The character of turbulent or laminar regime DOES NOT depend on the substance, but on the scaling parameter Re--->>> we don't care what is going on with the fluid. With that I mean that your pipe configuration should have a tested critical Re for reaching the turbulent regime, that Re is universal, and I bet it is lower than the critical Re for a single pipe (which is around 2000, isn't it Fred?).
EDIT: well, the transition to turbulence >may< depend on another scaling parameters, not only on the Reynolds, but also on the Richardson number as in the case of a buoyant flow, or on the Rosby number as in the case of a rotating system (The Earth). These three mechanisms (viscosity, buoyancy, and coriolis forces) are the main generators of uncontrolled vorticity eventually leading to turbulence.