Generator Maintenance Guide / 04

What to send so engineers can diagnose generator faults faster

Many generator faults are diagnosable; delays often come from missing site information. Send controller photos, alarm codes, running hours, load, fuel, voltage/frequency data and fault videos.

Applicable scene

Suitable for remote mines, high after-sales on-site service costs, repeated alarms, or sites where remote engineers need to make the first diagnosis.

Remote service requests fail when information arrives in pieces: one controller photo today, a video tomorrow, and filter history later. Engineers need the full picture to define the fault and reduce waiting downtime.

A fault report does not need polished wording; it needs the key facts in one submission: which unit, what alarm, what load condition, how long it has run, what maintenance was done recently, and what the site can handle first. These facts determine whether engineers can guide remotely, prepare spare parts, or schedule a site visit.

Equipment and controller information

  • Equipment nameplate, engine nameplate, generator nameplate and controller model photos.
  • Current alarm code, historical alarm list, controller home page data and shutdown page photos.
  • Appearance photos of control cabinets, terminal blocks, circuit breakers, ATS or parallel cabinets.

Operation and maintenance records

  • Current operating hours, daily operating hours, load rate and main electrical equipment when the fault occurs.
  • Last maintenance time, maintenance items, which filters, oil, belts, batteries or sensors were replaced.
  • Whether new equipment was added, the startup sequence was changed, the load was adjusted, or power outage switching occurred before the fault.

Visible site symptoms

  • Take videos before and after the fault, including controller data, generator set sound, exhaust smoke, fuel system, radiator, and load status.
  • Record oil pressure, water temperature, voltage, frequency, battery voltage, fuel level and ambient temperature.
  • Indicate whether the failure affects drainage, crushing, ventilation, communications, camps, or other critical loads.

Execution steps

When site staff follow the same inspection steps, engineers can diagnose from the same facts.

Maintenance actions must be performed repeatedly and evidence must be left. The following steps are suitable as the basic process before team handover and repair report.

01

Define the urgency first

The first sentence of the repair report should state whether critical loads are affected. If drainage, ventilation, communications, or the main production line has stopped, engineers will triage it at a higher priority.

02

Send information in a fixed order

It is recommended to send the information in five parts: "nameplate and controller, alarm and video, operating hours and maintenance, load and site environment, and what support is needed" to reduce repeated supplementary information.

03

Do not send only an alarm code

The same alarm may be caused by oil, heat, load, wiring, sensors or control parameters. Alarm codes must be viewed together with field data.

Exception signal

In these cases, do not simply reset the alarm and keep running

  • The scene only said "the generator is broken" and there was no alarm, operating hours and load information.
  • The alarm has occurred repeatedly, but it is only reset each time without recording the conditions for its occurrence.
  • Spare parts have been replaced or wiring adjustments have been made recently, but they were not stated when reporting for repair.
  • The fault affects critical loads, but the current downtime risk is not clearly stated in the data.

Record list

Keep these records for every inspection and service request

  • Fault occurrence date, time, operating hours and load at that time.
  • Alarm code, controller page photo and fault video.
  • Records of recent maintenance and spare parts replacement.
  • Site voltage frequency, oil pressure, water temperature, fuel, battery and environmental conditions.

How engineers can assist

Complete records speed up remote diagnosis and make any site visit more effective

If alarms, trips, starting difficulties, abnormal voltage, abnormal fuel consumption, or unstable loads have occurred on site, please give priority to retaining controller photos, fault videos, operating hours, recent maintenance records, oil status, load lists, and ATS/power distribution photos.

  • With complete information, engineers can usually separate operation, maintenance, load-change, and wiring issues from cases that require spare parts or an on-site inspection.
  • If there is any suspicion of a spare part problem, photos, model number, installation location, and symptoms before and after replacement should be provided.
  • If you need to go to the scene, you should prepare fault information, on-site contacts, road conditions, tool conditions and possible spare parts in advance.
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