Channels, asset meters and run hours

Each measurement of a device is a channel. A channel keeps its history and can feed the rest of FreeMaint: an asset meter that triggers preventive maintenance, an energy meter that computes cost and CO₂, or a calculated channel that counts run hours.

History and curves

Open a channel to see its curve over 6 hours to one year. Recent data is shown point by point; longer periods are shown as 15-minute, hourly or daily averages, so the chart stays fast.

Calibration

Value stored = value received × multiplier + offset. Use it for a current transformer ratio or a small sensor correction. It applies to new values only. An inactive channel no longer stores values and does not count toward your limit.

Feed an asset meter

1. Open the channel and, under Use these values, choose Asset meter.
2. Choose the meter of the asset (for example its run-hours or counter meter).
3. FreeMaint writes a reading every 60 minutes by default. The meter's triggers and meter-based preventive maintenance work as with manual readings.

Feed an energy meter

Link the channel to an energy meter: one reading every 15 minutes goes to it, with cost (from your tariff) and CO₂ (from your emission factor). The energy dashboard, the bill estimate and the energy report then use these readings like any other.

Count run hours

A motor rarely sends its run hours. Open a power or current channel and click Calculate run hours: FreeMaint counts the time the value stays above the level you choose. You can also count start cycles from an on/off channel. Link the calculated channel to the asset's run-hours meter, and a preventive maintenance such as an oil change every 2,000 hours triggers by itself.

On the asset

Attach a device to an asset: its channels follow the asset unless a channel was set to another one. The asset's Connected devices tab shows the live measurements and the alerts in progress, on the web and in the mobile app.