Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Al Ruwais
In Al Ruwais, central Jeddah's restaurants and cafés require balanced HVAC to separate kitchen air from dining rooms. We provide a complete solution that eliminates odours and maintains guest comfort in clean, cool air.
- 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 Ruwais holds diverse restaurants from small to medium in relatively modern buildings with reasonable space, and building layout allows separate HVAC for kitchen and dining room. Hot kitchen air and slightly elevated humidity in the area demand design combining strong cooling with effective drainage. This means powerful hoods, regulated make-up air and insulated ducts to protect air quality.
Al Ruwais, in central Jeddah, is a zone of diverse restaurants in relatively modern buildings with reasonable space.
Most Al Ruwais restaurants are medium-sized with separate kitchens and central HVAC, using moderate-capacity hoods.
The AC setup in Al Ruwais
- 1
Central system with separate, insulated ducts
Al Ruwais's medium restaurants benefit from thermally insulated kitchen and dining ducts that reduce heat and moisture loss and maintain cooling efficiency.
- 2
Moderate-capacity hood with regulated make-up air
The hood requires regulated make-up air at nearly the same rate to achieve pressure balance that pulls odours without disrupting the dining room.
- 3
Strong condensation drainage and ventilated ducts
Kitchen humidity and cooking require strong drainage and low-velocity duct ventilation to prevent water condensation and fungal buildup.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Al Ruwais
- 1
Provide the building plan with kitchen and dining locations
We need a clear plan showing possible outdoor unit locations and the distance between kitchen, dining room and exterior windows.
- 2
Tell us maximum installation height and electrical load capacity
We need to know ceiling height, the location of the electrical panel and available capacity for the hood and additional AC units.
- 3
Schedule times for installation and testing
Installation and testing is best before or after operating hours, so let us know the restaurant's closed days or designated downtime.
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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.
Where should the outdoor unit go in my restaurant building?
We prefer the roof or exterior wall away from windows and entrances, to avoid returning warm air to the building and to keep noise away from guests.
Can the hood and AC run efficiently together?
Yes, but it needs balanced design. We supply make-up air at the same rate as hood extraction to prevent dining room air being pulled and reduce excess cooling load.
Humidity in the room is high from cooking, does this damage the coils?
Yes, high humidity reduces cooling efficiency and promotes fungal growth, so we recommend strong condensation drainage and regular coil and duct cleaning.
How often should the hood and grease trap be cleaned?
We recommend cleaning the grease trap every two to four weeks depending on cooking volume, the hood itself monthly, and the coils every three months.
