on a phone with SCADA alarm text notification.

  • Tank HIGH or overflow. An altitude valve stuck open or a pump that won't stop.
  • Tank LOW. Demand is beating supply, or a booster has failed upstream.
  • Well LOW LOW. The water table is near the pump intake, so the pump should stop before it runs dry.
  • Level transmitter fault. The reading is gone, so SCADA is guessing.
  • Rate of change. Some systems alarm when a level falls too fast, which can mean a main break.

A tank falling fast before dawn

A rate-of-change alarm is often the first sign of a main break. Here is that hour with Welco.

  1. SCADA sees Tank 1 dropping too fast

    Hilltop.Points.OT1_L Alarm State is Rate of Change Alarm occurred 04:05:33 Alarm is Unacknowledged

  2. The rule sends it to two phones

    Rate-of-change alarms go to the standby operator and the chief operator at any hour.

  3. Both phones show the falling level

    Welco: [Hilltop] Tank 1 level FALLING FAST, 24.1 ft at 4:05 AM. Reply STOP to opt out.

  4. Standby checks the trends

    The operator pulls up the tank trend and sees the booster running flat out.

  5. The operator replies with a plan

    Looks like a main break on Ridge Rd. Heading out to isolate

  6. The plan lands in the operations mailbox

    Welco emails replies to the alarm's sender, so the morning crew starts with the story.

    Reply from the standby phone: Looks like a main break on Ridge Rd. Heading out to isolate

Times are an example. A reply never acknowledges the alarm in SCADA.

Text tank and well level alarms in 4 steps

This works with central SCADA, a telemetry service or a data logger, as long as one of them emails the alarm. Lift stations follow the same steps, covered in wet well and pump alarm texts.

  1. Find where level alarms are emailed from

    Most systems send level alarms from the SCADA server. Remote wells may use a cellular telemetry logger or a hosted dashboard that emails on a threshold. Note the From address.

  2. Approve that sender in Welco

    Add the From address to the senders Welco lets through. If a hosted telemetry service sends alarms for many customers, Welco can still match yours to your account.

  3. Add your Welco address and invite operators

    Put your Welco address on the level alarm email. Invite each operator from Welco. They join with their own mobile and reply YES once.

  4. Move a setpoint to test

    Lower a HIGH setpoint on a test point, or use a known level. Check the text, then put the setpoint back.

Get the next tank alarm on your phone

Send your level alarm email to Welco and invite the operator on call.

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

Text me my level alarmsBook a demo

More level alarm texts

Masked examples from wells, clearwells and storage tanks.

  • Well: Welco: [Pump Station 2] Well 3 level LOW LOW alarm at 1:58 PM. Reply STOP to opt out.
  • Drawdown: Welco: [Well 7] Drawdown LOW, pump stopped at 4:26 AM. Reply STOP to opt out.
  • Clearwell: Welco: [WTP] Clearwell level LOW, 6.2 ft at 8:03 PM. Reply STOP to opt out.

A phone showing these alert texts: Well, "Welco: [Pump Station 2] Well 3 level LOW LOW alarm at 1:58 PM. Reply STOP to opt out."; Drawdown, "Welco: [Well 7] Drawdown LOW, pump stopped at 4:26 AM. Reply STOP to opt out."; Clearwell, "Welco: [WTP] Clearwell level LOW, 6.2 ft at 8:03 PM. Reply STOP to opt out."

Make level texts worth reading

Levels bounce. A few rules stop that bounce from becoming a stream of texts.

  • Text only the extremes at night

    Send HIGH HIGH and LOW LOW to the on-call phone after hours, and plain HIGH or LOW to the day crew. Alarm rules and after-hours routing handle both.

  • Fix the deadband first

    A level that sits on the setpoint will alarm and clear again and again. Widen the deadband in SCADA. Welco flood control catches what slips through.

  • Two phones for overflow

    An overflow can mean a permit report. Send it to the operator on call and the chief operator together.

Frequently asked questions

Can a telemetry logger at a remote well send alarms to Welco?

Yes, if the logger or its hosted service can email an alarm. Some cellular loggers send threshold alarms by email from a shared service address. Approve that address in Welco and put your Welco address on the alarm. The text then reaches your operator, not anyone else using the same service.

Does Welco connect to the tank site or our SCADA network?

No. Nothing is installed at the tank, and Welco has no path into SCADA. It only receives the level alarm email after your system sends it out.

Should a tank level text include the actual reading?

Yes, when the email has it. A reading tells the operator how bad things are before they drive out. A tank at 38.7 ft against a 38 ft setpoint is a watch item, and one at the overflow is an emergency. Keep the reading and drop the setpoint line to stay within one text.

What does a well LOW LOW alarm mean?

The water in the well has dropped to its lowest setpoint, close to the pump intake. Most systems stop the pump there so it doesn't run dry. Someone should check the well, the pump and demand on the system soon.

Does a reply to a level text acknowledge the alarm?

No. The reply is emailed to the alarm's sender for people to read. Acknowledge the level alarm in SCADA as you do now.

Will I get a text when the level comes back to normal?

Only if your system emails the return to normal and you let it through. Some operators like knowing a tank has recovered. Others prefer silence. A Welco rule can drop emails that say Normal or Returned, while keeping the alarm itself.

How much do level alarm texts cost?

Welco charges nothing per user, and you skip hardware and setup fees. A short level alarm uses one message credit per phone. Long emails use more unless trimmed, so keep the text to site, level and time. Plans are on the pricing page.

Hear about the next overflow before the neighbors do

Point your level alarm email at Welco and the on-call operator gets the text.

Text me my level alarmsBook a demo

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