Could this possibly be an issue with the pipes made before the update vs. pipes made afterwards? If a script were appended to both object files and the script has since been updated, it could very well mean that the old script is being used with the old but identically labelled pipe version. Perhaps ox-packing them might help? I'm fairly certain that the old oak pipe of mine that didn't work was created before the pipe updates, so this might be the issue. The new working mahogany pipe Bjorn uses was expertly crafted by Vrebel recently, since the update.
If you have a pipe that doesn't work, I'd suggest flagging down a GM for an item exchange. They should be spawning the new, updated pipe version. Let's also try the ox-pack technique and see if that updates the pipe. Even if there aren't two different versions of pipes, it could be possible that the custome script associated with the item isn't sticking correctly due to lag issues upon creation. Much akin to when item properties do not stick properly to some dropped items.