Iba Drilling Co., Inc.

About Us

Mike Iba started in the drilling business in 1975 doing seismic exploration in the MonDak region. In the 1980s he expanded into gold and silver exploration using heli-portable drilling and running a crew of 12. He and a fabricator masterminded a reverse circulation buggy rig for gold and silver exploration that is still in use today in the Black Hills. Iba Drilling Co now has three heli-portable drills and a buggy reverse circulation drill capable of 300’. It has taken him to the Nevada mountains and California almond groves to finding underground coal mines in ND.

Mike also is trained and experienced in Cathodic Protection of pipelines and underground storage tanks. He has protected everything from Minute Man Missile silos (do you feel safer now?) to MDU’s pipelines.

The bulk of Iba Drilling’s work is in drilling closed loop groundsource, geoexchange or geothermal drilling. Iba Drilling has been installing groundsource loopfields since 1998 using two Badger drills and water trucks and custom designed grouter. Mike is known for his clean, timely work drilling the impossible. He has clients, co-workers and suppliers who have turned into friends across the country.

Chris Iba, 22, started as a driller’s helper but has been running a drill for three years. He is a cut from the same mold as his father, meticulous and attentive to detail. The summer of 2009 he started the ND Veteran’s Nursing Home 735 borehole job on his own and in 2010 drilled loopfields for a school in Fargo and passed the extreme safety codes drilling at Minot Air Force Base. In 2010-11 Chris is a senior majoring in mechanical engineering at Montana Tech in Butte, MT. In the future Iba Drilling can give its clients the whole package of mechanical contractor design and drill. As the next generation in Iba Drilling, he will be able to collaborate with architects and engineers to get the best most efficient design for the customer.

The Shop

Iba Drilling groundsourced its shop 80 x 100’ in the spring of 2008, installing 12 bores at 300’. Not only did they get the federal energy tax credit, and Montana tax credit but also a check from McCone Electric for $1200 for converting from propane to electric geothermal. After one year of operation, the shop average monthly electric heating cooling bill was $67/ month. The shop thermostat is set at 65 degrees winter, 70 degrees summer. He also insulated and tinned the sides and ceiling of the shop during this retrofit.

Mike's shop is so clean people swear you can eat off the floor.

About Geothermal Heating & Cooling

• Geothermal, also known as GeoExchange and Ground Source Heat Pumps (GHPs), has been around for over two decades and is now a well proven and reliable technology.
• Geothermal systems use the Earth's natural energy storage capability to heat and cool buildings, and provide domestic hot water.
• Geothermal systems can also do the following, make ice, provide refrigeration, do snowmelt and provide hot water for radiant floor heating.
• The earth is a huge energy storage device that absorbs 47% of the sun's energy. This is more than 500 times more energy than mankind needs every year in the form of clean renewable energy.
• As stated by the EPA: Geothermal Heat Pumps are the most energy efficent, environmentally clean, renewable and cost effective space conditioning systems available.
• Government studies have shown that Geothermal systems have the lowest life-cycle costs and lowest impact on the environment of any system available.
• Geothermal systems, if designed and installed properly, will typically decrease a buildings energy and maintenance cost by 50 - 60%.
• You see dirt rock or water, we see an endless supply of renewable energy.

Iba Drilling Co., Inc.
PO Box 1041
Glendive, Montana 59330

406-687-3344 – shop phone/fax
406-939-6422 cell

contact Iba Drilling by email