Hi All. I have been chatting to a neighbouring repair cafe who are renewing their insurance and their insurance company is putting restrictions on certain items being repaired, including air fryers. I can understand petrol engine items and microwaves but have any of you had a similar experience with air fryers being a restricted item or have any knowledge why they would be restricted?
Restrictions as in no air fryers at all? Or only certain kinds/brands of air fryers? Iâve disassembled a couple, and I havenât noticed any specific risk factors that wouldnât apply to other kitchen equipment (mains electricity, high temperatures, food).
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Hi Pete,
I canât understand why air fryers and not, for example, deep fat fryers which are potentially far more dangerous 
You say âincludingâ: so what other items have they restricted?
And, no, Iâve never heard of anything like that. Iâve heard of one organisation insisting on qualified electrical engineers 
, but Iâve never heard of the kind of restrictions that you mention.
We are using Wessex insurance and I donât think we have any restrictions on items. We are shying away from ebike batteries and microwaves depending on the type of repair needed (totally happy to take microwaves which are sparking in the cooking chamber since this is often due to charring of food buildup.)
Are they concerned about public liability (injury during the repair cafe, most likely to repairers) or product liability (damage or injury caused by the product after the repair)?
I commenting from Canberra Australia and a recent Restarter Project subscriber. I am one of convenors for the Tuggeranong Repair Cafe and curious to know about other repair cafes policy is on microwave repair restrictions and other noteworthy items. Our electricians have repaired or assessed microwave ovens. Our main restrictions are items must be able to be carried or wheeled in, microwave or lawnmower equivalent size. Welcome advice. TIA.
Hi @Pete_Martin, Iâve not heard of an insurer restricting repairs on air fryers before; it seems pretty unusual to me and Iâm not sure why they include those. As others have said, it would be interesting to know what else is on their list.
@Karen_Nulty, welcome aboard! As Restart, we tend to advise against tackling microwaves at community repair events due to the higher level of risk involved (compared to most other devices a person can carry). You can read more about it in our Guidance: safety, risk and insurance at community repair events and Restarter Safety Guidelines. Of course, every group has a slightly different approach and tolerance for risk.
Thanks James
It seems very odd to me too as basically the crucial working technology in an air fryer is no different to a toaster!
I have asked the repair cafe to determine exactly the reason for the restriction, so that we can know whether it is because of this particular item or because of a perception of repair cafe on the part of the insurers. Either way, the reasoning I feel needs to be challenged.
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Hi
I have extra information from my neighbouring repair cafe now regarding the restriction of air fryers in their insurance and I think it is very relevant to a growing number of repair cafes.
They have chosen to be insured with Wessex Insurance Brokers as they have specific repair cafe insurance. However, it is in the FAQs that Wessex state that white goods are not covered in the insurance, with air fryers in the list of white goods.
The section in the FAQa states
Can we repair white goods?
The repair of white goods is excluded from our policy. White goods are items such as:
Tumble dryers â including vented, heat pump and condenser models
Washing machines â including washer-dryer, freestanding, top-loading and integrated models
Fridges
Freezers
Fridge-freezer combos
Cookers â (Other names for this include, stoves, ranges, cooker and oven)
Air fryers
Dishwashers
Water coolers
Air conditioners
Microwaves
Ice makers
Water heaters
Please note this list is not definitive, so if you have any doubt, give us a call.
They have asked for clarification and Wessex have just reiterated that air fryers are white goods and not covered in the insurance.
Obviously Wessex are becoming a major player in repair cafe insurance so have any other repair cafes had this in the FAQs? Also it is something to note if more and more RC go with Wessex too. Personally, I still find their decision odd - they have welding covered but not air fryers!!!
Iâd guess that the big things on that list rarely come up, because whoâs going to lug a cooker or a washing machine to a repair cafe in the hope that someone can repair it? And microwaves have some specific risks, as James mentioned. So I can understand from an insurerâs perspective that it might be a useful simplification to cut out the entire category.
Iâm not convinced air fryers really fit into this category, though. I understand âwhite goodsâ to mean the big things that are installed semi-permanently, not stuff that goes on the countertop. Their list doesnât mention kettles, toasters or rice cookers, for instance. But I donât know how to convince them of that.
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I understand âwhite goodsâ to mean the big things that are installed semi-permanently, not stuff that goes on the countertop. Their list doesnât mention kettles, toasters or rice cookers, for instance. But I donât know how to convince them of that.
I completely agree. The air fryer is very much the odd one out; very small, no (potentially flammable pentane-based) refrigerant, no water involved, and no obvious reason why it would be in a higher risk category.
Itâs not wessex weâd need to convince if I understand correctly, they are a broker and the insurance is underwritten by. I have attached our full policy wording from March 2023, which barely even mentions repair, let alone things we canât repair. It was from Stonefort, and I think wessex now have a different underwriter.
2023-03 Stonefort - Commercial Combined Policy Wording (Arches Mens Sheds Any Commercial Combined policies).pdf (1.1 MB)