Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Al Wahah
In Al Wahah, east Jeddah, restaurants and cafés in buildings of varying sizes need balance between a strong hood and odour-free fresh air. Alrabih cleans coils regularly and designs pressure balance for guest comfort.
- 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.
Split AC installation
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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 Wahah is an active district with mixed residential and commercial buildings of varying ages, some older and some newer, hosting shops, restaurants and small hotels. This mix of building ages means AC systems vary too, some restaurants have simple standalone units, others connect to shared systems. High humidity and intense summer heat accelerate grease buildup in coils, making regular scheduled maintenance essential.
Al Wahah lies in east Jeddah, a mixed residential and commercial district with buildings of varied ages and sizes.
Restaurants in Al Wahah use a mix of simple and advanced systems, some with independent split units and others connected to shared AC networks.
The AC setup in Al Wahah
- 1
Simple hood with standalone cooling coils
Most small Al Wahah restaurants rely on an independent hood and private cooling coils not connected to a central system.
- 2
Hood integrated with central AC and extra filtration
Some Al Wahah restaurants connect to shared building AC and require additional robust grease filters.
- 3
Wall or ground-level outdoor units due to roof constraints
Some older Al Wahah buildings do not allow rooftop outdoor units, so they are mounted on walls or ground level instead.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Al Wahah
- 1
Ask the owner about system type and whether it is shared
Clarify whether the AC is private to the restaurant or shared with the building, and if shared, get building management approval.
- 2
Inspect outdoor unit location and access safety
Verify that the outdoor unit is on a secure wall or stable ground, and that the team can access it safely and without hindrance.
- 3
Carefully schedule maintenance with the restaurant
Restaurants with long hours need careful scheduling. Book the visit during closure or before peak service, and confirm well in advance.
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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.
The restaurant is older with high humidity, are the coils at risk?
Yes, humidity and heat accelerate grease and moisture buildup in coils. We schedule cleaning at least quarterly during summer and monitor for mould growth.
The system is shared with other tenants who complain about odours, what can we do?
We add extra grease filters in the hood duct and clean them more frequently, and ensure the kitchen stays under negative pressure so odours do not drift to other tenants.
The restaurant is small and space is tight, how can we fit a powerful hood?
We select a hood sized appropriately for the space without excess capacity. We position it directly above the cooking area for efficient smoke and odour extraction.
The outdoor air intake is right by the street with heavy dust, what is the solution?
We install high-efficiency air filters and increase filter replacement frequency. We may add an extra filter or reposition the outdoor intake higher than street level if possible.
