Who makes Silhouette wine coolers? Danby, its five lines, our 16 models and Island service

Who manufactures Silhouette appliances?

Silhouette appliances come from Danby, and both companies say so on their own sites. Silhouette's 2021 PRO brochure calls Silhouette "a member of the Danby family". Danby describes itself as "a Canadian-owned appliance manufacturer and distributor" and as a company "focused on small space living".

Danby's About page sums up the company in one sentence: "Founded in Montreal, Quebec and headquartered in Guelph, Ontario, Danby has been Canadian owned since 1947". The same page lists six facilities, two in Guelph and one each in Calgary, Findlay in Ohio, Foxboro in Massachusetts and Tolleson in Arizona. Silhouette's brand page speaks of "beautifully-crafted appliances in the heart of Guelph", and names no factory.

Is Silhouette made in Canada?

Where each Silhouette unit is built is a separate question from who owns Danby, and Danby's and Silhouette's public pages, spec sheets and manuals don't answer it. Danby's About page lists its facilities without saying what, if anything, is built at each one. Some retailer pages name countries, but that isn't the maker's word, so this guide leaves it out. If where a unit was built matters to you, Silhouette Consumer Care is the place to ask about a specific model number before you order. Canadian ownership and a Canadian factory are two different claims.

Silhouette, Pro, Pro Gen 3, Select and Reserve: how the lines differ

Silhouette sorts its range into lines, and the line name leads each product title. Its Parts and Warranty page names three of them: "Silhouette Professional, Silhouette Select and Silhouette". The current Canadian product titles use Pro and Pro Gen 3.

• Silhouette is the base line, including the Riccotta, Stilton and Emmental. Their spec sheets list capacitive touch controls (buttons that work with a light touch), internal temperature sensors and frost-free, fan-forced cooling.
• Silhouette Pro covers the Napa, Sonoma, Tuscany and Saxony. The Sonoma and Saxony spec sheets add an integrated door lock, lighting down the sides of the cabinet and what Silhouette calls Pro-vection cooling, with fans that are always on. Silhouette's 2021 PRO brochure, which covers the Tuscany, Saxony and Sonoma, calls that generation PRO Gen 2.
• Pro Gen 3 is the newest line, which Silhouette's Canadian home page introduces as its new Pro Gen 3 lineup. Its six models come in stainless or panel-ready, a door that takes a panel to match your cabinets. The Pro Gen 3 wine cellar spec sheet lists soft-close doors and shelves, concealed zero-clearance hinges and a charcoal filter.
• Silhouette Select, on Merit's listings, is the Sydney, a 24-inch wine cellar in black stainless steel.
• Silhouette Reserve units are black, with an Invisi-touch display on the glass that can be set to disappear when not in use. They have a self-closing door and come as left-hand or right-hand models.

The model names come from Silhouette's spec sheets, its US pages and, for the Tuscany and Piedmont, its 2021 brochure. Several are cheeses (Emmental, Riccotta, Stilton) and several are wine regions (Napa, Sonoma, Tuscany, Piedmont). The Canadian pages go by model number instead, such as SBC057D1BSS for the Riccotta, which is the number to quote on the phone. The Canadian catalogue also has one outdoor fridge, which Merit doesn't list.

Silhouette warranty in Canada: 24 months, first owner, bill of sale

A Silhouette warranty in Canada covers parts and labour for 24 months with in-home service, going by Silhouette's product pages and the Pro Gen 3 spec sheet. Installation and yearly cleaning aren't covered. The Parts and Warranty page gives the three named lines a (2) year warranty. All eight Silhouette manuals read for this guide carry two warranty pages, though. The Silhouette page gives 24 months in-home, while an older general Danby page, marked 04/09, gives twelve months. Every one of the eight limits plastic parts to "thirty (30) days" from purchase.

Danby's warranty covers the first owner only. The manual says it applies to the person the unit "was originally sold" to by Danby or an authorized distributor, and that it "is non-transferable". Danby's registration page adds that a unit bought used, as-is or through an auction site isn't eligible. Every claim needs proof of purchase, which makes the bill of sale the one piece of paper to keep.

The manual's exclusions include power failures, damage in transit or while moving the unit, commercial use, a freestanding unit built into a cabinet and an indoor unit used outdoors. If a unit arrives damaged, the manual's first page says to contact the retailer that sold it immediately.

Danby's manual names two places to start a claim: the dealer you bought from, or the nearest authorized Danby service depot. Merit's warranty page says an appliance claim starts with the maker, or with the Merit store that sold the unit. The repair itself has to be done by a servicer Danby has authorized. The manual ends Danby's obligations if anyone else works on the unit.

After the 24 months, Silhouette's Parts and Warranty page sends owners to Danby's online parts shop or to 1-866-292-7278. Danby's support page says it "does not guarantee availability of all parts indefinitely".

Silhouette's site lists a Platinum Extended Warranty in Canada only, for up to 4 years past the maker's warranty, once the unit is registered. The same page says the program is "currently on hold". Merit's own extended option is SmartOne from Zucora, and with Silhouette's own program paused, it is the one a wine cooler from us can go on today.

Silhouette wine cooler not cooling, flashing HI or beeping: checks before a service call

A Silhouette that runs warm, beeps or shows a code has a short list of checks in its manual and on Silhouette's FAQ page. They're worth making first, because Danby's warranty excludes "Service calls resulting in customer education". The codes and steps below come from the Pro Gen 3 manual, and other Silhouette manuals word them their own way.

1. Give it time. Silhouette's FAQ says a unit takes approximately 2 hours to reach its set temperature, the first time or after being unplugged. It expects the reading to drift 3 to 5 degrees with frequent door openings or warm bottles.
2. Read the code. "HI" means the cabinet has stayed above 23°C (73°F) for one hour. "LO" means it has dropped below 0°C (32°F). "CL" means it has held at 0°C for more than 30 minutes, and the unit stops working so the contents don't freeze.
3. Reset it once. If a code stays on the display for more than 5 minutes, unplug the unit, wait 5 minutes and plug it back in. A code that comes back after that is a call to Silhouette.
4. Check the vent and the room. The manual's causes for "HI" include a blocked exhaust vent and a door that isn't shutting. It also lists a load of warm bottles, sun or a heat source nearby, and a very warm or humid room.
5. Shut the door fully. The door alarm sounds after 5 minutes open. If it keeps sounding with the door closed, the manual says to check that the actuator at the bottom of the door is touching its switch.
6. Look for demo mode. Demo mode is meant for a sales floor: the fan runs, the compressor doesn't, and the alarms stay silent. Its indicator light shows when it's on, and holding the increase and power buttons together for 10 seconds turns it off.

Silhouette Consumer Care is at 1-844-455-6097, Monday to Thursday 8:30 to 6 and Friday 8:30 to 4, Eastern time. On the Island that's 5:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., or to 1 p.m. on a Friday, so a morning call is the safe bet.