An unusual video has emerged of a lamp being used to turn off a hall light after an electrical wiring fail.

The footage, captured on Saturday, shows a man demonstrating the strange effect at his home in Iowa, USA.

"When a timer switch went out in the bathroom for the heat lamps, my roommate and landlord decided to save some money by replacing it with a standard switch," the filmer wrote online.

"The house has been known to have questionable wiring as was discovered when the switch was replaced," he continued.

"After the switch was replaced, turning on or off a lamp plugged into an electrical outlet in the bathroom we could turn the lamp on and off and have it turn the hall light on and off."

When a timer switch went out in the bathroom for the heatlamps, my roommate and landlord decided to save some money by replacing it with a standard switch. The house has been known to have questionable wiring as was discovered when the switch was replaced. After the switch was replaced, turning on or off a lamp plugged into an electrical outlet in the bathroom we could turn the lamp on and off and have it turn the hall light on and off.