What the Development Boom Left Behind: Plumbing in Bear, Glasgow, and Christiana Homes

The short answer

About half of the housing in Bear and Glasgow was built between 1980 and 1999, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and that window overlaps the years polybutylene supply pipe was installed across the country. Age alone doesn’t prove a house has it. It means the question is worth asking, and a short inspection answers it.

Spangler Plumbing provides plumbing service in Glasgow, Bear, and Christiana. Identification and replacement cost each have their own post on this site. This one covers when these neighborhoods went up, what was being installed at the time, and what else in a house of that age tends to need attention.

When these neighborhoods were built, and why it matters

The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey records the decade each home was built. The 2020 to 2024 five-year estimates for this corridor look like this (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Data Profile DP04, “Year Structure Built,” Bear CDP and Glasgow CDP):

Area	Built 1980 to 1989	Built 1990 to 1999	Combined
Bear CDP	15.1%	29.9%	45.0%
Glasgow CDP	23.2%	31.1%	54.3%
ZIP code 19702 (Christiana, Glasgow, and southern Newark addresses)	17.6%	27.5%	45.1%
New Castle County overall	11.8%	12.6%	24.4%

Christiana has no census-designated-place boundary, so there is no “Christiana CDP” row to pull. The closest published geography is ZIP Code Tabulation Area 19702, which covers Christiana, Glasgow, and part of Newark (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS DP04, ZCTA 19702). The county row comes from the same table (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS DP04, New Castle County). These are survey estimates with margins of error of a few points per cell, so read them as a shape, not a headcount.

The shape is clear. Roughly one in four homes county-wide dates to the 1980s and 1990s. In Bear and Glasgow it is roughly one in two, and adding the 1970s pushes Glasgow past 60%.

Why that matters: a subdivision built in one push tends to share materials. The same builder, plumbing subcontractor, and supply house served a whole street in a season. That is also why this piece talks about eras and material classes rather than particular developments. A street built in 1992 could have copper, CPVC, or polybutylene depending on who bid the job.

The supply-pipe question

Polybutylene is the reason the 1980s and 1990s get singled out. The court-appointed administrator of the national class-action settlement put it plainly: “PB plumbing was installed in an estimated six million homes between January 1, 1978 and July 31, 1995, the dates for installations covered by the settlement” (Consumer Plumbing Recovery Center press release, June 11, 2008). The inspector reference Spangler’s identification post also relies on gives the same window: polybutylene “was a plastic manufactured between 1978 and mid-1995” (InterNACHI, Polybutylene for Inspectors).

Lay that over the table. In Glasgow, more than half the housing stock was built inside the polybutylene window; in Bear and the 19702 ZIP, close to half. That does not mean half the houses have it. It means the era cannot rule it out, and the odds are roughly double the county’s.

Two more facts from the same sources matter here. The material was used for supply lines only; the administrator’s release lists drains, waste and vent piping, sprinklers, sewer lines, faucets, and fixtures as places it was not used (Consumer Plumbing Recovery Center). If your drain is slow, this is not the pipe to blame. And the failure is chemical: “certain disinfectants can react with the polybutylene and cause it to flake apart” (InterNACHI), from the inside, where you can’t see it.

That has a local angle. Artesian Water Company’s 2025 water quality report for its New Castle County system lists chlorine as the disinfectant in use, detected at “nd – 3.30” parts per million against a federal maximum of 4 (Artesian Water Company, 2025 Water Quality Report, PWSID DE0000552). That is ordinary, compliant public water, and also the kind polybutylene was never good at living with. The water here is not unusual; the pipe is the variable.

The settlement is closed. The fund was established in 1995, and all claims had to be filed by May 1, 2009 (Consumer Plumbing Recovery Center). A homeowner who finds it today pays for polybutylene replacement on their own, which is one reason to find it on your schedule rather than the pipe’s.

How to find out what you actually have

This section is short on purpose. Spangler has a full walkthrough of how to identify polybutylene pipe in your own house, including where it is usually visible and why a visual check has limits. Read that before you go looking.

The one thing to add is where to look before you look at pipe. The deed or county assessment record gives you the build year. The seller’s disclosure and any inspection report from your purchase may already name the material. If the house dates to 1978 through 1995 and nothing in your paperwork says the supply lines were replaced, treat it as an open question and get it answered.

