Condensed Financial Information of Registrant Statements of Cash Flows (Parenthetical) (Detail) (STAR GAS PARTNERS, L.P., USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011
STAR GAS PARTNERS, L.P.
Condensed Cash Flow Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Includes distributions from subsidiaries	$ 34,530	$ 39,173	$ 32,579