Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Al Huda
In Al Huda, south Jeddah, restaurants and cafes operate in densely residential areas with limited commercial use. We balance kitchen and dining air pressure, supply the hood with make-up air, to protect neighbours from odours and noise.
- Pressure balance
- Make-up air
- Coil protection
Clients We're Proud to Serve
Organisations and companies that trusted Alrabih with their projects.
When your restaurant needs a specialist
- 1
Kitchen smells reaching diners
When the extract hood pulls out more air than is replaced, the kitchen goes negative and draws air from the dining room, bringing smells with it. The answer is calculating the volumes and delivering make-up air close to the hood.
- 2
Dining room stays warm despite the AC
A full dining room in Jeddah's humid summer raises heat and moisture load noticeably. Design must account for peak occupancy, and the right diffuser layout achieves even cooling across tables, not cold near the duct and warm in the corners.
- 3
Repeated breakdowns in kitchen AC units
Grease vapour from the burners settles on evaporator coils and blocks airflow, raising pressure and stressing the compressor. Placing the unit away from grease currents and scheduling coil cleaning reduces this damage significantly.
Who it's for
Opening a new restaurant that needs a full HVAC system
We design the cooling and make-up air system from scratch to match your kitchen and dining layout before you open.
Ask on WhatsAppYour restaurant is running but smells are reaching the tables
We survey the existing system, measure pressure between kitchen and dining, then correct the fault by adding make-up air or adjusting the air balance.
Ask on WhatsApp
What the work covers
- Kitchen and dining pressure survey
- Make-up air for hood
- Diffuser layout for dining
- Ductwork to SMACNA standards
- Air balance commissioning
How we work
How we work
- 1
Site and kitchen survey
We visit, measure the spaces, review the existing extract hood and burner positions, and find where negative pressure is occurring before any design work.
- 2
Design and equipment selection
We design the make-up air and cooling systems together, and select units from Carrier, YORK, General, Midea, Gree or Smart Gold to suit the space and the load.
- 3
Duct fabrication and installation
We fabricate ducts in our workshop from G90 galvanised sheet to precise sizes, install the units, and run Mueller copper in runs of up to 30 metres without welded joints, insulated with Armaflex.
- 4
Balancing and handover
We run the system and adjust dampers until the kitchen sits at slight negative and the dining room at slight positive, confirming that doors open easily and no kitchen smell crosses to the guests.
Integrated design or separate units with no balance?
| Alrabih | The usual way | |
|---|---|---|
| Make-up air | Calculated and delivered to the hood | Usually not addressed |
| Dining pressure | Slight positive, no smell transfer | Negative, pulls kitchen air in |
| Coil protection | Unit placed away from grease | Repeated breakdowns |
| Cooling spread | Diffusers sized for full occupancy | Uneven, warm corners |
| Kitchen ductwork | Fabricated in-house from G90 sheet | Off-the-shelf sizes, poor fit |
Everything your AC needs, from one team
From system design and duct fabrication to installation, commissioning and maintenance.
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Some of our work
Ductwork, rooftop units and diffusers, from work we've completed in Jeddah.
Customer reviews
What our customers say
- Muhammadramzan 2641
“MashaaAllah. Services are so good. Behaviour and kindness 100/100. Prices are less then Market. Fully recommended”
- shahzeb armani
“Wow. Prices are so comfortable. Outstanding services. People are so talented and nice”
- Tawfik AlyawerLocal Guide
“U can find all u need for air conditioning”
Your satisfaction matters to us! If you had a great experience with us, we'd love a 5-star rating and a kind review.
Worked with us? Leave a reviewService areas
We come to you anywhere in Jeddah
From Al Shiraa and Al Yaqout in the north to Al Thaghr and Al Quraiyat in the south, with our base in Al Aziziyah.
What sets this district apart
Al Huda is densely residential, mostly flats and villas, with restaurants and cafes on ground or first floors surrounded by and above residential units. This demands highly sensitive ventilation that pulls hot, greasy air strongly from the kitchen without drafting from neighbouring flats or sending odours and noise to them. Kitchen heat and humidity may affect shared walls, and soundproofing must be robust.
Al Huda is in south Jeddah, a densely residential district of flats and villas with limited restaurant and café presence.
Al Huda restaurants are usually ground-floor units surrounded by residential flats, needing strong ventilation that is sound and grease-isolated from adjoining buildings.
The AC setup in Al Huda
- 1
Sound and heat-insulated system
Al Huda restaurants surrounded by homes need ducts and hoods fully isolated to prevent sound and heat transfer to flats.
- 2
Premium grease filters with monthly servicing
Odour-sensitive neighbours need high-performance filters and quick regular cleaning cycles.
- 3
Very high outlet positioned far from windows
The outlet must be high above the roof and far from neighbouring flat windows to prevent odour drift.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Al Huda
- 1
Tell us about any neighbour complaints and current outlet position
If there are current complaints about odours or noise, let us know and tell us where the current outlet is positioned.
- 2
Confirm access to roof, kitchen and dining
The team needs safe, quick access to roof, kitchen and dining to measure and test the system fast without disturbing customers.
- 3
Coordinate with management on the new outlet
Building management may need approval for the outlet height and duct routing, confirm this in advance.
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FAQ
Questions about Restaurant & cafe HVAC
What is the difference between make-up air and kitchen air conditioning?
Make-up air replaces the volume the hood extracts, its purpose is pressure balance not necessarily cooling. Kitchen air conditioning tackles burner heat and lowers temperature for the staff. Both may be needed, and the site survey determines which your kitchen requires.
Do outdoor seating areas need a different approach in Jeddah?
Yes. In Jeddah's heat and humidity, fans alone are not enough during peak months. The right option depends on whether the space has an open roof or a partial enclosure and how large the area is. We assess the spot and propose suitable units after the survey.
How are AC coils protected from kitchen grease?
The first step is design: we position kitchen units in airflow paths away from the grease rising off the burners. In preventive maintenance contracts we schedule pressure coil cleaning before build-up raises stress on the compressor, because early cleaning is simpler and less costly than a repair.
Can existing ductwork in an operating restaurant be repaired or does it need replacing?
The decision follows a duct inspection: we look for air leaks, grease build-up inside, and sheet corrosion from Jeddah's salty air. If the structure is sound we seal joints with Foster sealants and re-insulate with Kimmco. If not, we fabricate new sections in our workshop and replace the damaged runs.
Does a packed dining room during peak season affect how the AC performs?
Yes, every person in the room adds heat and moisture, and this is significant in Jeddah's summer. Design therefore accounts for full occupancy load, not average attendance, and diffusers are positioned to deliver even cooling across all tables. The exact layout is confirmed after the site survey.
Flats above the restaurant complain of odours and noise, how do you fix this?
We fit strong sound dampening on the hood and ducts, and route the outlet high and far from other flats' windows.
Kitchen heat and humidity cause moisture in shared walls, how do you prevent it?
We fit separate heat-insulated drain lines and route water away from shared walls and foundations.
How do you balance air between the tight kitchen and open dining?
We calculate precise airflow from the number of cooking points and hours of use, then install evenly distributed cool-air inlets throughout the dining area.
The neighbouring flats are sensitive to odours, is there a permanent solution?
We use premium grease filters and clean them monthly, and fit a very high outlet with additional odour barriers.
