In The News Magnetism Could Put Sparkle In Your Splash California Life Magazine, April, 1992 By Dick Tracy Cal-Life Staff Writer) "Forget Chemistry, try physics!" It's not the slogan of disgruntled college students, but a rallying cry for homeowners who can afford a swimming pool, but are turned off at the prospect of swimming in chlorine treated water. Instead of using chlorine and acid to balance and purify pool water, more and more pool buyers are turning to ion generators to purify the pools and magnets to stabilize the water and eliminate the need for acid. "The ion-generator system isn't new," explains Sigma's president Tom Colosimo, " but it's been improved with the addition of the Sigma III magnetic pool stabilizer, which even helps with maintaining the pH of the pool. "The ion-generators have been in the pool industry since the early '50's and we've been manufacturing one since 1982. Then last year we started manufacturing a magnetic stabilizer which uses ceramic magnets to stabilize the pH and alkalinity, rather the using acid. So the combination, which we call the Sigma System, (ion generator and magnetic stabilizer) eliminates the need for chlorine as a sanitizer and reduces acid use to balance the pH. So now a homeowner can swim with no toxic chemicals in the pool". What is the comparative cost using chemicals or the Sigma? The average person who owns an 18,000 to 20,000 gallon pool probably spends about $30 a month for chemicals", Colosimo states. "Multiply that by five years and it comes to $1,800 to $2,000. The Sigma will have paid for itself long before that. How does a magnet affect water? "On the Sigma III (which weights 5 pounds and is 10 inches long), the water flows through the center of powerful ceramic magnets which break the water molecule apart so whatever is sticking to it (like calcium) is no longer part of the water and doesn't stick to the sides of the pool. If there's an excessive amount released, the pool filter will pick it up. It makes things easier on the pool plaster, too, acids and chlorine definitely take a toll".