Operational Guide - 6. Troubleshooting
This chapter provides guidance for investigating common alert conditions and monitoring issues.
The objective is not to provide detailed repair procedures, but to help users identify likely causes, review relevant monitoring information and focus their troubleshooting efforts.
The GreaseBoss Monitoring Solution is designed to help users identify and investigate issues before they become significant lubrication or reliability problems. In many cases, the monitoring information available within the GreaseCloud Dashboard can help narrow down potential causes before a physical inspection is completed.
Detailed troubleshooting procedures and technical instructions are available within the GreaseBoss Knowledge Base:
No Grease Activity
Condition
No grease activity has been detected when grease delivery was expected.
This condition indicates that grease is not being detected at the monitored point in accordance with the configured lubrication requirement.
Common Causes to Investigate
Common causes may include:
- Empty Grease Tank
- Grease pump not operating
- Blocked grease line
- Burst grease line
- Damaged grease line
- Blocked injector
- Failed injector
- Lubrication system shutdown
- Asset not operating
- Monitoring point installation issue
- Endpoint damage
Dashboard Information to Review
Grease Activity
Review recent grease activity and determine when grease was last detected.
Consider:
- Has grease activity stopped completely?
- Was grease activity gradually reducing before stopping?
- Are grease events still being detected intermittently?
- Did the condition begin suddenly?
Compliance
Review compliance performance leading up to the alert.
Consider:
- Has compliance been reducing over time?
- Did compliance suddenly decrease?
- Were there previous compliance alerts?
- Has compliance remained low since the alert occurred?
Pressure Information
Where pressure monitoring is available, review pressure behaviour before and after the alert.
Consider:
- Has pressure increased significantly?
- Has pressure reduced unexpectedly?
- Has pressure behaviour changed from normal operation?
- Did the pressure change before grease activity stopped?
Other Monitoring Points
Review nearby lubrication points supplied by the same grease system.
Consider:
- Is only one point affected?
- Are multiple points affected?
- Are all monitored points affected?
This can help determine whether the issue is localised to a single lubrication point or affecting the wider lubrication system.
Investigation Focus
Determine whether grease is reaching the monitored point and whether grease activity is being detected and reported correctly.
Compliance Issues
Condition
Actual grease delivery is not matching the configured lubrication requirement.
Compliance measures how closely actual grease delivery aligns with the configured requirement for that lubrication point.
Common Causes to Investigate
Common causes may include:
- Reduced grease delivery
- Excessive grease delivery
- Inconsistent grease delivery
- Empty Grease Tank
- Pump performance issues
- Blocked grease line
- Burst grease line
- Damaged grease line
- Injector issues
- Changes in asset operating conditions
- Changes in lubrication requirements
Dashboard Information to Review
Compliance Trends
Review compliance performance over time.
Consider:
- Is compliance steadily reducing?
- Did compliance change suddenly?
- Is compliance consistently below expectations?
- Is compliance recovering or continuing to deteriorate?
Grease Activity
Review grease activity history.
Consider:
- Is grease being delivered more frequently than expected?
- Is grease being delivered less frequently than expected?
- Has grease delivery become irregular?
- Has grease activity changed recently?
Historical Performance
Compare current performance with previous operating periods.
Consider:
- Has this condition occurred previously?
- Is performance deteriorating over time?
- Did the condition begin after maintenance activities or operational changes?
Other Monitoring Points
Review similar lubrication points on the asset.
Consider:
- Is the issue isolated?
- Are other points showing similar compliance reductions?
Investigation Focus
Determine why actual grease delivery is not aligning with the configured lubrication requirement.
Remember that compliance identifies a condition. Further investigation is required to determine the underlying cause.
Endpoint Offline
Condition
An Endpoint is no longer communicating with the monitoring system.
Monitoring visibility for the affected lubrication point may be reduced until communication is restored.
