Partnership Organization and Formation (Details)	Sep. 29, 2012	Sep. 24, 2011
Common Units outstanding (in units)	57,013,000	35,429,000
Percentage of wholly-owned subsidiary (in hundredths)	100.00%
Number of residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers	1,200,000
Number of locations served by the partnership	750
Number of states in which the partnership operates	41
Minimum disclosure threshold percentage of revenues by customer (in hundredths)	10.00%
General Partner [Member] \| Common Unitholders [Member]
Common Units outstanding (in units)	784

Minimum threshold percentage of revenues by customer where disclosure is required.

No definition available.

Name:	sph_MinimumDisclosureThresholdPercentageOfRevenuesByCustomer
Namespace Prefix:	sph_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

This element represents the number of active residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	sph_NumberOfActiveResidentialCommercialIndustrialAndAgriculturalCustomers
Namespace Prefix:	sph_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Represents the number of locations that are served by the company.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	sph_NumberOfLocationsServedByEntity
Namespace Prefix:	sph_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The parent entity's ownership interest of a subsidiary, expressed as a percentage.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	sph_PercentageOfWhollyOwnedSubsidiaryInHundredths
Namespace Prefix:	sph_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The number of limited partner units outstanding.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 505

-SubTopic 10

-Section S99

-Paragraph 5

-Subparagraph (SAB TOPIC 4.F)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6959260&loc=d3e187171-122770

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 272

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 1

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6373374&loc=d3e70434-108055

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB)

-Number Topic 4

-Section F

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF)

-Number 87-21

-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher AICPA

-Name Practice Bulletin (PB)

-Number 14

-Paragraph 10

-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LimitedPartnersCapitalAccountUnitsOutstanding
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:sharesItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The number of states the entity operates in as of the balance sheet date.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_NumberOfStatesInWhichEntityOperates
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant