I live in Christchurch, NZ in a cold drafty house with crap plumbing. Some time ago there was a storm which blew the lid off our header tank (which just sits on the roof) but I didn't notice it had fallen off for about two weeks.

When I put the lid back on there were some leaves and stuff floating in it so I cleaned it out. But it looks like I missed some stuff because now all of the hot taps in our house (Kitchen, bath, shower head, etc.) will periodically spit out brown mossy algae stuff and it's gross.

I am kinda dumb, I work in IT and don't know anything about DIY... how can I clean out the entire hot water system in my house without hiring a plumber or something. I really can't afford a professional...

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