Frequently Asked Questions

Below are a few of the most common questions we get here at THINQTANQ. If you can't see your question listed or you just want to ask us something, why not contact us and we will do our best to answer.

Access

The building that THINQTANQ occupies is quite old and has a central staircase which is narrow. We are situated on a highway (its a small cobbled street but legally still a highway and we are surrounded by private land. There is no lift (and no room to install one either internally or externally without significant structural changes). We have investigated the possibility of a stair lift several times over the years but unfortunately our stairwell is too narrow. The main office facilities are on the first floor whilst the toilet facilities are on the second floor. Regrettably this means that disabled access to our building is at best limited, we are very happy to make as many adjustments as we realistically can and we want to be up front and honest about the access situation. It is something we deeply wish we could change and should we ever move premises in the future, it will be amongst our top building selection criteria.

If you have specific access requirements, we do not want to put you off so please get in touch at info@thinqtanq.co.uk to let us know how we can help. If it is within our power to provide it, we will. We are very sorry and we remain vigilant for anything that could make our space more accessible to all.

Opening Times

As a general rule, THINQTANQ is open between 9am and 5pm every weekday. This means day pass users, part time users and full time users can access and use the facilities.

In practice the building is actually open closer to 8.30am to 6pm but this isn't guaranteed.

Full time users who have passed their 2 week probation period and have the appropriate access items can access the building 24/7/365.

THINQTANQ is closed on bank holidays and for a 2 week period over Christmas and New Year (usually between the 22nd Dec and the 4/5th Jan). These closures do not affect full time users with access items. This is to ensure that the team get a decent rest and the period is historically quiet. If you require access outside of these times please email info@thinqtanq.co.uk to discuss.

If you feel that you are likely to need to access THINQTANQ outside of the regular posted hours then full time membership is your best option. Please remember that if you are signing up for full time membership you will be required to complete a probation period prior to being issued with access items. We take the security of our space and our members possessions very seriously and if you fail to meet the standards expected of a keyholder we reserve the right to remove your access to the building outside of the published opening times.

Parking

There is plenty of parking around THINQTANQ including on street parking and small short stay parking but if you are planning to get a full day of work in, then you need a bit longer. We have started to gather information about some good parking options below and if you know of any others, please let us know and of course, try to use public transport, walking or riding if you can!

Our Impact

Actions to Date

Planting Trees and Offsetting Carbon

You can see our forest of trees by visiting this link - https://ecologi.com/thinqtanq at the point of creating this document (12 Feb 2022) we had planted 1750 trees and offset 34.5t of Carbon, we have now planted nearly 16,000 trees and offset over 361 tons of CO2 (15 Nov 2025). We use Ecologi as our partner for delivering real world impact as they vet all of the projects that are funded to ensure that they are being run correctly and ethically.

The reason we fund both the planting of trees and carbon offset projects is perfectly embodied by the old saying “the best time to plant a tree was 10 years ago, the second best time, is now”. The trees that are planted today will take 10 years or more to become efficient carbon capture assets. By taking action on projects such as solar generation now, we can reduce carbon immediately while our trees are maturing.

For reference - Electricity use at THINQTANQ currently equates to approximately 35kWh per day (averaged across the year). This means that in a year THINQTANQ generates around 6T of Carbon which we are actively seeking to reduce.

Energy

Currently all of our energy is electric only and is from renewables with no coal, oil or nuclear power. We installed solar panels on the roof in 2023 thanks to our Crowdfunder helping to raise the money, and now in the summer only a small percentage of our energy comes from the grid, and our basic energy is partially covered in the winter too.

We have begun replacing all our conventional lighting with efficient LED lighting with most of the main office lights now replaced, and encourage our members to turn off additional lights when not needed. Where possible, all appliances and some lighting is plugged into smart plugs and are on timers which means they can be turned off remotely if left on to save unnecessary energy use.

Cleaning and Waste

We are using up our old stocks of cleaning chemicals and are moving, as far as it possible towards using products from companies such as Smol, Miniml, and Ecover that are less damaging to the environment and health. We currently use these for general purpose cleaner, window, bathroom and dishwasher tablets. All of the fabric washing that we do (duster, tea towels, towels etc) is done with domestic washing (no separate cycle) and again, using eco-friendly products.

Sanitary - We have moved our sanitary bins away from using a commercial service to using a disposable, less carbon intensive system provided by Binny. We also provide eco-friendly sanitary products for those who need them in our toilets using Flo.

Bin Bags - There isn’t a great alternative to bin bags currently and so we are investigating the least bad options. We use biodegradable waste bags made of corn starch and for situations where dry waste is collected we reuse the bin bags where possible rather than disposing of them.

Waste - We have seperate bins for general waste, recycling, food waste, coffee grounds and glass. Our very small amount of glass is recycled in glass specific bins, and although our general, food waste and coffee grounds currently all go out into general waste and to Plymouth’s incinerator to produce energy we now know exactly how much of each we produce and we can divert as and when options become available.

Batteries - We have installed a battery recycling box.

Printing - We provide recycled paper as standard and ask members to only use high quality non recycled when printing important documents. We have replaced our printer to one where ink comes in bottles and is transferred to printer to replace cartridge and toner waste. We also send any cartridges to Borrow Don’t Buy who send them to a specific recycler to help raise funds to support the organisation.

Technology

We make every effort to reuse old technology. We don’t purchase new equipment where the option to purchase a second hand option. We also recycle technology to give away as part of the GEO project run by Borrow Don’t Buy.

