What Do the Green, Yellow, and Red Status Indicator Lights Mean on Home Standby Generators?
Home Standby Generator LEDs
Certain models of home standby generators feature a set of lights behind a single, translucent lens. These lights indicate the operating status of the generator. When LEDs are illuminated, the control panel will display more information about the LED status.
Note: If the light itself is malfunctioning, please see the Troubleshooting a malfunctioning home standby indicator light article.
Environment
This article applies to Kohler air-cooled home standby generators with an Evolution I or Evolution II controller. See What is the Evolution Control Panel for Home Standby Generators? for more information.
Status colors
Green (A): The “Ready” status, illuminates when the utility is present and the unit is in auto. This light also flashes when there is an outage and the unit is running.
Red (B): The “Alarm” status, illuminates when the generator is OFF or a shutdown alarm is detected. Most alarm codes require an authorized service dealer to address. See the How Can I Find a Kohler Service Dealer in My Area? article.
Yellow (C): The “Non-critical Alert” status, illuminates when maintenance is due or when a warning is present.
Status LED combinations
Multiple LEDs can be illuminated at the same time.
- A red light can occur in combination with either a green or yellow light.
- A yellow maintenance light can occur in combination with either a red or green light.
Troubleshooting
What does the control panel say? The LED lights work in tandem with the control panel to let the homeowner and technicians know what needs to be addressed on the generator.
- For a list of common error codes, see the Where can I find a list of error codes for my generator?
- For specific LED indicator light troubleshooting, see
- Consult your generator’s user manual for a list of statuses and what they mean: Where can I find a user manual or other documentation for my home standby generator?
Maintenance
If a generator requires maintenance, the owner can contact an independent authorized service dealer, or perform their maintenance if they feel comfortable doing so.
Maintenance instructions can be found in this knowledge base and are also listed in generator user manuals: How Do I Find a Copy of My Home Standby Generator Owner’s Manual, Spec Sheets, or Installation Manual?