Nicole, I'm not going to try to read what you most of what you posted, and I'm going to caution you that few other people will either. I know it's easier to write stream of consciousness, but it's hard to read. James Joyce wrote that way, and is considered to be one of the greats of 20th century literature, but even so few people actually read much of what he wrote.
You need to re-organize that into paragraphs and lists, if you want to have many people respond. Also, you've included lots of things we can't possibly help with: "old heater still in yard"
The PoolForum can help you
1. Learn to manage your pool chemistry effectively and inexpensively.
2. Learn some of the principles of pool equipment operation.
3. Solve specific individual problems.
We can't help much if
1. Your contractor(s) have done a runner.
2. Somebody is not doing what they said they would, or what you expected.
For starters, here's what I'd recommend (besides re-writing your post above):
1. Get a local OTO/phenol red (yellow/red drops) test kit. Make sure your chlorine is above 2 ppm, and your pH is between 7.2 and 7.8.
2. Order a K2006 kit from the link below, and learn to use it.
3. Turn off the salt system and heater, till you know what to do with them.
4. If you aren't sure what else to do, pour 2 gallons of plain 6% household bleach in every evening, unless the chlorine level is above 5 ppm.
5. Vacuum manually, as needed. (Think of it as a free aerobicize and tanning session, all rolled into one!)
6. See if can find a second knowledgeable local pool service guy -- if you can, hire him to show you just the basics, and get his opinion about what's fixable and what's not, and also about what's critical and what's not. Offer a good price ($200?) for him to come promptly, and spend a couple of hours with you. Be aware that anyone who is still in the business, and who is good, will probably have very little free time till after July 4th.
Good luck!
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