Assets: Meters Readings - FreeMaint Docs

Meters measure operational parameters for condition-based maintenance.

Meter Types

RUNTIME

Cumulative operating hours

PRODUCTION

Units produced / cycles

ODOMETER

Distance traveled

GAUGE

Current values (temp, pressure)

COUNTER

General counting

Creating a Meter

Open asset detail page
Go to Meters section
Click 'Add Meter'
Enter name, unit, type
Set min/max valid range
Set expected reading frequency

Correcting or Voiding a Wrong Reading

A mistyped reading (e.g. 4999 instead of 499) can throw meter-based preventive maintenance off schedule. You can fix it from the meter detail page: open Meters, select the meter, then use the (…) menu next to the reading in the readings history.

Edit

Correct the value, notes or anomaly flag. You can edit your own readings within the company edit window; admins can edit any reading.

Void

Admins can void a reading with a short reason. The reading stays in the audit trail but is excluded from PM triggers, statistics and lists. Voiding cannot be undone.

Automatic recalculation

When a reading is edited or voided, affected meter-based preventive maintenance schedules are rewound automatically to the highest remaining valid reading.

Deleting a work order

Deleting a work order does not delete the reading it recorded. The delete dialog offers a checkbox to void those readings at the same time.

Tip

If you delete a work order that recorded a wrong meter reading, keep the "also void the meter reading(s)" checkbox ticked — the reading is voided and your meter-based preventive maintenance is recalculated in one step.

Tip

Use the mobile app for field readings — scan QR, record value with photo.

Reading Format (Decimal or Hours:Minutes)

Most meters record a plain decimal value. For running-hour meters — common on engines and generators — you can set the meter's reading format to Hours:Minutes when you create it. Operators then enter and read values as HH:MM (for example, 1130:30 means 1130 hours and 30 minutes) instead of converting to a decimal. The stored value is identical either way, so preventive maintenance triggers and statistics are unaffected. Leave the format on Decimal for gauges, odometers and counters.

Total or Daily Increment Entry

When adding a reading you can enter the absolute total (the default) or, if there is already a previous reading, switch to "Daily increment" and enter only the amount run since the last reading — for example 10 hours today. The system adds it to the latest reading to compute the new total, which is what gets stored. You can set a default mode per meter when you create it; operators can still switch per entry. The stored value is always the absolute total, so triggers and statistics are unaffected.

Meters created automatically on vehicles

Filing an asset under the Vehicles category gives it an Odometer and an Engine hours meter straight away, so fleet work has somewhere to record readings without any setup. If you later move that asset to another category, those two meters are removed again — but only while they hold no readings. A meter someone has already read is real history: it stays, whatever the category. This also decides whether the asset can be deleted: meters that carry readings block deletion until you remove them from the asset's Meters tab, while empty ones simply go with the asset.

Meters & Readings