Not sure exactly how to fix this 'leak.'

I have an unfinished basement. For the installation of Radon Mitigation (2020) I sealed all the edges using OSI Quad max. Today after a rain last night, I find a spot that leaked. There are no indications that it came through the wall or from the top, so it must have come up under the wall. There have been no leaks up to this point, and we've had some really bad rains over the last two years.

I'm thinking I just need to cut out the old caulk, rough up the cement a bit with a steel brush and then clean and recaulk. I have four of these Quad Max left over from the original caulking of the basement and there is a need to keep this cheap.

Also pictured is the outside. the leak is indicated, there near the bottom of the hill. Is there anything I can do there that will alleviate this problem in the future? Cheaply of course....

 

In a boat putting stuff on the inside is an emergency repair only. The same goes for basement and foundations. You MUST prevent the water from entering the wall in the first place.

Yes, you can remove the caulk. Rough up the concrete and try again (definition of insanity?). The fact is the water is already well inside the home's perimeter and you are relying on something stuck on top to hold back water. It might work for a while but the water will eventually win.

Since you're not too deep there I would excavate outside. Is your foundation water/damp proofed? Do you have a weeping drainage system around the perimeter? Is the weeping system working?

 

The problem with basement leaks is static pressure. By just patching a leak, you're only asking the pressure to seek a new weakest link.
You can do that by providing a new path for the water by shoring up the foundation as such that the water will go around the foundation until it finds a new path outside the premises.
The only real method to solve the problem as PD above suggested.
If you did not have a radon problem it could be redirected from inside at no cost and minimal work. As I have done. Since it's an unfinished basement I drilled a hole at the base of the wall and floor into the stone base under the floor. Then chiseled out a small trough around the hole. I also chiseled out a groove in the wall where the leak is. Inserted tube (capillary) into the groove and cemented over it. Now the water has a place to travel and no more static pressure.

 

@PilotDane As far as I know, no 'weeping' or drainage system on the outside of the house. I have a sump pump which, as far as I can tell, works well.

Next question, how is this wall/floor put together? I always assumed that the floor is like "A" below, but something tells me that it's more like "B" below.

So, if I dig out the dirt around the outside of the wall, what product should I waterproof with and how? I'm sure I'll need to clean and score the wall. I'm looking at the 'least expensive' method' (Wife and I are in our 70s, on fixed income) I have a tube of Liquid Nails Roof Repair, which I could use in this case if it would help to waterproof the area.

 

If you have a sump you have a drain field.

Wall construction is more like "a" the walls sit on the footing and the slab is poured inside the wall.

As noted the leak is on the outside so patching on inside really isnt going to do much.

 

@Marq Ok, now I'm confused. (But trust me, I'm easily confused...lol) The cement walls I have are pretty good at not allowing moisture through, so it would seem to me that (if the walls are like A) that the moisture is coming up from below, not through the outer wall. How do i water proof this? It almost seems as if I'm going to have to dig out and up under the floor slab to seal it somehow, and that's a major project.

Is the alternative just making sure that the area next to the wall doesn't puddle water?

 

It's more like this.

When you have water coming in from the bottom of the wall it can enter a couple different ways but the outside is most common.

So back to one of the prior question, is your sump system working, did you note if it increased more during the rain?

 

It appears to me like there might be a depression where you have the arrow. I would fill that and any other low spots along the wall. It also looks like it is low past there along the vinyl siding. Would it be possible to over fill that area so it would force the water further out into the yard away from the siding and concrete? Kind of like a berm or hill to divert the water away from that area. Even a couple of feet away would help.

 

Good point by badeyeben. Proper slope and drainage can make big difference.