Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Al Wisami
Al Wisami in north-east Jeddah has modern restaurants and cafés in relatively new buildings with open layouts. HVAC here must balance kitchen hood extraction against dining-room cooling, without pulling cold air away from 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 Wisami's buildings are newer with moderate heights and open layouts, so restaurants and cafés occupy whole floors or more, and ductwork runs through high ceilings with wide ducts. A strong kitchen hood pull can drain cold air from the dining area if pressure is not balanced, so we need to supply make-up air from outside and isolate kitchen ducts so they do not rob comfort from diners.
Al Wisami lies in north-east Jeddah, a modern development zone of medium-rise commercial and residential buildings.
Most restaurants and cafés in Al Wisami use central HVAC with shared ductwork and powerful separate kitchen hoods.
The AC setup in Al Wisami
- 1
Central HVAC with separate ductwork runs
Modern restaurants in Al Wisami use a central control unit with separate kitchen and dining ducts to ease pressure balancing.
- 2
Powerful kitchen hoods with outside make-up air intake
The independent kitchen hood extracts odour and steam directly outside, while a dedicated outside intake unit supplies replacement air to prevent pressure drop.
- 3
Filters and coils protected from grease
We install specialist pre-filters before main coils in the kitchen area to stop grease and deposits entering and cut maintenance.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Al Wisami
- 1
Confirm exact kitchen operating hours
Tell us the hours when the kitchen runs at full capacity so we can measure pressure and balance under real load.
- 2
Identify the hood and outside air intake locations
Show us where the hood exhaust pipes exit on the roof or outer wall, and where a new outside air intake vent can be fitted if needed.
- 3
Confirm access to upper ductwork
Make sure the kitchen and dining ceilings allow safe access to inspect and clean ducts without disrupting operations.
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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.
How do you balance the air between kitchen and dining room?
We install outside make-up air vents to compensate for what the hood pulls, and adjust main duct pressure so it does not drain coolth from the dining area.
Do the wide ducts in high ceilings need special maintenance?
Yes, wide ducts collect grease buildup from the kitchen and need regular cleaning with annual inspection to keep them clear.
The kitchen temperature is much higher; can the unit handle the difference?
Yes, but we insulate kitchen ducts with strong thermal wrap and install separate exhaust fans to reduce the load on the main system.
How often does daily operation require cleaning and maintenance?
A restaurant running 12 hours daily needs monthly checks of coils and filters, and duct cleaning every three months to prevent grease buildup.
