Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Al Rughamah (Abraq Al Rughamah)
In Al Rughamah, east Jeddah, restaurants and cafés occupy multi-storey commercial and residential buildings. We design powerful extraction that isolates polluted kitchen air from the dining room and neighbouring flats, whilst supplying cool fresh air to guests.
- 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 Rughamah is densely built with mixed multi-storey residential and commercial blocks, restaurants often on mid-floors or ground level directly adjacent to flats above. This demands strict controls: extraction must be strong enough to prevent kitchen odours and grease rising to upper flats, whilst pressure must balance so smells do not drift to the dining room. We use dual or triple grease filters, thick-walled insulated ducts, and discharge outlets far from the main building entrance.
Al Rughamah, in the east, is densely built with adjoining residential and commercial blocks hosting restaurants needing strict isolation.
Most Al Rughamah restaurants occupy units in multi-storey buildings, sharing air ducts, power and drainage with flats and other commercial tenants.
The AC setup in Al Rughamah (Abraq Al Rughamah)
- 1
Central extraction with dual or triple-stage filtration
Dense buildings need very strong filtration as polluted air rises easily to upper floors. We install initial mesh filters, secondary grease filters, and tertiary activated carbon filters.
- 2
Insulated and fully sealed ducts
Ducts must be fully sealed to prevent odour and grease leaks. We use smooth insulated ducts and air-tight gaskets.
- 3
Grease drainage pan with floor drain connection
We install a pan under each filter bank to catch leaking grease, with a drain pipe connected to the building's sewage system.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Al Rughamah (Abraq Al Rughamah)
- 1
Get written approval from building management
Written approval from management on installation plan, outlet location and any structural work needed must be in place before we start.
- 2
Identify filter, pan and outlet locations
Tell us where filters will sit in the kitchen, where the drain pan will go, and where air will discharge (roof or wall).
- 3
Confirm affected neighbours' consent
Flats and shops directly affected by ducts or work must consent. Coordinate in advance to avoid disputes later.
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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.
Upper-floor flats complain of kitchen smell, what can be done?
Upper flats receive hot polluted air if extraction is weak or ducts are not properly sealed. We install stronger filters, seal all duct leaks, and direct the outlet away from the main building entrance.
Can we install extraction without major alterations to the shared building?
It depends on the unit's location and available outlet. We visit, inspect existing ducts and passages, and design a system using existing spaces as far as possible to minimise structural work.
Grease leaks from the ducts and drips on the floor, how do we stop it?
Old or narrow ducts collect grease easily. We replace them with larger smooth ducts, install a drip pan under filters, and clean all parts regularly.
Getting neighbours to agree on installation takes time, what should we do?
We help with a detailed report explaining to neighbours how the system improves air quality in their building. We focus on their benefits: no odours, no grease drips, no noise.