Planned Actions

We are currently investigating the following and aim to make them a core part of THINQTANQ and its business.

Energy

Lighting - we aim to replace conventional light switches for main lights with remote control switches meaning they can be turned off if left on and put on timers to reduce unnecessary use. If able we will also look into replacing appropriate lighting with sensor lighting to further reduce lights being on when not in use!

Heating - we are investigating switching to air source heat pump technology for our heating in the future to replace our night storage heater system. (Longer Term Goal)

Windows - we will work on replacing or refreshing our windows to more efficient ones to help the office at the desired temperature through all seasons and reduce heat loss (Longer Term Goal)

Other

Waste - We will be reviewing our waste practices and moving away from the current situation which is energy from waste. We will be installing a wormery or indoor composting bin for food waste and coffee grounds, recycling cardboard and paper and overall reducing our waste output. We currently output approximately 250L of waste per week, about one wheelie bin full.

Batteries - We will continue to reduce our use of virgin batteries shift to using rechargeable batteries where needed.

Locking and Unlocking THINQTANQ (24/7 access)

Hey! Well done, you have been at THINQTANQ long enough to be considered a trusted member and you are now able to access the space when it suits you.

There are a few simple rules and procedures for you to follow and we have laid those out in this document. Once you have done it a few times it will become second nature, don’t worry, there is nothing complicated! If you do have a problem, give Rob a shout.

Please let Rob know that you are entering or leaving the building outside normal hours if possible so that any of the silent alarm systems or motion detectors that are present don’t cause a false alarm.

Opening the Office

1. When you arrive at THINQTANQ unlock the door. If the door is already unlocked then use your fob and just head on in, someone will have already disarmed the alarm. You sometimes have to give the door a little nudge with your shoulder to get it unlocked. Don’t worry, you will get the hang of it.
2. Once the door is unlocked, use your fob to release the maglock.
3. As the door opens, the alarm will start to beep at you.
4. Go to the alarm panel, press the unlock padlock
5. Enter your alarm code. In your case this is ( X X X X X X X X)
6. The alarm should now be disarmed.
7. Turn on the lights for the stairs which are on the left hand side at the bottom of the stairs. The rope lights are situated on a smart plug around the corner on the right hand side. Press the button on top to activate them.
8. Head up and go about your business. Turn on any lights you need and be productive.

Closing the Office

1. First of all, check the building to ensure that you are indeed the last person in the building. This means checking the upstairs and toilets etc. If you aren’t sure, get in touch with Rob.
2. Secondly, make sure that all windows are closed (including in the meeting room) and that the coffee machine, kitchen lights and fairy lights are off.
3. Once you are happy that those things are done, turn off the lights in the main space and head down the stairs. There should be no lights or TVs etc left on when you leave.
4. When at the bottom of the stairs, press the locked padlock on the alarm panel (it is important to note that the alarm will not arm if the main door is open. Please make sure it is closed before attempting to arm the alarm.
5. Enter your alarm code. In your case this is ( X X X X )
6. The alarm should now be arming and a number of beeps will sound. Use this time to exit the building and turn off the stairwell lights.
7. Lock the door using your key and wait for the beeps to quicken, and then stop. The building is now armed.
8. If all has gone well, you are outside the building, the alarm is armed, all the lights are off, none of the windows are open and no-one is locked inside.
9. It isn’t essential, but it is helpful if you can let Rob know that you have left and the building is locked.

That’s it!

Now, the rules. I am not usually one for rules, but this is important as it is a shared space and we are all responsible for protecting each others things.

1. Don’t share your keys, or alarm code with anyone. Destroy your code on your induction notice when you have memorised it by scribbling over it.
2. If you are the last one out, you need to lock up. Even if you are in a hurry. If someone is holding you up and you need to leave but are the last person able to lock up, politely let them know that they need to leave unless it is before 5.00pm
3. Please make sure the building is secure. This includes doors and windows.
4. Please do not leave the coffee machine on, it can cause fires if it boils dry.
5. Don’t lock anyone in.
6. Don’t let anyone in that you are not familiar with if you are here on your own. By familiar we mean no one who is not currently a paying member of THINQTANQ unless by prior arrangement with Rob or another THINQTANQ representative.
7. No parties and don’t touch other peoples stuff. 🙂

All easy peasy. Please remain awesome at all times and remember, if you can’t stick to the rules, Rob can take away your keys or in extreme cases, banish you forever from the ‘tanq!

Adding Our Network Printer

When you go to add a network printer it should find the printer labelled Canon GX7000 series, or similar or have THINQTANQ in the name. If it does then your work here is done. Click ok to add the printer and remember to select the correct printer in the print dialog box.

However, if for some reason your computer doesn't find it, you can find the details in the set up manual hanging next to the printer which should show you all the additional ways to add the printer depending on your device.

Hot Water Bottles

We provide some hot water bottles as a courtesy. For either personal pain relief or just keeping warm from all that sitting still and staring at screens it it important to keep a few basic rules in mind:

• Don’t overfill the bottle! Put around 1-1.5l of hot (but not still boiling) water into the bottle. Squeeze out the air and then put the top on.
• Always check the bottle for leaks once you have sealed it up. Hot water is no joke!
• Don’t sit on, or apply pressure to the bottles.
• Don’t throw the bottles at co-workers, no matter how loudly they are eating!
• When you are done with the bottle, empty it and put it back on the rack ready for the next person.

We want you to be warm and happy but we also need you to be careful. If you aren’t sure about any aspect of the hot water bottles just ask one of the team. Better safe than sorry!