I have a condo on the shores of Lake Michigan which will be vacant in the winter. I have a programmable thermostat that I will set at the lowest setting, but want to know if there is some kind of device that can be installed on the gas furnace in the unit that would alert me/someone if the furnace would go out? Frozen pipes I do not want! Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Many devices are available. Most use a thermostat and a dialer system to call your other home number to alert you when the temperature drops below a set point of your choice.

Other devices allow you to call your vacation home and if the phone is not answered you know all is OK. The reason for the no answer setting is the fact that when the call does not go through you do not pay for a long distance phone call just to check if all is OK. Now if there is a problem the phone will be answered by a recording telling you the temperature and that you might need to call for service.

The ones I kind of like the best are the combo alarm and safety systems offered by many different companys. They monitor your home 24/7 and when there is a problem you have the option of having them call you OR they can call the HVAC company of your choice at the location of your summer home.

To be on the safe side I would contact a local company in that area and ask them for there advice in regards to the systems available. This way you will be dealing with a local company that can respond to problems for you.

If it were my second home I would have a fire alarm along with burgler/illegal access and a temperature alarm combo. This way you will have good piece of mind while away.