Air Curtains South Africa blow a controlled sheet of air across an open doorway, so the conditioned air stays inside and the heat, dust and insects stay out. They are what lets a shop trade with its doors open without cooling the pavement.
Tell us the doorway and get air curtain quotes.
Get the Best QuoteWhat They Are For
- Keeping cooling in. An open shop door otherwise leaks everything you paid for.
- Keeping insects out. The main reason restaurants and kitchens fit them.
- Keeping dust out. Loading bays, workshops and anything on a dirt approach.
- Comfort at the door. The till and the greeter stop standing in a draught.
- Open doors trade better. Retail knows this, and air curtains are the compromise.
- Hygiene compliance. Food premises often need a barrier at an open door.
Choosing the Right One
- Door width. The unit should cover the full opening, not most of it.
- Door height. Taller doors need more air velocity to reach the floor.
- Mounting. Horizontal above the door, or vertical at the side.
- Heated or ambient. Heated models add warmth; most South African sites do not need it.
- Industrial or commercial. Loading bays need far more than a shop front.
- Noise. At a restaurant entrance it is worth comparing ratings.
Getting the Installation Right
- Mount it close to the door. Set back, the air sheet misses the opening.
- Aim it correctly. Slightly outwards, and adjusted after installation.
- Reach the floor. An air sheet that stops at knee height does very little.
- Door switch. So it runs when the door is open rather than all day.
- Power. A dedicated point, and larger units may need three phase.
- Clean the intake. A blocked intake quietly halves the performance.
Air Curtains Prices
Ballpark air curtain figures so you can check a quotation.
| Item | Ballpark price |
|---|---|
| 900mm commercial air curtain, supplied and fitted | R6,500 - R13,000 |
| 1200mm commercial air curtain, supplied and fitted | R8,500 - R17,000 |
| 1500mm commercial air curtain, supplied and fitted | R11,000 - R23,000 |
| 2000mm industrial air curtain, supplied and fitted | R18,000 - R42,000 |
| Heated air curtain, premium over ambient | R3,500 - R18,000 |
| Door switch and controls | R950 - R4,500 |
| Electrical point and isolator | R1,200 - R4,500 |
| Service and intake clean | R550 - R1,600 |
Prices JUST UPDATED. Ballpark figures, rounded, excluding VAT. They reflect typical South African aircon and refrigeration rates. They are not our prices or quotations, and no provider is bound by them. Confirm what each quotation includes, such as the unit capacity, the standard pipe run, the electrical work, making good and callout fees.
Get an installed price for your own doorway rather than a range.
Get the Best QuoteWhat Affects the Price
- Door width. The unit must span the opening, and width drives price.
- Door height. Taller openings need more powerful units.
- Heated or ambient. Heating elements add cost and electrical load.
- Duty. A shop front and a loading bay are different machines.
- Mounting height. Access equipment for a high industrial door.
- Electrical supply. Single or three phase, and the run to it.
What to Include in Your Request
- Door width and height. Measured, in millimetres if you can.
- What is behind the door. Shop floor, kitchen, warehouse or cold store.
- Why you want one. Insects, dust, cooling loss or comfort.
- How often the door is open. Permanently, or on traffic.
- Mounting. Above the door or beside it, and what the structure is.
- Power available. Single or three phase, and how close.
Before the Supplier Quotes
- Measure the opening properly. An undersized curtain is money wasted, not saved.
- Ask about the air reach. Whether the sheet actually reaches the floor.
- Ask for a door switch. Running all day when the door is shut costs for nothing.
- Check the noise rating. At a restaurant entrance it matters.
- Ask about filter and intake cleaning. It is the maintenance that gets forgotten.
- Consider ambient first. Heating is rarely the need in most of South Africa.
Air Curtains FAQs
Do air curtains actually work?
Yes, when they are sized and installed properly. A correctly specified unit across the full width of the opening, mounted close to the door and aimed so the air reaches the floor, keeps a large share of the conditioned air inside and a large share of the insects outside. An undersized one mounted too far back does very little, which is where the scepticism comes from.
Will one keep flies out of a kitchen?
It is one of the main reasons restaurants and food premises fit them, and it works well for flying insects provided the air sheet covers the whole opening and reaches the floor. It is a barrier rather than a seal, so it reduces rather than eliminates, and it is normally used alongside the other measures a food premises already has.
Does it have to be heated?
In most of South Africa, no. Heated air curtains are designed for climates where cold air coming through the door is the problem. Here the problem is usually hot air coming in and cooled air going out, which an ambient unit handles, and the heating elements add both capital cost and a significant electrical load.
How wide should the unit be?
It should span the full width of the doorway. Two units side by side are used on wide openings. A curtain narrower than the door leaves gaps at the edges, and air takes the easy route, so the performance falls away far faster than the missing width would suggest.
What maintenance do they need?
Very little, but not none. The intake grille and filter collect dust and need cleaning on a schedule, the fan bearings need checking, and the aim should be confirmed occasionally because knocks move it. A blocked intake is the most common reason an air curtain that used to work stops working.
Air curtains are one of the products providers listed on Aircon Hub quote for, alongside ventilation and commercial aircon systems.
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