What is Condition-based maintenance?
Condition-based maintenance (CBM) triggers work when a measured condition, such as filter differential pressure or bearing temperature, crosses a set limit, instead of servicing equipment on a fixed interval.
Where CBM fits
CBM suits assets whose wear shows up in one clear signal: filters and strainers through differential pressure, belts and bearings through vibration or temperature, coils through approach temperature, and fans through current draw. Facility teams often adopt it first on a short list of critical assets before moving to trend-based prediction.
Limits and the typical maintenance mix
Each limit is tied to a known failure mode and set from manufacturer data or the asset's own history. Per the DOE FEMP O&M Best Practices Guide, the average US maintenance program is over 55 percent reactive, 31 percent preventive and 12 percent predictive, while top performers run under 10 percent reactive and 45 to 55 percent predictive. CBM is a common first step out of that reactive share.
Threshold alerts in Aqueduct
An Aqueduct maintenance alert is a rule on a metric with a condition, a value and a severity. In a control cluster the trigger can come from a different device than the one being serviced, for example a pressure sensor across an RTU filter raising a filter change alert. The device Health tab shows connection rate and battery or capacitor voltage, so a dying sensor is not mistaken for a worn asset.