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fan guard

It's not connected to the fan axis or anything else important, just sits there attached to the guard from the outside with three screws. Can I remove it or is there some clever aerodynamic purpose to it?

ETA As per request, added a picture of my particular fan with the ornament part removed:

fan without ornament

sigil
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    I'd guess is for safety and rigidity for the rest of the shroud. – Phaelax z Jul 01 '21 at 14:20
  • @Phaelaxz It's thin plastic and the guard itself is relatively thick metal ribs. I don't think the shield adds much to the mechanical properties of the guard. – sigil Jul 01 '21 at 14:31
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    I believe the official name is a "guard ornament" which seems to indicate it's probably for aesthetic purposes. Try taking it off, is it ugly? Why do you want to take it off anyways? – MonkeyZeus Jul 01 '21 at 14:38
  • @MonkeyZeus The 'ornament' part is in fact very helpful and you could make it an answer. (I did try googling the proper name for it, to no avail.) My girlfriend is unhappy about its color. Yes, I will remove it unless I hear a solid reason not to. – sigil Jul 01 '21 at 14:47

1 Answers1

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Sears calls that part a "guard ornament" which seems to indicate it's probably for aesthetic purposes.

How I found its name:

  1. Google "oscillating fan parts"
  2. Go to images
  3. Find this website https://www.searspartsdirect.com/model/2agsuagx0r-000582/kenmore-453800002-household-fan-parts
  4. Click on "Replacement Parts"
  5. Observe the image
  6. Match the diagram's number to the replacement parts list below

enter image description here

Depending on the fan it could be structural as seen on this vintage fan.

enter image description here

Source

MonkeyZeus
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    Upvoted for the quality of research. So, they were once necessary but now they are purely decorative. This explains it. – sigil Jul 01 '21 at 15:04
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    @sigil It depends. I'm sure high quality modern fans might use the guard ornament structurally. But then I guess it wouldn't be called an ornament ¯\(ツ)/¯ – MonkeyZeus Jul 01 '21 at 15:05
  • Sounds logical. Anyway, I removed it and put the guard back. No apparent change in the safety of the whole thing, and the air flow might even become slightly stronger. (Or maybe I'm just being partial.) Case closed. Thank you very much for your help. – sigil Jul 01 '21 at 15:14
  • @sigil Sounds good. I'd be interested in seeing a picture of your particular fan before and after the removal. I recommend adding them into your post so that people can comment as to whether or not it's structural for your specific fan. Users of this site are quite keen on thinking of things which you may have not considered. – MonkeyZeus Jul 01 '21 at 15:18
  • Added a picture of the fan after surgery. Could, I guess, place the ornament back, take a second photo, then take it off again. If you think it is necessary. – sigil Jul 01 '21 at 15:51
  • @sigil Seems 100% aesthetic in your situation! – MonkeyZeus Jul 01 '21 at 15:54
  • Yep. Initially, I thought it could be there for proper air flow or some other reason I can't imagine. But your answer clarified the situation perfectly: it's just for looks. – sigil Jul 01 '21 at 15:56
  • With a metal grill, the center circle is going to exist because the wires can't go all the way to the middle; they physically can't fit. It's easier to just terminate them once it gets crowded and stick a guard in the middle. As for safety, if your fingers can contact any moving parts, that's a problem. (Though mostly if there's a possibility of kids encountering it.) – user3757614 Jul 01 '21 at 16:01
  • @user3757614 What makes you think OP's cross-weave pattern isn't metal? With the guard styles in my pictures you could weld all the wires together in the middle but making that weld pretty will considerably increase production cost. – MonkeyZeus Jul 01 '21 at 16:07
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    My theory is it is purely a place for product Branding. As so few retailers design and manufacture unique products this allows the actual manufacturer to make the same fan and install an almost infinite number of different Brand labels without redesigning the entire product. – mikes Jul 01 '21 at 19:20
  • @mikes I agree that's most likely the reasoning behind the ornament but it's physical implementation determines whether it's strictly aesthetic or structural. – MonkeyZeus Jul 01 '21 at 19:23