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Document and Entity Information	9 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information	Jun. 30, 2011	Jul. 31, 2011 Common [Member] Star Gas Partners, L.P. [Member]	Jul. 31, 2011 General Partner [Member] Star Gas Partners, L.P. [Member]	Jul. 31, 2011 Star Gas Finance Company [Member]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2011
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2011
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Entity Registrant Name	STAR GAS PARTNERS LP
Entity Central Index Key	0001002590
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--09-30
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		67,077,553	325,729	100