Common Causes to Investigate
Common causes may include:
- Endpoint battery depletion
- Poor signal strength
- Communication interference
- Asset shutdown
- Gateway communication issues
- Endpoint installation issues
- Endpoint damage
- Endpoint hardware fault
Dashboard Information to Review
Last Communication
Review when the Endpoint last communicated.
Consider:
- Did communication stop suddenly?
- Was communication intermittent beforehand?
- How long has the Endpoint been offline?
Signal Strength
Review available communication information.
Consider:
- Has signal strength deteriorated over time?
- Have communication issues been occurring previously?
- Is the issue likely to be location-related?
Nearby Endpoints
Review nearby devices.
Consider:
- Are other Endpoints communicating normally?
- Are multiple Endpoints affected?
- Are all devices associated with the Gateway affected?
Device Health Information
Where available, review device health indicators and communication history.
Investigation Focus
Determine whether the issue is isolated to a single Endpoint or affects multiple nearby devices.
Where multiple devices are affected, communication infrastructure or Gateway-related issues should be investigated before focusing on the individual Endpoint.
Gateway Offline
Condition
A Gateway is no longer communicating with the GreaseBoss Cloud.
This may affect monitoring visibility across multiple lubrication points or the entire asset.
Common Causes to Investigate
Common causes may include:
- Loss of power
- Cellular communication issues
- Satellite communication issues
- WiFi communication issues
- Site network issues
- Network configuration changes
- Gateway installation issues
- Antenna issues
- Gateway hardware fault
Dashboard Information to Review
Last Communication
Review when the Gateway last communicated with the GreaseBoss Cloud.
Consider:
- Did communication stop suddenly?
- Was communication intermittent before stopping?
- How long has the Gateway been offline?
Connected Devices
Review the status of Endpoints associated with the Gateway.
Consider:
- Are all associated Endpoints affected?
- Are some devices still reporting?
- Did Endpoint communication stop at the same time?
Communication History
Review recent communication performance.
Consider:
- Were communication interruptions occurring before the alert?
- Has communication reliability been deteriorating?
- Is the issue likely to be related to the communication path?
Communication Method
Confirm how the Gateway communicates with the GreaseBoss Cloud.
This may include:
- 4G LTE
- Satellite
- WiFi
- Site OT Network
- Site IT Network
Understanding the communication method can help identify which part of the communication path should be investigated first.
Investigation Focus
Identify where communication has been interrupted and restore visibility of monitoring information.
Communication infrastructure should generally be assessed before assuming a Gateway hardware issue.
Repeated Alerts
Condition
The same alert continues to occur after corrective actions have been completed.
Repeated alerts often indicate that the original condition has not been fully resolved or that an intermittent issue exists.
Common Causes to Investigate
Common causes may include:
- Original issue not fully resolved
- Intermittent lubrication system issue
- Recurring operating condition
- Incorrect diagnosis during previous investigation
- Alert configuration issue
- Requirement configuration issue
Dashboard Information to Review
Alert History
Review previous occurrences of the alert.
Consider:
- How often is the alert occurring?
- Is there a repeating pattern?
- Does the alert occur under similar operating conditions?
Historical Trends
Review grease activity, compliance and pressure information over an extended period.
Consider:
- Does the condition occur at specific times?
- Does the condition occur after maintenance activities?
- Has performance gradually deteriorated?
Previous Corrective Actions
Review previous investigations and maintenance activities.
Consider:
- Was the identified issue fully resolved?
- Did performance improve following corrective action?
- How long did the improvement last?
Investigation Focus
Review historical information and previous investigations to identify recurring patterns and determine whether a broader issue exists.
When to Escalate
Technical support should be considered when:
- The cause of the condition cannot be identified.
- The condition continues to recur.
- Multiple assets or devices are affected.
- Monitoring information appears inconsistent.
- Additional technical assistance is required.
Before escalating an issue, gather relevant information including:
- Asset details
- Alert information
- Screenshots
- Monitoring information
- Site observations
- Details of corrective actions already completed
Providing complete information will assist with faster diagnosis and resolution.
Further support and escalation guidance is provided in Chapter 8 – Support & Escalation.