Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Harat Al Bahar
In Harat Al Bahar, historic downtown Jeddah's small cafés and restaurants operate in tight street-facing shops, needing HVAC that balances kitchen extraction with guest comfort. Alrabih delivers compact solutions fitting tight spaces and older buildings.
- 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
Harat Al Bahar is an older district of tight, adjoining commercial shops, where most cafés and small restaurants lack clear separation between kitchen and seating. The high humidity near the sea and intense heat strain the AC, while low ceilings and tight spaces limit ducting options for both extraction and cooling. A powerful hood will pull from the street and neighbouring walls, so the solution demands smart make-up air routing and advanced filters to isolate odours and grease.
Harat Al Bahar sits in historic downtown Jeddah near the Red Sea coast, an old district of tight, closely packed commercial shops.
Most small cafés here rely on split or window units rather than central AC, with simple wall-mounted hoods or narrow balconies for any air make-up.
The AC setup in Harat Al Bahar
- 1
Wall-mounted hood with integrated grease filter
Tight shops in Harat Al Bahar rarely fit a ceiling hood, so we install a compact wall-mounted hood with a built-in grease filter.
- 2
Split AC with separate wall hood
Most small cafés here have a split AC for cooling and a simple wall hood for the kitchen, which we balance using thin ducts along existing walls.
- 3
Make-up air from a balcony or exterior window
In the tightest shops, we pull fresh air from outside via a small window or balcony and direct it toward the kitchen to balance the hood.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Harat Al Bahar
- 1
Send a photo showing the kitchen and current hood location
One photo of the stove, current hood and space between walls and furniture helps the team understand the layout before arriving.
- 2
Tell us the nearest parking and when the shop closes
Let us know the nearest parking spot and closing time so we can work when the shop won't disturb customers.
- 3
Confirm roof or facade access for duct exits
If the shop is on the ground floor, verify that roof or exterior wall access is safe for running hood and 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 shop is tiny and cramped, can you balance the HVAC without major structural changes?
Yes, we install compact solutions using existing walls and ceilings, such as a wall-mounted hood with grease filter and a thin make-up air duct along the wall. A site visit confirms what fits your layout.
The sea humidity is high and causes mould in my units, does it affect the hood?
Yes, coastal humidity speeds up mould growth in ducts and coils. We select moisture-resistant filters and materials, and recommend more frequent cleaning to keep the system intact.
Grease builds up fast in my hood, is there a lasting fix?
We install high-efficiency grease filters and recommend monthly or bi-monthly cleaning. The filter protects ducts and coils, while regular cleaning keeps the hood and AC running efficiently.
The street is very narrow, how does your team access the shop?
We agree in advance on the nearest parking point and convenient timing, carrying tools by hand as needed. If the shop is busy with customers, we schedule during quieter hours.
