Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Al Masarrah
Al Masarrah in south Jeddah has many small restaurants and cafes in older, denser buildings, where HVAC and ventilation need special adjustments because spaces are tight and walls may carry old odours. We install strong filtration and pressure balancing for clean, efficient ventilation.
- 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 Masarrah is an older district with closely built blocks, small cramped flats and ground-floor shops, including cafes and restaurants with very tight spaces. This layout often means the kitchen opens directly into the dining area with no dividing wall, and the hood pulls from very tight quarters, so we choose finer drainage, advanced filtration to stop grease and stubborn odours sticking to surfaces and walls.
Al Masarrah is in south Jeddah, an older dense residential district that hosts many small cafes and restaurants.
Most restaurants here are small with open-plan layouts between kitchen and dining, and the hood runs at high power because natural ventilation is very weak.
The AC setup in Al Masarrah
- 1
High-capacity hood with dynamic air curtain
In tight open spaces, we fit a high-power hood with balanced supply that pushes air toward the hood only, stopping odours spreading through the room.
- 2
Multi-stage filtration for grease and particles
We use washable metal grease filters and HEPA air filters to catch fine particles and airborne odours trapped in the space.
- 3
Moisture and grease-resistant ducts
We choose stainless steel or treated aluminium ducts to withstand high humidity and grease vapour from the kitchen.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Al Masarrah
- 1
Measure the kitchen space and current hood
We need exact kitchen dimensions and the current hood size to determine if we need more capacity or just balance the air flow better.
- 2
Check where the hood duct exits
In older buildings, external openings may be limited or damaged, so confirm the exit point and whether we can reroute ducts toward it safely.
- 3
Tell us about the walls and insulation condition
If there are air leaks or poor insulation around duct openings, we may need extra sealing to keep pests and dust out.
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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 kitchen and dining are open to each other; how do you block cooking smoke and odour?
We fit a dynamic air curtain using balanced supply design to push air toward the hood only, with high-grade filtration to catch fine smoke and grease particles.
Kitchen humidity is very high; will the ducts rust quickly?
We choose ducts made of moisture and corrosion-resistant materials, fit a reinforced drain with safe slope and a moisture trap to prevent water pooling.
Old walls have absorbed years of odours; will new HVAC fix this?
New HVAC will prevent fresh odours and improve air circulation, but old smells in the walls need surface cleaning or repainting before installation for best results.
The building is old and wiring is weak; what electrical work do we need for the hood?
We inspect the electrical panel on the visit and determine if we need to upgrade the circuit or add a separate switch for the hood, and may recommend a licensed electrician if rewiring is needed.
