bad ballasts

I bought a 4 lamp 96 watt compact fixture from Current about 20 months ago.I lost 1 ballast 6months in. Now in the past 3 weeks 2 more have went bad. Is this normal for a 3' long compact flourescent. I've spent $300 on ballasts on a $600 light fixture in a little over a year. I'm just wondering if I should figure $2-300 a year on ballasts,not counting thje price of tubes 45-50 apiece. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks Andy

well,consdering you can buy a Workhorse7 for about $40,which will fire 2-96w PC's,I'd suggest scrappin that fixture and/or just buying a pair oh WH7's to light your 4x96w fixture.

where do I find them ?

Ballast do not usual go bad at that rate iv never lost one as long as iv had
a tank... Ether that is a bad run of ballast are you have something wrong
with the fixture or your supply.
And Dave is right, about the workhorse a good ballast for the $$ just do
a search for workhorse you'll find a lot of dealers for them

I have found them on ebay from time to time and if not he is a link to there main site: http://www.fulham.com/Detail_BallastClass.php?ID=WH
They have a search engine that will help you find a local retailer.

Possible you just got into a bad run on the balllasts... they generally do not fail very often unless they are continously subjected to being overheated.
If you are looking for bullet-proof ballasts, the workhorse line are likely as close as you will get for the price.

Thanks for your help guys. I will try the new ballast it can't be any worse.

When you've got the fixture all apart to replace the ballasts take a few extra minutes and blow out the fans with compresed air (and make sure they are/have been working). PC bulbs can generate a fair amount of heat which wil shorten their already short lifespan.