FAQs

ROBAX^® fire viewing panels have been proven a million times for more than 40 years because safety and reliability is the highest priority for SCHOTT as a manufacturer.
When you set highest quality demands for manufacturing, you want proof. SCHOTT ROBAX^® fulfills these demands. As the first manufacturer for glass-ceramic, SCHOTT was certified with the TÜV PROFiCERT seal for their entire production and testing process for ROBAX^® glass-ceramic fire viewing panels in 2014. Additionally, ROBAX^® glass-ceramics are UL certified for their temperature resistance, shock resistance and chemical composition, which are particularly valuable to fireplace manufacturers and consumers in the US. You can find further information about UL (Underwriters Laboratories) at www.ul.com.

Fire viewing panels should only be cleaned after they have cooled down. Do not use abrasive sponges, abrasive agents or other abrasive products, as this could cause surface damages.
Usually liquid cleaners are used for cleaning fire viewing panels. These liquid cleaners may attack the fireplace’s seals and/or the glass-ceramic and/or the surface or the fire viewing panel’s decoration color in some instances, depending on the cleaner’s composition and its interaction with combustion residues.
Therefore, we recommend the SCHOTT ROBAX^® Dry Wiper. More information and sources of supplier are available at “cleaning” tab.
Alternatively, you can also clean your fire viewing panel with moist newspaper and ash. Insert a moist rag or piece of newspaper into the white ash of the cooled fireplace and rub it onto the fire viewing window. Then, simply wipe it off again with the moist rag and polish it dry with a clean, soft towel.

ROBAX^® fire viewing panels are known for their longevity. Therefore, the risk of breakage during use is low when fire viewing panels are used appropriately. If it, however, does become necessary to replace a ROBAX^® fire viewing panel, please inform the fireplace dealer where you purchased your fireplace. You can get replacement panels through this dealer.

If you want to replace your SCHOTT ROBAX^® fire viewing panel sometime, it should be disposed as normal domestic waste. Please do not dispose in the glass recycling bin.

Fires with a door that can be closed are generally referred to as "enclosed" fires, in contrast to open fires. Heat-resistant SCHOTT ROBAX^® glass-ceramic panels, available in a wide range of sizes and shapes, can be used in the doors of stoves or the sides or front of fireplaces to give a perfect view of the flames, so that the effect is just the same as an open fire.

If you choose an enclosed fire with a viewing panel, you can have living flames and a roaring fire without the dirt and smell of smoke. Nowadays, high-quality enclosed fireplaces and stoves have an efficient air wash system on the inside of the glass to ensure that the fire is always clearly visible.

In winter, a lot of the heat from open fires is wasted, because it is pulled up the chimney. In terms of emissions, enclosed wood fires are far superior to the open versions. A controlled supply of air with carefully designed primary and secondary air vents ensures that the wood burns cleanly and efficiently. This maximises the amount of heat produced and keeps wood consumption, soot and ash to a minimum.

Open fires should not be left unattended. However, if you have an enclosed fire, you can leave the room without having to worry. It is impossible for sparks to fly out into the room because of the fire-resistant panel. This is a very important safety feature, which means that you can enjoy the fire with peace of mind. In contrast to open fireplaces, enclosed fireplaces or stoves can therefore be installed in almost any type of building.

Everyone must take action to slow down global warming caused by the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO₂) and find alternative energy sources to oil and gas which are fast running out. People with modern fireplaces or stoves are making a contribution to the environment in both respects. Wood is the ideal renewable fuel. It is available in almost unlimited quantities and is completely carbon-neutral. Because of their high energy density, lignite briquettes also represent an efficient alternative to oil and gas.

A brief excursion into the world of biochemistry: During the lifetime of a tree, it extracts carbon dioxide from the environment which is stored in the wood. When the wood is burnt, exactly the same amount of carbon dioxide is released. An identical amount would also be released if the tree was left to rot naturally. This natural form of emission trading is always in balance, because the forestry industry has made a long-term commitment to sustainability.

Forests are not felled randomly. In any case, trees blown down by the wind and thinnings are often used for firewood. It is important to remember that firewood comes primarily from domestic forests. Therefore, it is an environmentally friendly fuel even before it is burnt, because, unlike oil and gas, it does not need to be transported over large distances or subjected to complex industrial processing. Firewood simply needs to be cut, split and seasoned. You can obtain kindling, briquettes and pellets from Heizprofi.

Fireplaces and stoves are the perfect form of heating for modern low-energy houses. In spring and autumn, they often provide sufficient warmth to heat the whole house. However, because houses of this kind are designed to be airtight, only direct vent fireplaces and stoves can be used which do not take their combustion air from the room in which they are installed, but instead from an external air duct.

