Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Harat Al Yemen
In Harat Al Yemen, downtown Jeddah, restaurants and cafés operate in old closely packed buildings with very narrow gaps between shops and flats. Alrabih designs flexible AC systems with separate split units and powerful extraction adapted to tight buildings, separating odours and protecting neighbours from kitchen steam.
- 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 Yemen in old downtown Jeddah has tightly packed buildings and very narrow gaps between flats and shops, making central AC installation virtually impossible. Restaurants and cafés here need separate split units per location with powerful air extraction that vents kitchen steam and odours straight out of the neighbourhood. The extremely tight spaces mean nearby guests and residents are highly sensitive to kitchen smells, so good separation is essential.
Harat Al Yemen sits in old downtown Jeddah, a district of tightly packed residential and commercial buildings around popular markets.
Most restaurants here use separate split units with powerful extraction fans vented externally, since the closely packed buildings cannot take central ducting.
The AC setup in Harat Al Yemen
- 1
Separate split units per location
Central systems cannot run between tightly packed buildings, so each restaurant or café relies on its own units.
- 2
Powerful extraction fans with high outlets
Outlets direct vapours and odours high and far from neighbours' windows as much as possible.
- 3
Air treatment with grease and charcoal filters
Extracted kitchen air passes through filters before venting to reduce strong odours.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Harat Al Yemen
- 1
Measure the narrowest passage point at entry
Before the visit, identify the narrowest passage the team and equipment must pass through to reach the restaurant.
- 2
Coordinate timing with restaurant owner and neighbours
Inform the restaurant owner and immediate neighbours of the installation time to avoid clashes with working hours.
- 3
Position outdoor unit away from windows
Place the outdoor unit on a side away from neighbouring windows, with the outlet as high as possible to avoid kitchen odours reaching neighbours.
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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.
Buildings are tightly packed, how do you separate odours from neighbouring buildings?
We install powerful extraction fans vented as far as possible from neighbours' windows and gaps, with air treatment before extraction.
The passages are extremely narrow, how do you get equipment to the restaurant?
Our team carries parts by hand or small trolley, breaks the outdoor unit into sections if needed, and confirms the tightest passage point before the visit.
Humidity is high in old downtown, does that affect the AC?
Yes, humidity speeds mould growth in drain pans and metal corrosion, so we clean drain pans regularly and recommend monthly cleaning visits.
The building's old wiring, can we safely connect a new unit?
We inspect the electrical panel and connections before installation, add a separate breaker and thermal protection for the new unit, and recommend fixing weak connections.
