There is no "sometimes it works, sometimes not", either notifications are sent or not. uddeIM creates no logfile since you can check your server log file which is more reliable.
Some server have restrictions when messages are sent by local applications (e.g. PHP). So maybe its your server (or provider) that blocks messages.
There are no known issues in uddeIM 1.6 regarding email notifications. Nevertheless you should update to uddeIM 1.9 stable.
uddeIM & uddePF Development
CB Language Workgroup
CB 3rd Party Developer