Question
We have a Richdel 446 PR. The battery clip broke and I replaced it. Red to + Black to minus. Overnight the 9volt battery got very hot and now only reads 5 volts. The clock leds went out and the unit started the sprinklers. I took off the battery, unpluged the power and reset everything. Everything looks ok but did not put battery back. Any thoughts. Thanks

Answer
Hey Bob, the clock will function fine without the battery. All the battery does is hold the memory in case the power was to go out. Some controllers use a rechargeable 9 volt battery that receives a trickle charge and if you put a 9 volt akaline battery in, it will not work properly. I would suggest trying a nicad rechargeable battery first, and if you still have problems, then the controller is probably shorting out the 9 volt backup leads, and you might eventually have to replace the controller. Let me know if you have any more questions, thanks and have a great day.