Email app won't sync

[dhinged]

I set up two accounts (Hotmail and Comcast) on the Email app (just called "Email") that came with my Droid Razr Maxx (on 4.1.2), and if I don't check it for a while (it's been a month), they will not download new messages. The only thing that works is deleting the account and adding it again, which is a pain to set up the settings. They are simply secondary or old accounts and I have auto-sync turned off for them so I can pull them on demand. They work when I do it initially and then for a few days after each check but it seems like if I go weeks without checking they will not sync again. Anybody experiencing the same thing or have any advice?