What else ages on the same schedule

A 1990 house is not only a supply-pipe question. Several other things were installed the same week and have been working ever since.

Fittings and partial repairs. The administrator describes PB systems as joined by “plastic or metal fittings held in place by aluminum or copper bands” (Consumer Plumbing Recovery Center). In a house that has been through three owners, one of them may have swapped a leaking section for copper or PEX and left the rest, so a repaired spot under one sink says nothing about the run above the kitchen ceiling.

The water heater. A house from 1992 is probably on its second or third heater. Age frames the decision without making it, which is the argument in Spangler’s repair-or-replace water heater guide. If the heater is original, or you don’t know, put it on the same inspection visit.

Shutoff valves. The valves under sinks, behind toilets, and at the main entry are as old as the house unless someone changed them. A valve that hasn’t been turned in 30 years may not close fully when you need it to. Locate the main shutoff now and confirm it works.

The sewer. New Castle County operates the sanitary sewer system and bills residential customers annually from water usage reported by “your respective water company” (New Castle County, 2026 Residential Sewer Bill FAQ). If you get that bill, you’re on county sewer; if not, you likely have a septic system.

TODO (verify): Confirm that Bear, Glasgow, and Christiana addresses are inside Artesian’s service territory. Artesian’s site names only Delaware, Cecil County, and Chester County and refers address questions to customer service (Artesian Water, Our Service Areas); the state drinking-water lookup was down when this was drafted.

What to do if you find something

A pinhole leak, a recurring drip at a fitting, or a water stain that keeps coming back in a house from this era is a reason to call, not a reason to panic. In the meantime:

1. Find and test the main shutoff. If a leak opens up at 2 a.m., this is the first thing you’ll want to know, and Spangler answers the phone at that hour.
2. Photograph what you can see. Visible supply pipe at the water heater and under sinks, any markings, and the leak location.
3. Pull the paperwork. Build year, disclosure, prior inspection, and invoices from past plumbing work.
4. Ask for a scope, not a number. If the inspection confirms polybutylene, Spangler’s post on what changes the cost of a replacement explains what a written scope should include, and the polybutylene replacement service page describes the process.

Spangler is a Delaware Master Plumber (license #UT1488) and runs 24/7. The inspection tells you what you have. What you do about it, and when, is a decision you make with the facts in front of you.

Questions homeowners here ask

Does every house in Bear or Glasgow from the 1980s and 1990s have polybutylene?

No. Builders in that era also used copper and CPVC, and the choice varied by contractor and year. The Census data says roughly half the housing here was built during the polybutylene window, which makes the question worth asking. Only an inspection answers it for a specific address.

Why is there no Census row for Christiana?

Christiana is not a census-designated place, so the Bureau does not publish a separate profile for it. The nearest published geography is ZIP Code Tabulation Area 19702, which covers Christiana along with Glasgow and part of Newark, and its build-era profile closely matches Bear’s.

Is the water in this area hard on polybutylene?

The water is ordinary. Artesian’s 2025 report shows chlorine used as the disinfectant within the federal limit. The issue is that polybutylene reacts poorly with disinfectants in general, per the InterNACHI reference, so any chlorinated public supply is a factor. The pipe is the variable, not the utility.

Can I still file a claim under the polybutylene settlement?

No. The Consumer Plumbing Recovery Center’s release states that claims had to be filed by May 1, 2009. Replacement today is a homeowner expense, which is why finding it early matters.

Who handles the sewer in Bear and Glasgow?

New Castle County operates the sanitary sewer system and sends an annual residential sewer bill based on your water usage. For a backup on the house side of the line, Spangler’s sewer and drain cleaning service covers it; polybutylene was never used for drains, so that is a separate question.

Should I replace polybutylene before it leaks?

That depends on the house, how much of the material is present, and your plans for the property. Some owners replace it ahead of a remodel or a sale; others wait for a confirmed problem. Get the inspection first.

Start with the year on your deed

If your house in Bear, Glasgow, or Christiana was built between 1978 and 1995, you’re in the era where the supply-pipe question is live. That is information, not an accusation, and it has a definite answer. Spangler provides plumbing service across the Route 40 corridor and the rest of New Castle County. When you’re ready to find out what’s behind the drywall, request an inspection.