Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2012
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2012
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Trading Symbol	PNR
Entity Registrant Name	PENTAIR INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000077360
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	99,204,048