Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Statement of Cash Flows [Abstract]
Proceeds from Issuance of Preferred Limited Partners Units	$ 0	$ 67,321
Payments Related to Tax Withholding for Share-based Compensation	(624)	(1,562)
Operating activities:
Net income (loss)	(27,209)	(200,983)
Reconciliation of net income (loss) to cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
Depreciation, amortization, and accretion	87,298	98,997
Impairments of long-lived assets	0	10,927
Goodwill impairment	0	106,205
Provision (benefit) for deferred income taxes	(431)	(1,002)
Equity-based compensation expense	7,242	11,549
Provision for doubtful accounts	1,333	2,323
Excess decommissioning and abandoning costs	0	2,795
Amortization of deferred financing costs	3,491	2,475
Proceeds from Insurance Settlement, Operating Activities	(2,352)	0
Offering Costs of Preferred Units	37	3,046
Paid-in-Kind Interest	5,606	723
Liabilities, Fair Value Adjustment	(4,340)	6,295
Warrants fair value adjustment	(11,568)	0
Other non-cash charges and credits	(258)	2,966
Gain (Loss) on Extinguishment of Debt	0	(540)
Gain on sale of assets	(605)	(2,242)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of assets acquired:
Accounts receivable	(34,187)	59,816
Inventories	(13,394)	(19,193)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	(1,659)	3,723
Trade accounts payable and accrued expenses	28,368	(55,506)
Decommissioning liabilities, net	(550)	(3,769)
Other	12	(1,379)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	36,834	27,226
Investing activities:
Purchases of property, plant, and equipment	(28,587)	(15,438)
Proceeds on sale of property, plant, and equipment	786	2,994
Proceeds from Insurance Settlement, Investing Activities	2,352	0
Other investing activities	254	3,337
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	(25,195)	(9,107)
Financing activities:
Proceeds from long-term debt	297,100	367,500
Principal payments on long-term debt	(301,250)	(485,451)
CSI Compressco LP distributions	(14,815)	(21,642)
Proceeds from issuance of common stock, net of offering costs	0	60,152
Other financing activities	(1,573)	(4,094)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	(21,162)	(17,776)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash	533	(1,190)
Decrease in cash and cash equivalents	(8,990)	(847)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	29,840	23,057
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	20,850	22,210
Supplemental cash flow information:
Interest paid	39,919	48,139
Income taxes paid	$ 5,217	$ 3,311