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Add a Unit

Add a unit when you install new HVAC equipment, take over service for existing equipment, or pre-register a unit ahead of an install. A unit is one piece of equipment at one location. It belongs to a customer (optionally) and to a device model.

The model is the only required field — everything else is fillable later from the same edit page.

Before you start​

  • You have the units.create permission.
  • The device model exists. If it's a brand-new manufacturer or model, add it under Settings → Device Models first. The model controls the default warranty, default maintenance frequency, and any auto-attached checklists.
  • (Optional) The customer exists. If they don't yet, you can save the unit without a customer and attach one later.

Steps​

  1. Open Units

    Select Units in the top navigation bar.

  2. Start a new unit

    Select the green New button at the top-left of the list.

  3. Pick the model

    • Model — type to search the dropdown by manufacturer or model name. The cost, default warranty, and default maintenance frequency auto-fill from the model when you pick it.

  4. (Optional) Pick the customer

    • Customer — type at least 2 characters to search by name, company, or email. Leave blank if you don't know yet, or if the unit is sitting in your warehouse.

  5. Identify the unit

    • Friendly Name — short label for the install location, e.g. "Master bedroom", "Server room rack 2". Shows everywhere the unit appears.
    • Serial Number — the manufacturer's serial. Optional, but it's what techs scan or photograph in the field.
    • Model Number — the manufacturer's model number, if it's different from the catalog model.

  6. Set the maintenance schedule

    • Maintenance Frequency — leave the default — Select — for no schedule, or pick one of Every month (1 month), Every 2 months (2 months), Quarterly (3 months), Semi annual (6 months), Annual (12 months), or Every 2 years (24 months). Defaults from the device model. Drives reminder scheduling once the unit is installed.

  7. Set the warranty

    • Warranty (months) — number of months of warranty coverage from the install date. Defaults from the device model. Combined with Installed at to compute warranty expiration. Leave at 0 if the unit has no warranty.
    • Installed at — leave blank for now. The first completed installation work order auto-sets this. You can also set it manually if the unit was installed before TuffOps tracked it.
    • Service Accepted — tick if your team has agreed to service this unit (whether you installed it or not).

  8. (Optional) Set the location

    • Address, City, Country — the install address. Different from the customer's billing address.
    • Latitude, Longitude — for the GPS check-in on work orders. Optional but recommended for fleet/commercial customers.

  9. Save

    Select the green Save button.

What happens next​

  • The unit appears at the top of the Units list.
  • The unit is selectable on quotations, work orders, and the public QR landing page.
  • A QR code is not generated automatically. Use Generate & Print a QR Code to produce one.
  • If the device model has auto-attached checklists, they're now attached to this unit.
  • If you set Installed at by hand, the warranty status badge shows green (Valid until …) or red (Expired) on the edit page.

Common situations​

SituationWhat to do
You don't know the customer yetLeave Customer blank. The unit shows as - in the Customer column on the Units list. Attach a customer later.
The customer has 5 units across the propertyCreate 5 units. Use Friendly Name to distinguish them ("Front office", "Server room", "Main floor — north zone").
The unit was installed before you started using TuffOpsSet Installed at manually so the warranty calc is correct. The unit's warranty expiration shows on the edit page once you save.
Two units always serve the same area and should appear together on work ordersSave both units first. Then Link Related Units from either unit's edit page.
The unit's manufacturer doesn't match any in the dropdownAdd the manufacturer under Settings → Manufacturers, then the device model under Settings → Device Models, then come back to this form.

Troubleshooting​

The Model dropdown is empty.

You haven't added any device models yet, or the device models you added don't have a manufacturer attached. Go to Settings → Device Models and add a model with a manufacturer. Each model also needs to be linked to a device type.

Save fails with "The model id field is required."

You didn't pick a model. Use the search-as-you-type dropdown — the model is the only required field on the form.

The warranty status badge says Expired immediately after saving.

You set Installed at to a date older than Installed at + Warranty (months). Either the install date is wrong, or the warranty has actually expired (e.g. the unit was installed 5 years ago and warranty is 12 months). Update Installed at if it's wrong.

You picked a customer but they don't show in the Customer column on the list.

Refresh the page. The list view caches counts, but the customer link is live. Open the unit's edit page to confirm.