MH fixture help

[yesjenks]

I bought a tank that came with a MH light built into the hood. When I bought the tank the light was working fine. After a few months sitting in my garage it isn't working. I brought my bulb over to a friend and my bulb worked in his fixture, so the bulb isn't the problem.

How can I trouble shoot what's the cause? LEDs that are part of the hood are working fine. Does that mean the ballast isn't the problem?

 

[skene]

ballast may be the issue... or it could be the connectors... you'll have to check everything one by one to be sure. Have a multimeter?

 

[yesjenks]

I do have a multimeter. I'm having a hard time using it because the fixture connects to the ballast with a 5 prong (for the LEDs) and 3 prong (for the MH), I know that the LEDs are working but my multimeter has 2 probes; when I stick them into 2 of the female ends of the ballast (where the fixture connects to the ballast) and nadda. But, when I plug the LEDs into the female ends of the ballast they work.

Fans in the hood that are meant to go on when the fixture goes on aren't turning on either. Any other way to test the ballast with the multimeter?

 

[Awibrandy]

Not sure, but don't the LEDs run on a separate ballast? In which case the LEDs would run regardless of the ballast to the MH. My fixture has PC & MH individual ballast.

 

[yesjenks]

Thanks interesting. I don't know if they run individual ballasts.
Assuming they are on separate ballasts do you know where else I can put the multimeter probes to get a reading?

 

[skene]

You want to check the MH ballast... to the outlet where power goes out that connects directly to the fixture itself. Then test where the bulbs connect to, to make sure that there is current going to the pos/neg

 

[yesjenks]

My friend who's an electrician came to check it out and seems to think its the Capacitor and the ignitor. Fingers crossed that he's right. After all the ballast was supposedly only used for 8 months total.
I'll post my progress when I get the parts.