When reports about a new increase in the cost of energy hit the headlines, owners of fireplaces and stoves will be feeling very smug. In recent years the price of firewood has increased very slightly. Stoves which can heat other rooms in the house via hot air ducts are a particularly efficient solution. Lignite briquettes are also a safe choice. Since 2007, the price of oil and gas has been rising dramatically. It has reached a level of more than 7 cents per kilowatt hour and is likely to increase further. In contrast, the price of lignite briquettes has hardly changed in ten years. In 2008 it was 5.77 cents per kilowatt hour. By taking advantage of special offers from retailers, you can make substantial savings and buy briquettes for significantly less than 5 cents per kilowatt hour.

Pellet stoves are a straightforward alternative to wood-burning stoves. They use small pellets made of waste wood which are supplied in sacks or stored in tanks. Pellets are clean and can be transported without problems. Pellet stoves are easy to fill and some even have automatic filling systems.

Firewood must be split and stored for at least two years in a sheltered, airy place to allow it to season, until the residual moisture content is less than 20 percent. It will have a heating value of around 4 kW. Freshly cut wood can therefore usually be bought more cheaply. Damp wood burns inefficiently and produces a lot of smoke. It can cause soot and tar to form in the chimney which can result in chimney fires

Before you start looking for a fireplace or stove, you should ask your chimney sweep to visit your house so that he can tell you about the options available to you. He will be familiar with the emissions regulations for your area and will be able to give you unbiased advice, for example about the heat which a currently unused chimney can withstand and the amount of heating needed in rooms of different sizes. What if I don’t already have a chimney? That’s not a problem. There are cost-effective ways of installing chimneys retrospectively. You can also discuss this with your chimney sweep.

Most people choose to have a fireplace or stove in their living room. This makes sense because it is often the largest heated room in the house and therefore needs the largest supply of heat. In addition, the living room is the place where you relax and enjoy your own home. What could be better than sitting by a warm fire and watching the flames?

More complex installations, such as tiled stoves or fireplaces, must be carried out by experts. They will know the regulations inside out and therefore there will be no problem with approval. This also applies to wood-burning stoves and cookers. However, if you are experienced at DIY, you may be able to do the work yourself, after consulting your chimney sweep. It is important to find out in detail about the relevant regulations.

Before lighting the fire you should ask your chimney sweep to check it over. If you have followed his instructions, this is simply a formality.

The '20-20-20' objective is binding for all EU states: 20% less CO₂, 20% more renewable energies, 20% more energy efficiency by 2020. This is to prevent the earth from warming by over 2°C in this century. A tight schedule, but not an unrealistic one. Brussels has known it for a long time: climate policy is energy policy. In order to reduce CO₂ emissions, more environmentally friendly cars are to be produced and more biofuels are to be added to the mix. Wind power and solar systems are built to spread renewable energies. And finally, with new regulations for household devices, energy efficiency will rise by 20%. And what does 20-20-20 cost? Less than 0.5% of the GDP of the EU, experts say. If their forecasts are right, we will save up to 100 billion euros. Furthermore, 20-20-20 stimulates socio-political improvements; energy generation becomes more consumer-friendly; and the supply, through the use of indigenous energy sources, more secure.

It's wonderful when a light smell of a wood fire goes through the room: ethereal and resinous scented pinewood, fresh scented birch or rustic aromatic beech or oak wood. The prettiest flames are produced by ashwood. However, the energy density, which is the fuel value by volume, of hardwood is much higher. This means that hardwood takes up far less storage space than softwood, but has the same fuel value. Beech and oak are the better choice for endurance burning. Poplar and willow are low grade wood for burning. Those who buy their wood by the sack at the hardware store normally don't get to choose the type of wood. They may assume, however, that they are getting only high quality wood that can be used immediately. Wood from retailers is cheaper, as of course is wood that you cut yourself in the forest, and chopping wood can be an enjoyable leisure experience.

A convenient alternative to log stoves are pellet stoves for the home. They work with small, standardised briquettes made from wood chips, stored in sacks or tanks. Pellets can be transported conveniently and cleanly, and filled in the pellet stove (if there isn't an automatic conveying device). Pellet stoves are very "young" fireplaces because of the "young" fuel.

Wood moisture has a significant influence on the heating value. This explains why drying firewood is extremely important for optimum fuel value. Firewood needs to be split and left to dry in an airy location that is protected against the weather for at least two years until the residual moisture drops below 20%. Pellets have a moisture content of less than 10% which must not be exceeded.

Closed wood stoves with windows give the user the ability to control the inflow of combustion air at several levels (primary/secondary airflow, yes there is even tertiary airflow) and thus maximise the energy efficiency of any fuel. At the same time, the emission values (including particulate matter) drop considerably. Please also refer to the fireplace/wood stove manufacturer's fuel recommendations when selecting your fuel.