Maintenance · Daily operations · 7 min read

Meters, readings and condition alerts

Add meters to assets, log readings, set alert rules and sensors, and acknowledge alerts.

Before you begin

• Meters and condition monitoring should be on in Administration > Applications > Maintenance > Features.
• Logging readings needs maintenance.edit. Alert rules and IoT sensors need maintenance.configure.

Add a meter to an asset

1. Open the asset (Maintenance > Assets > Assets).
2. Click More > Add Meter.
3. Choose the Meter Type. Counters are Operating Hours (h), Odometer (km), Cycle Count, Production Qty and Energy Usage (kWh). Gauges are Temperature (°C), Pressure (bar) and Vibration (mm/s).
4. Click Add.

Each asset can have one meter of each type: 'This asset already has that meter.'

Log a reading

1. Open the asset and click More > Log Meter Reading, or open Maintenance > Assets > Meters.
2. Choose the Meter.
3. Enter the Reading.
4. Leave Read At as now, or set the time. A time more than 5 minutes ahead is refused: 'A reading cannot be in the future.'
5. Add a Note if useful.
6. Click Save.

A counter cannot go down. Example: the hours meter is at 12,600 and you enter 12,500. The system answers 'This counter was at 12600 h. A smaller reading is recorded as a meter reset.' If the meter really was replaced, tick The meter was replaced or reset and enter the new value, for example 5. The reading is saved with the note 'Meter reset.', the current value becomes 5 and the previous value shows 12,600. Gauges can move up and down.

Readings are never edited or deleted. Each keeps its source (manual, work order, IoT), the previous value and who entered it. An older read time does not change the meter's current value.

Create an alert rule

1. Open Maintenance > Configuration > Alert Rules and click New.
2. Type the Code and Name, for example CHL-HT and Chiller high temperature.
3. Choose the Asset, or leave it empty for any asset with that meter.
4. Choose the Meter Type, the operator (>, >=, <, <=, =) and the Threshold, for example Temperature, >, 45.
5. Choose the Action: raise a request or alert only, and the Priority of the request.
6. Click Create.

What happens next

Example: the rule is Temperature > 45 with an urgent request. Three readings of 47 create one open alert, '<asset>: Temperature 47 °C > 45 (<rule>)', and one request 'Condition alert: <rule>' of type Condition Based, priority Urgent. Further readings add nothing while the alert is open. When someone acknowledges the alert, the next breach starts a new alert and request.

Acknowledge an alert

1. Open Maintenance > Assets > Meters. The top card lists open condition alerts.
2. Click Acknowledge on the alert, or click the request to handle it.

Acknowledging needs maintenance.edit. Someone with view only sees the button, but the system refuses the action.

Connect a sensor

1. Open Maintenance > Configuration > IoT Sensors and click New.
2. Enter Code, Name, Asset (required), Meter (a meter on that same asset), Adapter (Webhook, MQTT bridge, Telematics or OPC UA) and External Ref.
3. Click Create.

Your integration then posts readings to the sensor address of the Maintenance API with the sensor code and a value. A reading from a sensor has source IoT and is checked against the rules. Unknown or switched-off codes give 'No active sensor has that code.' A sensor without a meter gives 'Link the sensor to a meter first.' Only the webhook route is built; the other adapter names are for classification.

Good to know

• Meter-based preventive plans react to readings: see Preventive plans.
• If a sensor or rule is switched off with the Meters feature, only the Meters menu disappears; the configuration screens remain.