Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Al Naeem
In Al Naeem, north Jeddah's newer district of residential villas with neighbourhood restaurants and sweet shops interspersed, HVAC must balance customer hospitality against neighbour disturbance.
- 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 Naeem is a newer district of planned residential villas with green spaces, where restaurants and sweet shops are small to medium and embedded in the housing fabric. Some occupy converted villas, others sit in small dedicated commercial blocks, with moderate spacing between buildings. Humidity is lower than at the coast, and heat is moderate thanks to green space and good natural ventilation. But the core challenge is separating an active commercial kitchen from neighbouring villas and flats, whose residents complain about smells, smoke and noise more than elsewhere because they expect a quieter, cleaner residential environment.
Al Naeem is a newer north Jeddah residential district of spaced villas and green space with small commercial shops integrated within the housing.
Most Al Naeem shops are small with limited kitchens, requiring powerful yet very quiet extraction systems to avoid complaints from neighbouring residents.
The AC setup in Al Naeem
- 1
Very quiet extraction with optional carbon filter
Small Al Naeem kitchens need strong extraction but very low noise, and a carbon filter may be added to reduce escaping odours.
- 2
Separate cooling for kitchen and dining
Two smaller units outperform one large one in this compact setting, giving better heat and humidity control with higher efficiency.
- 3
Protection against tree dust and leaf blockage
Protective screens on outdoor units and regular filter cleaning are essential because of the surrounding green space.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Al Naeem
- 1
Photos of your building and neighbouring villas
Send photos of the shop exterior and surrounding villas with windows, so we can assess extraction placement and minimise impact on neighbours.
- 2
Identify trees and plants near outdoor units
Tell us about trees and planting near the outdoor unit location, so we can ensure safe clearance and prevent airflow blockage.
- 3
Coordinate with shop manager and neighbouring residents
Tell neighbouring residents about installation and maintenance dates, and ask their cooperation in reporting any disturbance or residual odours afterward.
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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.
Neighbours complain about cooking smells and smoke, can we eliminate this entirely?
We install very strong extraction with sound and odour-insulating ducts, and may add a carbon filter before air exits. We cannot eliminate odour entirely, but can reduce it significantly to acceptable neighbour levels.
I want a quiet kitchen because neighbours are sensitive to noise, what do you recommend?
We specify variable-speed extraction fans that run ultra-quietly at low load, route ducts with gentle angles to cut noise, and install sound insulation around fans and ducts.
My kitchen is small and gets very hot in summer, can one AC unit cool both kitchen and dining?
Two units work better: a robust unit in the dining area and a smaller separate one in the kitchen or powerful cold supply ducted to the kitchen. This controls heat more efficiently and cuts overall cooling load.
The green spaces are lovely but may blow dust and leaves onto outdoor units, how do you protect them?
We fit protective screens on outdoor units and suggest monthly cleaning of filters and coils. Trees very close by may need light pruning to maintain unobstructed airflow.
