Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Harat Al Mazloum
Restaurant and cafe HVAC in Harat Al Mazloum in old downtown Jeddah faces the challenge of tight spaces and closely built structures. Alrabih balances the kitchen exhaust with cool-air supply to the dining area, protecting coils from grease and mould caused by coastal humidity.
- 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
Harat Al Mazloum is part of old downtown, with closely packed residential and commercial buildings, and restaurants and cafes here typically occupy tight ground-floor spaces or converted flats with no large external area. The narrow building design makes running kitchen exhaust ducts difficult, and the tight gaps between buildings prevent easy installation of large outdoor units or separate cool-air intake. Coastal humidity and narrow streets accelerate mould and rust growth in cooling coils and metal ducts, so we select rust and mould-resistant materials for every installation here.
Harat Al Mazloum sits in historic Jeddah downtown, an old district of closely packed residential and commercial buildings around the markets.
Most restaurants and cafes here use small individual split units per dining area, without central exhaust systems because of space constraints.
The AC setup in Harat Al Mazloum
- 1
Local extraction from a vent above the stove
In tight Harat Al Mazloum restaurants, we install a powerful extraction fan directly above the cooking zone instead of complex centralised systems.
- 2
Small split unit for cool supply in the kitchen
The small split unit sits near the kitchen door to supply cool air that compensates for extraction and maintains balanced pressure in the tight space.
- 3
Rust and mould-resistant materials
Coastal humidity accelerates rust and mould, so we select coated copper pipes and mould-resistant coils in every Harat Al Mazloum installation.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Harat Al Mazloum
- 1
Show us the stove location and exhaust route
We need a clear photo showing the stove location and the wall or ceiling through which the exhaust duct will pass outside.
- 2
Close the restaurant well before the visit
The initial survey needs quiet focus, so book the visit at least two hours after closing time.
- 3
Ensure access to the roof or exterior wall
Confirm that the team can safely reach the roof or exterior wall where the exhaust vent will be mounted before the visit day.
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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 open to the dining area, how do you extract the smoke and smell?
We install a powerful exhaust fan directly above the cooking zone, with a duct running up through the ceiling or exterior wall, and place a cooling unit near the kitchen entrance to supply cool air that compensates for the extracted air.
The streets outside are very narrow, where can we put the outdoor unit?
We survey available balconies, exterior walls and roofs during the visit, and choose the closest safe and legal spot to mount the unit without obstructing the street or neighbouring buildings.
Coastal humidity and salt air affect restaurant cooling units, how do you protect them?
We select copper pipes with corrosion-resistant coating, rust-resistant cooling coils, and strong air filters to prevent salt and moisture buildup in the coils and ducts.
Does an old restaurant building need electrical upgrading?
It depends on the condition of the existing wiring and circuits. We inspect the electrical system during the visit and clearly advise whether upgrading is needed before installation.
