I’m documenting the journey I’ve been on in hopes of saving other owners from the headaches I’ve experienced. I’m including model and part numbers, maybe if someone is searching online for a solution, this will pop up.

I purchased an Electrolux electric dryer four years ago, model # EFME527UIW0. It has worked well for me. Early on, I accidentally bumped the lint filter on the top edge of the drum opening, which dented the plastic grid on the top of the lint filter. It still worked fine, but over the past year, the plastic finally broke off and started catching my clothes. Thus began the search for a replacement, little did I know it would be a long ordeal.

Skip to the punchline—this lint trap is no longer made and isn’t available from parts suppliers or even Electrolux, rendering my not very old dryer unusable. Trust me, I’ve ordered FOUR replacement filters from online parts suppliers, my local parts store, and even directly from Electrolux. The original part number was 5304513574. Everywhere lists that this has been replaced with part # 5304529766. Only one problem, the replacement is much shorter and the top has a steep angle to it. While it does fit down into the lint duct, the front edges stick up and catch the clothes. It is NOT a direct swap replacement.

I had multiple conversations with Electrolux about this, sent pictures of the different parts, etc, but didn’t have much luck getting help. I finally spoke with someone at my local appliance store (luckily, I had purchased this from a local retailer, not a big box store) and asked for their help. They passed on my info to their local Electrolux rep, whole finally facilitated a solution.

The fix is to replace not only the lint filter itself, but the plastic housing it sits in, with one that is designed for the new angled filter. Electrolux did provide me with the parts for free. The only challenge with the installation is that the housing contains the moisture sensor, so there is a plug that must be unplugged and the new one plugged in. A simple task, except that the connection happens on the inside of the machine, which requires the front to be removed to access the connection. It wasn’t too hard, there are YouTube videos that show how to remove the front. A little challenging because mine are stacked, but I was able to replace it myself.

I’m including the photos here of the old and new, in case anyone needs to reference this moving forward.