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Phoenix Manufacturing

Phoenix Manufacturing
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The Brand Story

Phoenix Manufacturing: Building Swamp Coolers in the City Where They Were Born

In 1908 a Phoenix man named Oscar Palmer built what Arizona credits as its first drip-type evaporative cooler: water trickling over a pad, a fan pulling desert air through it, and a room that suddenly felt livable in July. Within a generation the idea had turned Phoenix into the evaporative cooler capital of the country. More than a century later, the craft is still being practiced in the same city, on East Roeser Road, where Phoenix Manufacturing has been building coolers since 1975.

Chapter 1 · 1908 to 1936

A desert invention

Before the boxes, there were bedsheets. Around 1917 Arizonans began hanging wet sheets in front of electric fans to cool the air. By 1933 thousands of homemade coolers had appeared across the state, and two University of Arizona professors, Martin and Paul Thornburg, circulated mimeographed instructions for building and running them. By 1936 Phoenix had become the main manufacturing center for evaporative coolers, home to makers like Palmer Manufacturing, International Metal Products, Polaraire, Wright Manufacturing and Mountainaire. Nobody is quite sure where the nickname swamp cooler came from, but it stuck.

Chapter 2 · 1975 to today

PMI on East Roeser Road

Phoenix Manufacturing, Inc., known in the trade as PMI, has been supporting contractors and engineers since 1975. Its headquarters and manufacturing site sit at 3655 East Roeser Road in Phoenix, and its products range from window coolers for a single room to large cabinets for warehouses and agricultural buildings. The company sells under the Aerocool, Frigiking and Agricool names.

In 2024 PMI named Scott Morling president. Late in 2025 the company introduced Frigiking Rigid Media coolers, the FRS and FRD 450 and 650 models, bringing rigid media, long used in larger commercial coolers, to a mid-tier residential product. In July 2026 Johnstone Supply's new Pueblo, Colorado branch joined PMI's distribution network, a sign of steady demand across the dry Mountain West.

The Science

How an evaporative cooler works

An evaporative cooler is simple physics put to work. A pump wets a pad, a blower pulls outside air through it, and as water evaporates it absorbs heat, so the air leaving the pad is cooler and more humid than the air that went in. The drier the outside air, the more water can evaporate and the bigger the temperature drop. That is why these coolers thrive in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Denver and Albuquerque, and why they make far less sense in humid places like South Florida, where the air is already close to saturated. Unlike a refrigerated air conditioner, an evaporative cooler brings in a constant supply of fresh outside air and needs a path, such as an open window or a relief vent, for that air to leave the building.

The Lineup

What Phoenix Manufacturing builds today

PMI builds residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural evaporative coolers. HVAC365 carries a range of them in evaporative coolers:

  • Aerocool Trophy Series: 6,800 CFM residential coolers in down draft and side draft versions with a single inlet, sized for homes.
  • Aspen commercial coolers: 9,110 CFM cabinets in down draft and side draft configurations, using aspen pads.
  • Aerocool industrial cabinets: 9,600 CFM side draft and 9,825 CFM down draft cabinets for shops and warehouses.
  • Frigiking window cooler: a two-speed, 1/3 HP, 115-volt unit that mounts in a window to cool a single room.

More portable and window units sit with our room air conditioners.

At a Glance

Phoenix Manufacturing at a glance

In business since
1975
Headquarters
Phoenix, Arizona
Factory
3655 E. Roeser Road, Phoenix
Brands
Aerocool, Frigiking, Agricool
President
Scott Morling, since 2024
Markets
Residential, commercial, agricultural
Questions

Frequently asked questions about Phoenix Manufacturing

Where is Phoenix Manufacturing located?

Phoenix Manufacturing, Inc. is headquartered and manufactures its coolers at 3655 East Roeser Road in Phoenix, Arizona.

How long has Phoenix Manufacturing made evaporative coolers?

Phoenix Manufacturing says it has supported contractors and engineers with evaporative cooling products since 1975.

What brands does Phoenix Manufacturing make?

Phoenix Manufacturing sells evaporative coolers under the Aerocool, Frigiking and Agricool names, covering residential, commercial and agricultural uses.

What is the difference between a down draft and a side draft cooler?

A down draft cooler discharges air out of its bottom, typically into ductwork through a roof, while a side draft cooler discharges air horizontally, which suits wall, window or ground mounting.

Do evaporative coolers work in humid climates?

Evaporative coolers work best in hot, dry climates like the desert Southwest. In humid regions the air cannot absorb much more moisture, so the cooling effect drops sharply.