Glowforge Insurance Coverage for Fires, Breakdowns, etc

I recently saw a few posts about people leaving their Glowforge alone and the unit getting destroyed when material catches fire. I’ve been worried about this myself as I tend to use a lot of non-proofgrade materials. I talked with my insurance broker today and got some peace of mind. My “personal articles” coverage for computer equipment was a laughable $3,000 in coverage. For about $8 a month, I was able to bump it to $15,000 and specifically listed my Glowforge. I was told that even if it catches fire or breaks, the unit is covered under the insurance!

NEVER LEAVE YOUR GLOWFORGE UNATTENDED AND TALK TO YOUR INSURANCE BROKER!!

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Enjoy your new premiums if you ever file a claim for something like that.

The manufacturer specifically states you can not leave the machine unattended. Many users here have had flare-ups, myself included. They don’t instantly destroy the machine, if you’re watching it as you should, it can be dealt with without causing damage.

Insurance doesn’t pay without first determining there was no user negligence involved.

you’d probably only be making an insurance claim like that if it was catastrophic, in which case the premium increase would be the least of your worries.

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I would, but the OP specifically called out the value of computer equipment to include the GF, i.e. would expect to claim for loss of the machine in case of a fire.

This would be akin to claiming for a $3000 lawn tractor that died because you drove it over a cliff. They might reimburse you, but you’ll pay for it eventually.

Your rate won’t always go up because of a claim. My AC drain backed up a couple years ago and caused a couple high end computers and misc stuff to be destroyed. Total damages was over $8000. Filed a claim and my insurance rates didn’t go up at all.

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Because that wasn’t caused by negligence.

A fire in your GF would be, because you weren’t monitoring it as directed by the manufacturer.

Is it your homeowners or business policy?

I finally got a yearly insurance policy for my craft business–mainly for shows–but will have to check what it covers in my studio–as well if I can get better coverage for my GF into my HO policy…

Homeowners, just make sure you specifically ask about electronics limits and on mine I had to tell them the big ticket items like the Glowforge I wanted covered.

According to my research negligence doesn’t seem to be a primary cause for premium increases. It’s the number of claims per 10 year period.

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Unless your glowforge is obliterated by an asteroid or something that falls off of an airplane, your insurance company is pretty much going to classify it as negligence. If you have a decent insurance company, however, they should cover it. As bansai8creations noted, however, if you are selling what you make, and your insurance company finds out, you will need a business policy to cover it. That goes for anything used in a business.

I’ve also heard that it is the frequency of claims that gets you cancelled. I don’t work in insurance, so I don’t know for certain. It’s just what I’ve been told.

also, some types of claims are actually connected to the dwelling/property. insurance underwriters have a long memory and talk to each other through databases. if there is a history of issues on your property, it will be more expensive to insure. this has bitten people who buy houses and find out later.

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My last house had a water leak.

My rates are higher at the new house, with a different company, because of that. It was a line item on the paperwork.

They know everything.

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And many companies consider simply calling about your policy & whether something can be considered a claim as an actual claim!! When I lived in Eugene I had a bike stolen, and called to ask about my deductible, didn’t file a claim, but it was counted. Not long after I did have a claim after someone did break in & stole my CD collection (fortunately that was all–but it was a big collection). And something else happened–so had 3 “strikes” and next thing they notify me they’re cancelling my policy–fortunately I was in process of selling that house & moving!!

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