Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Al Mawj
In Al Mawj on Jeddah's south coast, waterfront restaurants and cafés need balanced HVAC that expels cooking fumes without disrupting guests. We balance kitchen-to-dining pressure, supply make-up air to the hood and protect coils from grease.
- 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 Mawj is lined with modern waterfront restaurants and cafés with open-plan kitchens overlooking the dining areas. High humidity and salt air accelerate corrosion in hood and coil metals, and the open kitchen design demands precise pressure balance to keep cooking air from drifting to guests and prevent doors slamming shut. The balance system needs regular cleaning to remove salt deposits and grease residue.
Al Mawj lies on Jeddah's south coast, a zone of modern waterfront restaurants and cafés with open-plan designs facing the sea.
Most Al Mawj restaurants run centralised hood systems with complex ductwork serving multiple cooking stations.
The AC setup in Al Mawj
- 1
Central hood with distributed ductwork
Most modern Al Mawj restaurants run hood ducts from a central exhaust serving several cooking stations.
- 2
Separate make-up air system
Balanced pressure calls for a dedicated make-up air system that brings fresh air into the kitchen to offset what the hood pulls out.
- 3
Grease-resistant filters and coils
Waterfront restaurants need specialist filters and coils that withstand heavy grease and salt buildup from intensive cooking.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Al Mawj
- 1
Tell us the service hours and peak cooking times
We need to know your peak cooking times so we can measure hood and pressure performance under real load, not when the kitchen is empty.
- 2
Ensure safe access to the roof and ductwork
Checking the ducts and hood condition requires safe access to the roof and the passages where the connections run.
- 3
Clear the outdoor units of obstacles
Ventilation and make-up air equipment often sit on the roof or exterior walls, make sure they are clear of obstructions.
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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.
How do you protect AC coils from sea salt and humidity in waterfront restaurants?
We specify corrosion-resistant coils and remove salt deposits during regular maintenance to keep cooling and drainage running well.
Kitchen smells reach the guest tables, is this an HVAC problem?
Yes, the hood needs enough make-up air and balanced pressure so kitchen air does not drift into the dining room. We diagnose the shortfall and rebalance.
The doors between the kitchen and dining area keep slamming shut, is that normal?
No, that means the hood is pulling more air out than comes in, creating a pressure drop that sucks doors closed. We need to increase make-up air or reduce hood speed.
The ducts collect grease and moisture, how often do they need cleaning?
That depends on cooking volume and kitchen size. We assess the ducts and recommend a cleaning schedule that fits your operation.
