I used my automotive hydraulic trolley jack for a plumbing project

My Craftsman trolley lifting jack that I use on my cars came in quite handy for a plumbing project today.

Backing up a bit: I wanted to replace my kitchen faucet. My architect had specified the KWC Livello for my new-construction house. The Livello seems to be the gold standard for modern architects worldwide, and it is lovely to look at.

However, the Livello splashes water everywhere. Even turning the water level down to a minimal level caused water to splash to the farthest reaches of my countertop and even on to the floor. No matter how I adjusted the angle of the nozzle or the faucet itself, it would create a mess.

The Livello also is not a dual-spray faucet. It only streams water, and I missed having a spray faucet in the kitchen.

After some online research, I came upon the Grohe Minta series. In pictures, the Minta 30300 looks almost identical to the Livello, while the Minta 32319 follows the same design but has a barrel and spray head that extends and curves down:

From left to right: The Livello, Minta 30300, and Minta 32319

I chose the 32319 because the spray head sits closer to the sink and leaves a much shorter drop distance for the water coming out. I figured this would reduce my splashing problem.

In real life, I discovered the Swiss KWC looks much more elegant (which must be why so many architects choose it). The German Grohe is much beefier and more Teutonic. I guess this is because the faucet barrel is much thicker to accommodate the larger-diameter dual-spray head, so you cannot blame the aesthetics on a poor German attempt at copy-cat design:

The Grohe is installed; the KWC lies to the right.

So where did the car jack come into all of this? In order to access the retaining rings securing the faucets to the kitchen counter, I had to remove the garbage disposal under the sink. When it came time to replace the garbage disposal, I found it rather hard to position into place so that I could turn the retaining ring and slip it around the flange holding the garbage disposal under the sink.

I tried propping the garbage disposal on cinder blocks and bricks, but I still couldn't get it to the proper height. The jack did the trick.

Going back to the faucets: Fortunately the Grohe has eliminated the splashing problem, and the control handle on the Grohe also operates with much greater precision and control than the KWC control handle. While the Grohe is not quite as elegant-looking as the KWC, this was a case of function prevailing over form.

I think my Grohe kitchen faucet will just continue to feed my fetish for all things German.