Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Al Marj
In Al Marj in north-east Jeddah, cafés and family restaurants are expanding rapidly in modern buildings. We balance pressure between kitchen and dining and supply make-up air to the hood to filter odours and grease efficiently.
- 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.
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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 Marj is a fast-growing emerging district with modern buildings hosting shops and restaurants on ground floors, where kitchens are enclosed and cramped and run high daily cycles because new family venues attract constant traffic. Strong hoods without sufficient make-up air create pressure voids that pull odours to the dining area and stick doors, and grease accumulates on coils faster due to intensive cooking. Pressure balancing here is not optional but essential for guest comfort and equipment safety.
Al Marj in north-east Jeddah is a rapidly developing area seeing swift growth in commercial buildings and small cafés.
Most new restaurants here use simple ceiling hoods without planned make-up air systems, so they face pressure problems quickly.
The AC setup in Al Marj
- 1
Ceiling hood with parallel make-up air system
New restaurants in Al Marj benefit from tight ceiling design, so we install a ceiling hood with a separate conditioned make-up air system in the same zone.
- 2
Mid-size make-up air unit
We select a mid-size unit matching the kitchen's thermal and moisture load, mounted on an interior wall or ceiling for pressure balance.
- 3
Insulated ducts for hood and make-up air
Ducts are insulated for sound and thermal control, reducing noise and heat loss, with separate roof exits for the hood and make-up streams.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Al Marj
- 1
Provide sketches or digital plans of kitchen and dining
Send a quick sketch or clear photo of kitchen and dining floor, with equipment locations, so we can plan hood and make-up unit placement.
- 2
Confirm adequate electrical supply
Check the electrical panel capacity and available circuits to safely supply both the hood and make-up unit.
- 3
Identify roof and ceiling space for external ducts
Ensure the ceiling and roof can support external duct runs and vents, and that future maintenance access is clear.
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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.
The restaurant is new, is it best to install make-up air from the start?
Absolutely. Designing the system from the start is cheaper and easier than retrofitting, and you avoid pressure and odour issues from day one.
Guests smell spices even in distant seating, why?
A hood without balanced pressure does not extract vapours at source effectively. Planned conditioned make-up air pressurises the kitchen to contain odours at the hood.
In summer, kitchen heat is unbearable despite AC, what helps?
The strong hood pulls cooled air faster than make-up air replaces it. We supply strong, conditioned make-up air equal to the exhaust volume, so cooling and pressure stay balanced.
Does regular hood cleaning reduce the need for make-up air?
No, they are separate needs. Make-up air is essential for pressure and cooling, cleaning protects coils from grease. We address both together, recommending hood cleaning roughly every three weeks.
