Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Al Tadamun
In Al Tadamun, south Jeddah, modern restaurants and cafés are expanding their kitchens and seating, demanding stronger extraction and precise air balance. Alrabih delivers an advanced solution for pressure, odour and humidity control while maintaining cooling efficiency.
- 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 Tadamun is a modern district experiencing rapid commercial expansion, where new restaurants and cafés are larger and more sophisticated, often with open or semi-open kitchens and contemporary décor. Wide spaces and high ceilings allow powerful central AC and advanced ceiling hoods, but the challenge lies in handling intense southern heat and high humidity that breed mould and odours fast. This demands advanced ventilation systems with smart air recycling, high-grade filters and regular scheduled maintenance.
Al Tadamun lies in south Jeddah, marked by modern restaurants, hotels and spacious commercial buildings with high ceilings.
Most modern restaurants here use complex central AC ducting and multiple ceiling hoods to cover large, open kitchens.
The AC setup in Al Tadamun
- 1
Multi-zone central AC system
Large restaurants in Al Tadamun use central AC with separate ducts per zone, fitted with control dampers to balance temperatures between kitchen and dining.
- 2
Multiple ceiling hoods with smart air recycling
We install powerful ceiling hoods in large open kitchens, with a system recycling filtered air back, cutting energy use.
- 3
Advanced humidity and mould-resistant filters
Filters here are designed for south Jeddah's humid climate, combining grease and odour removal with excess moisture extraction.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Al Tadamun
- 1
Provide architectural plans showing kitchen, dining and AC zones
A detailed architectural drawing or layout photo showing the kitchen, hoods and existing ducts helps the team plan precisely before arrival.
- 2
Confirm available closure and maintenance windows
Tell us your weekly or monthly closures so we can schedule maintenance and installation without service disruption.
- 3
Confirm available electrical capacity and exterior ducting routes
Verify your total electrical capacity and available roof or exterior routes for installing hoods and additional make-up air ducts.
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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.
My kitchen is large with multiple hoods, how do we control air balance between them and the main AC?
We install a system of automatic control dampers on the hood and make-up air ducts, monitoring air pressure between zones automatically. This maintains consistent balance even as kitchen heat load changes.
The intense heat and humidity in the south strain my cooling efficiency, what is the solution?
We select AC units and hoods rated for hot, humid climates, installing fine filters and humidity-treating coils. Quarterly maintenance is essential to keep performance in this climate.
Can we recycle some kitchen air instead of exhausting it all outside?
In upmarket restaurants, we install air recycling with high-efficiency filters removing odours and grease before recirculating. This saves energy while maintaining the desired temperature.
My systems are complex, how do we ensure regular scheduled maintenance?
We offer maintenance contracts covering periodic cleaning, inspection and emergency repair. We set a schedule matching your seasons and closures, with advance notice before each visit.
