Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Al Ruhaili
In Al Ruhaili, north-east Jeddah, restaurants and cafés face air pressure challenges from heavy kitchen extraction. We design balanced make-up air with grease protection for coils, so guests enjoy cool, clean air free from cooking fumes.
- 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 Ruhaili is a relatively modern development district with mixed buildings: some are large commercial centres with upscale restaurants on upper floors, others are residential buildings with ground-floor shops. The restaurants vary in size from small cafés to large establishments, each needing different extract and make-up air tuning. Higher temperatures in the north-east and powerful extraction demands increase load on coils and runs, so precise balance and regular maintenance are essential.
Al Ruhaili is in north-east Jeddah, a modern growth district with commercial centres and diverse restaurants, where temperatures run higher than the city centre.
Restaurants here mix modern central systems with older package units, and extract systems usually lack balanced make-up air.
The AC setup in Al Ruhaili
- 1
Central extraction with distributed make-up
Large restaurants in Al Ruhaili's commercial centres use powerful central extraction needing distributed make-up at multiple points in the dining area.
- 2
Separate extract systems for small cafés
Smaller cafés in Al Ruhaili typically have simple separate extract systems needing basic but precise balance with make-up.
- 3
Coils protected from grease and heat
High heat and kitchen grease damage coils quickly, so we use robust filters and routine maintenance to protect system efficiency.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Al Ruhaili
- 1
Tell us the restaurant type and kitchen size
Let us know if it is a small café or large restaurant, and whether the kitchen is open or closed, so we choose the right balance.
- 2
Confirm space for outdoor units
Al Ruhaili has high building density, make sure there is safe space on the roof or balcony to install make-up and extract units securely.
- 3
Provide kitchen and ceiling access
Our team needs safe access to the kitchen, ceiling and walls to measure runs, assess filters and inspect coils.
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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 small kitchen extract pulls air from the whole café, how do I balance this?
Strong extraction in a small space causes rapid pressure drop. We design localized make-up air near the hood to compensate for the pull, keeping the dining area comfortable.
My restaurant is on the second floor, how do we vent outside?
Upper-floor systems need longer extract runs through walls and ceilings. We assess the best and least-disruptive route during the visit.
Al Ruhaili gets very hot in summer, does that affect extraction?
Yes, high temperatures reduce extraction efficiency and increase coil load. We design extract and supply to withstand the heat, and recommend more frequent maintenance in summer.
My kitchen shares space with another shop, how do we split extraction?
Shared kitchens need clear separation of extract and make-up. We design each unit with its own balanced system so neither affects the other.
