[gtojohn]

The ice packs would help but you'll lose capacity. The same could be acheived by keeping more of any product in the fridge. I don't think you want to add any heat to your condenser from your water heater you want to reject as much as possibly. Years ago there was an attempt to save electricity by pumping the liquid line of the central a/c system, right after it left the compressor into the hot water heater to help heat the water and cool the refrigerant some but I haven't seen a new one in 10 years. The heat from a fridge sized compressor should be negligible, and a bigger consideration is getting the refrigerant charge right after adding that amount of line set. The exact refrigerant charge is very crucial in refrigerators. If you can find the mullion heater circuit you could put a timer or switch on it, they tend to draw about 40 watts, it keeps the door seal from freezing shut.