The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for feeding preheaters (1) having heating elements (4) for the feedstock (6) of glass melting installations, wherein the feedstock (6) is applied to the topmost heating elements (4) in a uniform distribution in a manner controlled by sensors (15). In order to achieve the object of specifying such a method of distributing the feedstock (6) in an extremely thin, but uniform layer thickness on and between the upper heating elements (4), thereby effectively suppressing or avoiding agglutination of particles and accumulation of the feedstock (6), it is proposed according to the invention that a) there is arranged above the topmost heating elements (4) a distributor device (5) comprising at least three pivotable distributor plates (12, 13, 14), the pivoting axes (12a, 13a, 14a) of which run in the horizontal edges of a virtual prism, wherein b) the topmost distributor plate (12) throws the feedstock (6) alternately onto one of the distributor plates (13, 14) arranged underneath, which, for its part, throws the caught feedstock (6) to one of its sides sternwards, and wherein c) the movements of the distributor plates (12, 13, 14) are controlled by sensors (15) with an evaluation and control circuit (17/18) and actuators assigned to the distributor plates (12, 13, 14) with the aim of a uniform area distribution of the feedstock (6) over the cross section of the preheater (1).