Floor drain ball float broken

I have a basement floor drain with a ball float backwater valve that's been working fine. The basement shower drains into it (across the floor, not directly). I routinely clean hair off the grate, and periodly checking the float for hair and debris. Today, it seemed very slow, and there was no obvious reason for the slow drainage. Rather than cracking open the cleanout plug, I used a plunger to see if it was just some hair stuck in the P-trap. After 2-3 pushes, all the water started draining, and I pushed it one more time. Then it stopped draining, and after examing, it seems I may have cracked or broken the ball float somehow. Instead of floating up to the top of the water level, now it sits down at the top of the P-trap, cutting off the drain completely. I can lift it up and move it around, but it always quickly sinks back down. At least I got the drain to work again, but now have a bigger problem. I have temporarily wedged it open, but was wondering if there was anything I could do other than a complete replacement of the whole floor drain.

If your floor drain is like mine, the ball floats up into a removable seat that is screwed into the fixture over the ball that keeps the water from a clogged drain from backing up into the basement. Mine have 4 notches around them, probably for a special spanner tool, but you can use a screwdriver and gently tap it in a notch loosen it. I have no idea how you could have broken the ball, but if it is broken then you will have to find a replacement or do without the backflow prevention.

thanks. I'll try loosening the top to remove the old ball. It's pretty rusty, tho.

It's so rusty that it's not budging. Is there something for super industrial rust that's in standing water?

Mine is PVC so rust is not a problem. Get the water out using a turkey baster or ??? then apply several applications of penetrating oil (NOT WD-40) letting it set between applications. Does your have notches as I described? If so, another tool that might help would be large channel lock pliers with one jaw opposite notches. This would be similar to a spanner wrench.

I could not loosen the threads, even after soaking in miracle oil for a day. So I just jammed a long screwdriver against the ball float, and then used another screwdriver and a hammer to hit the ball. It completely broke, and I pulled it out the hole with a needle nose. It was made of copper, so something must have been too stressful when I used the plunger on it. Thanks for your help.